It’s a pattern played out by bands year after year. A successful debut album is followed by a lackluster sophomore effort. Music fans are used to it. Gearheads, less so. But the dreaded “sophomore slump” has affected the auto industry’s domestic golden child after Ford’s critically acclaimed Sync infotainment system was followed up with the less-than-renowned MyFord Touch.
Putting aside the much-maligned capacitive controls for audio and climate settings, MyFord Touch – and its upmarket sibling, MyLincoln Touch – proved a step too far for the average consumer.
The eight-inch resistive display originally fitted to the Ford Edge and closely followed by the new Explorer and its platform siblings from Lincoln featured four on-screen quadrants – phone, navigation, audio, and climate – and in theory, was supposed to make selections both more intuitive and less distracting. It proved the opposite, and to make matters worse, reliability issues began to plague the range of MyFord Touch-equipped vehicles.
So nearly two years after launch, Ford is out to rectify the situation with MyFord Touch 2.0, a major update to the system that features stability improvements, a revamped user interface and a range of performance and functionality upgrades.
Ford began shipping update kits consisting of a USB drive and SD card with new maps earlier this month, and we got our hands on a pre-update 2012 Ford Edge and the upgrade kit to put both the installation process and new software to the test.
The upgrade procedure is simple enough: plug the supplied drive into the vehicle’s USB port and the software handles the rest. You have to leave the vehicle running, but the whole process takes about an hour and only the most technophobic would take Ford up on its offer to have the update handled by a dealer.
After the update completes, you’ll need to swap out the old mapping SD card for the new one provided in the package and then re-pair your phone. From what we can tell, the update wipes out most of your previous settings, so plan on another phonebook update and resetting your favorite radio stations.
At first glance it takes a graphic designer’s trained eye to spot the differences between 1.0 and 2.0. The fonts are generally bolder – a common complaint among older buyers – with the center top bar only consisting of the time, whereas before it displayed a clock, along with the outside temperature and Menu button. Conversely, down below the home and information icons remain, but now includes a set of gears to access system settings. Ford claims it’s created over 1,000 new screens with this update, and the effort shows. If just.
The quadrants also remain, with the phone menu in the upper left displaying signal strength, battery charge and a large “Do Not Disturb” button replacing the previous quartet of sub-menus and scattered information. Similar changes have been made to the navigation pane, whereas before you had a choice of four separate controls, there’s now only the “next turn” or a “Where Am I?” icon. Audio and climate controls on the main screen are also largely simplified, with quick access to radio presets, dual-zone climate settings and seat heaters.
The new navigation data from TeleNav and Navteq is noticeably improved, with more 3D landmarks and enhanced routing functionality. The graphics might not be great, but the experience is solid compared to the rest of the market. Dialing in an address or using the updated Nuance-powered voice commands works better in most cases, although the unnatural dialect required to change playlists or input a destination can still be a pain point. We did notice quicker re-routing when we made a wrong turn and Ford claims historical traffic data is being used to keep you away from known trouble spots.
The award for Most Improved is the audio screen, which still experiences occasional sluggishness when switching devices, but is vastly improved both in terms of appearance and usability. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the climate control pane, which is more attractive and nixes the abysmal animations, but continues to be awash in buttons and faux indicator lights that are hard to use when stopped and barely safe while on the move. Maybe it would take more time to adjust, but having spent tens of hours in a variety of MyFord Touch vehicles, we’ve yet to completely adapt. And we know we’re not in the minority.
Ford set out to simplify and streamline its feature-rich MyFord Touch system and the results are a mixed bag. Some of the UI changes are much improved, while others are merely evolved – if ever slightly – to form a more cohesive experience. But a general lack of tactility means we’re not able to rely on muscle memory for the most commonly used functions. Ford would say that’s where voice controls come in, and while that’s certainly an option, sometimes we just prefer a button or a central command knob.
However, Ford is sticking to its touchscreen strategy, and unlike past OEM hardware, regular updates will become the norm and improve the breed. MyFord Touch 2.0 is just the latest in a long string of future releases, and given more time and further iterations, it can only get better, unlike, say, Pink Floyd’s A Saucerful of Secrets.
