2014 Ford Fusion: We test its Stand-Out MyFord Touch vs Camry, Sonata, Accord & Mazda6

2014 Ford Fusion: We test its Stand-Out MyFord Touch vs Camry, Sonata, Accord & Mazda6

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When the Ford SYNC multimedia first debuted over six years ago, it was a huge step forward for in-car tech in general, even if it did have its bugs. We weren’t too keen on using it either, but Ford has improved on it over the years. SYNC is now part of an all-encompassing system called MyFord Touch, and we’re going to see if it’s still at the forefront of in-car infotainment, as we pitch the all-new 2014 Ford Fusion against rivals such as the Toyota Camry, the Hyundai Sonata, the Honda Accord and the Mazda 6.

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The MyFord Touch system boasts a large 8-inch LCD touchscreen that sits in the middle of the dashboard. Two smaller 4.2-inch LCD screens flank the central speedometer in the gauge cluster, controlled by a pair of five-way button-pads on either side of the steering wheel. All three screens are bright and colourful, with sharp fonts and clean graphics.

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Numerous other dashboard and additional steering-wheel buttons also control various aspects of the system. And within the central armrest are two USB ports, an SD card slot, an AUX port, and a set of composite audio/video jacks.

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To put it in perspective, let’s take a look at rival offerings. The Toyota Camry has a factory-fitted 6.1-inch or 7-inch touchscreen, depending on model, with basic graphics and very little colour, even though it’s a capable decent-resolution display, and we like the shortcut buttons along the sides. The top-spec Hyundai Sonata’s system is a mish-mash of ideas from other manufacturers, using a simplistic colour palette similar to Toyota and control-buttons below it similar to Nissan. The Honda Accord has a unique two-screen system, where an 8-inch touchscreen on top is controlled by a smaller touchscreen below as well as a rotary-dial controller below that, all a very good idea, but can be a bit confusing in actual use, as you wonder which screen holds which controls, made even more annoying by slow response times. And the Mazda 6 has a small 5.8-inch touchscreen, with small fonts, basic colours and sluggish response.

All the cars have Bluetooth phone and streaming audio functionality to go with their CD/MP3 stereos. However, only the Fusion can display album covers from your iPod on the car’s screen, aside from a whole barrage of other things that Ford’s SYNC can do via voice commands that the other cars can’t do.

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Ford has listened to criticism regarding previous iterations of SYNC and has upgraded the system significantly. It’s most obvious in the user interface, which now features larger fonts, clearer icons and streamlined menus. Getting around the MyFord Touch interface is now more intuitive, once you figure out that the main screen is divided into four colour-coded quadrants, offering quick access to basic entertainment and climate-control features without having to switch screens. And you can customise the main screen any way you like, with different wallpapers even.

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The full-colour dual screens in the gauge cluster are customisable as well. Using the steering buttons, you can swap out the digital tachometer on the left LCD for a variety of other gauges, such as trip computer functions, aside from other settings. On the right LCD, you can switch through settings for the audio, climate control and several other functions, all without the hands leaving the wheel. Even more expensive cars don’t have this level of fingertip control. And to top it all, the language can be changed to Arabic as well, although this is only available for the gauge-cluster screens.

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There is a very basic navigation system installed in the Fusion, unrelated to the SYNC system although it uses the same central touchscreen.

Of course, SYNC’s most hyped feature has always been its voice controls. Early versions never worked right, but we were surprised how well it understood our accents this time around, much better than the rudimentary voice-command features offered by the above-mentioned rivals. You can control the selection of music tracks, artists, albums and even genres on a USB player, a radio station, the volume level, phone-dialling commands, contact names and even the a/c temperature via voice commands. A list of commands appears on the screen, but once you get to know the common commands, you won’t need to read them off the screen any more. Anyway, when you don’t know what command to use while driving, you just say “what can I say?” and the system will read to you the commands that are available for a particular function.

Also, depending on your phone’s capabilities, SYNC can read SMS text messages out loud, and you can reply with generic messages using voice recognition, such as “I’m driving” or “I’ll call you later” among others.

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The Ford Fusion truly has one of the most advanced in-car infotainment systems around, better than what is offered in most luxury cars. Features such as three customisable screens and extensive voice control in an affordable midsize sedan make the Ford Fusion a stand-out in its segment.

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What do you think?

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Comments

  1. I dont see it selling like old model….It was launched back in March, till now, I have seen only 1 vehicle on road, that too only once….

    Is it due to high price ford has set for fusion or people are not liking it??

  2. I have a normal myFord system and it works fine. Really easy to pair phone, transfer phonebook and stream music. That being said, it has a tendency to reset my playlist at times and starts over again from the top when using an USB to play, but that could well be an issue with USB format.

    Yes, I would agree that its the best infotainment system out there in a mainstream brand. Even though the dash and steering looks like their engineer sneeze buttons, they are not complicated and easy to use

  3. Oh wait, I forgot about the new infotainment systems in Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep these days. Sorry Ford, but you are second best. Nothing beats that system!

  4. toyota camry’s interior is sooo simple

  5. U-connect still is the industry standard and one to beat!

  6. Love the U-Connect in my Jeep. Easy to navigate and learn. Rented an Escape Titanium and couldn’t figure it out as easily. The VR works great, especially for texting.

  7. Infotainment – Nothing to compare with the sony and mytouch combo. U-Connect is good – touch responsiveness and ease of use but the sound systems even on the high end Cherokee leaves you wondering if they missed the bus here

  8. Who cares spend wisely buy an Xbox

  9. The below transcript is from consumer reports…I dunno how true it is lol and whom to believe….

    “Ford is a striking example of the damage an awkward-to-use infotainment can do. Ford’s vehicles, in general, score about as well in driving tests as those sold by highly rated brands Honda and Toyota, and even are close to CR’s No. 1 brand, Lexus, according to a listing of 23 brands in the publication’s annual April auto issue.

    But Ford’s Microsoft-based Sync system, and the MyFord Touch suite of voice and touch controls based on it, wreck Ford’s reliability, CR data show. Ford winds up 22nd, ahead of only Jeep.

    “Ford Fusion is a good one to point to,” Fisher says. “A very competitive vehicle that looks and drives like a European sports sedan. But a major downfall is a frustrating and buggy control system. We’ve had a lot of complaints about the systems locking up or rebooting or going blank.”

    Ford hopes to eliminate that, eventually, by shifting away from a Microsoft-based system to one by BlackBerry’s QNX. Good move, Fisher says. BMW and Audi use that with good success.

    Too, Ford said last June it will begin returning to simple knobs as part of its array of dashboard controls. Its trucks never eliminated them, but Ford cars largely have.

    In the most recent J.D. Power survey of new-car quality, Ford ranked 27th among 33 nameplates listed. Problems with MyFord Touch were among the issues that kept Ford in the cellar”

    • Didn’t crash for me while I had it. The Fusions coming here for 2014 have an updated system compared to the ones mentioned in your story. I’ve had the screen on the brand-new VW CC long-termer crash twice. And my Jag’s screen crashes once every few months. Works on the next restart. No biggie.

  10. I was impressed with the MyFord Touch in the Ford Edge Ltd(2012) I owned. The only other system that I found easy to use was the U-Connect system. In the 2 years I owned the Edge the system rarely experienced lag or re-started. Fortunately, whenever I took the car in for a service the Dealer would provide a software update free of charge which made things better. The touch controls for the A/c etc are a bit gimmicky and can be distracting when driving hence Ford’s choice to go back to proper buttons. Having said that the 5 way buttons on the steering help to alleviate this problem.

    I now own a full opt Mazda6 2015 which comes with a few tweaks including a bigger 7″ screen with a new faster UI and better graphics albeit not as colourful or vibrant as the MyFord or U-Connect. The iDrive type controller still does not make it to the Middle East, however in my opinion, it is better suited to the new MZD Connect that’s available in the new Mazda3. I read somewhere that Mazda has or is making a version of the MZD Connect to run on current Mazda6 and CX-5 screens. Here’s hoping it comes out soon 🙂

  11. @RayD
    You own a mazda 3 or mazda 6?

  12. @RayD

    Oh Ok… Just got confused.. So Md 6 is now coming with 7inch screen… dint find it mentioned anywhere
    🙂 .. Enjoy the ride

    • Thanks 🙂

      Oddly the website and brochures still show the old screen. Not sure about the vehicles available in the US/UK/Japan but vehicles coming to the GCC come with the 7″ screen now

  13. @RayD… Thanks a lot for the info buddy

  14. Hi All,

    My colleagues and I would like to share with you our issue with Ford M.E, which is a Manufacturer problem with their “Edge & Explorer” brand that we bought 2013-2014, that has an Intolerable burning smell inside the car while accelerating and they are not taking any action about it until this moment.

    If there is any suggestions that can help please share it with us.

    • Hi Issam,

      I faced a similar problem with my Ford Edge(2012). A burning smell would permeate into the cabin after you’ve driven hard for a few secs(essentially mashed the throttle). I reported the matter to Al Tayer – Ford who assured me that no engine/drive train components were faulty/damaged. At the time I was one of a few customers that reported such a problem and on pushing for an answer I was told that exhaust fumes were somehow entering the cabin, which is down to a design defect. Ford M.E has taken this up with Ford US and a fix is still awaited as far as I know. As a temporary measure they extended the tail pipes out an inch so that less fumes would get sucked into the cabin. As I don’t drive with a heavy foot I rarely faced this problem however people with an aggressive driving style will experience this more. Here’s hoping they’ve solved this problem with the 2015 model that’s coming out soon.

  15. MICROSOFT WOW CTL+ ALT + DELETE 🙂

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