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By Doug Newcomb
Ford knows it’s got a good thing going with the Microsoft-powered Sync system. What else explains the staggering 88% jump in Focus sales last month? It certainly isn't the garish chrome fender appliqués.
So the announcement that Ford’s offering a Sync retrofit kit as a dealer-installed option for the 2008 Lincoln Navigator and Navigator L models comes as no surprise, especially since Ford's hoping Sync’s magic rubs off on other models before Microsoft starts licensing the technology to other automakers. After all, owners of those dinosaur SUVs will want to cue up their Michael Bolton tunesby voice activation.
And Ford wants to unload some SUVs.
While the upgrade costs a reasonable $550, the vehicles must have the factory navigation system and DVD entertainment system included with the overpriced ($5,575?!?) Elite Package option. That’s a double bummer since the first-gen Sync, when saddled with factory nav system, requires an extra — and annoying — step to access music on an iPod (or a Zune, for the few who use 'em). A Ford spokesman recently told us this hassle will be eliminated in the second-gen Sync that will be available later this year on the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS.
That might make selling a gas hog like the Navigator a little easier at a time when gas is averaging $3.62 a gallon and dealers are barely moving SUVs.
