The infotainment in the Ford Explorer keeps an eye on charging

by time news

WAs for an announcement: 825 Newton meters of torque and 457 hp are in front of us, the new Ford Explorer as a plug-in hybrid. However, this time we are not testing the driving behavior of the five-meter SUV, we had the opportunity to do so in the spring (technology and engine from March 16), but rather its infotainment. As befits Ford, the in-house Sync 3 is on board, but it has some special features. The first is immediately visible: the on-board monitor sits upright on the center console like a tablet and is operated as usual with the finger. The 10.1-inch display is touch-sensitive, a menu bar at the bottom of the screen leads to the respective departments, everything is self-explanatory.

New at Ford is the revised Fordpass app, which runs in both smartphone worlds and now makes it easier to connect the vehicle. Recently, it has dispensed with subscription fees for networked vehicle services. A number of vehicle parameters can be called up in the app, including the location of the car or the list of journeys made. Interesting for the plug-in hybrid: charging locations can be saved, charging times set, charging logs viewed, and there are push notifications on the smartphone when charging is complete. It has long been possible to lock and unlock your Ford remotely with Sync 3.

One of the most important functions of the Fordpass app is of course to bring real-time traffic information into the car. To get this functionality, you have to set up a Fordpass once. The traffic data can then be entered in the car without a smartphone. In practical operation, the data were quite good and broken down to the exact street in the big city. But strangely enough, road closures are not displayed even if they have been in place for weeks.

Flown in upright: the screen for the Infotainment Sync 3 sits like a tablet on the center console.


Flown in upright: the screen for the Infotainment Sync 3 sits like a tablet on the center console.
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Photo: Ford

Apart from that, the sub-departments for route guides, telephony, music playback, radio and vehicle settings do not offer any surprises, but rather a middle class level with no ups and downs. The two smartphone systems Android Auto and Apple Carplay are supported, although only part of the screen is granted to them.

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