Ford's not so bad

[LouG]

Since I got the Mustang I've been really impressed at the user friendliness of the various driver systems.
Most are intuitive and quick to access. And you can often use real buttons.
When I went to change daylight saving time yesterday, I was expecting to have to go into multiple menus, as on previous VW group cars, to do it.
So I turned on ignition, went into clock settings and the time changed by itself before I could touch anything.
Why can't the Germans make things easy like that?

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[135Hoser]

How about being able to set whatever settings I want for the custom drive mode profiles?

The germans figured this out ages ago.

How about a few physical buttons that can be easily reached.

The germans and the japs figured that out.

Doing anything on the mustang is annoying as hell and the customizability is an illusion. I still can't have PSI as a unit for engine oil pressure without changing everything to imperial, but in fords infinite wisdom the drivers cluster showing me I have 1 or 2 bar of oil pressure when hot makes a ton of sense. I can get psi on the aux gauges feature, but then its just a broad dial, without a numerical value attached to it.

 

[LouG]

Here's a few;
Lane assist, 2 button presses in the Ford, menus in my VA cars.
TRC/ESC, Ford = button press, VA = menus.
Exhaust, Ford = favourites button, VA = menus.
Stop/start, both have buttons.
Steering, Ford = button, VA = button/menu/select.
Climate, Ford has visible buttons on the screen, VA = I gave up and used auto setting. The menu was dangerous to use while driving.
There's probably others in cruise etc, that I haven't found yet.

1 bar is 14.7 psi. Call it 15 and multiply. If it's under 2 bar, worry. We're decimalised here , but everyone uses psi still.

Then there's things like connectivity. My phone connects from twice as far as in the other brands.
It doesn't drop drop out at a certain place where the others constantly lose connection.

Where VA has it all over Ford is their DSG boxes. Put one in the Mustang and I'd have nirvana.
Oh, and the umbrella is stored inside the drivers door of my wife's Skoda, just like a Rolls Royce.
I've been a big fan of VA Group cars for quite a while, and never rated Ford, until I drove the Mustang.
Plus the value for money of the Ford down here is hard to beat. The Cupra Formentor I was going to buy will be at least $13000 more specced to the same level, and it is still just a turbo 4. A very good one, but it'll never sound like the Ford.

 

[MegaMan]

Great car overall, but a 500HP 5.0L V8 for 48K new??? It’s perfect actually.

 

[Alan Applegate]

I wonder how much longer V8 engines will be available in any passenger vehicle, including light trucks? One sign is Toyota's switch to a twin turbo V6 in their various models. Yes, they've certainly had their share of issues with it, but Toyota is a persevering company and will soon get things corrected.

We all like the rumble of a healthy V8, but we need to face facts about the cost of manufacturing, CAFE standards, public opinion, etc. Doesn't matter if the Mustang was the first pony car, it is the only one remaining which is a real pony car. The rest are history, save for resurrecting the name as in Blazer, etc.

I may not live long enough to see the last V8, but the signs of demise are there to see.

 

[steveo1960]

Since I got the Mustang I've been really impressed at the user friendliness of the various driver systems.
Most are intuitive and quick to access. And you can often use real buttons.
When I went to change daylight saving time yesterday, I was expecting to have to go into multiple menus, as on previous VW group cars, to do it.
So I turned on ignition, went into clock settings and the time changed by itself before I could touch anything.
Why can't the Germans make things easy like that?

It takes a little getting used to but most things are reasonably easy to figure out.
This is my first car with high tech electronics and while I was weaned on mechanical oil pressure gauges and the like, I am thoroughly enjoying the high tech systems.

Don't even get me started on adjusting the clock in a VW.
Took me about a 1/2 hour to figure it out in wifey's 2024 VW Atlas.

And speaking of the Atlas, when an icon on the screen is blue, it means that option is turned on. Except for climate control A/C. When THAT icon is blue it means that option is turned OFF.

Some crazy German engineer has a reason for this but I can't see why.

 

[robvas]

How about being able to set whatever settings I want for the custom drive mode profiles?

That's one thing Dodge does right

 

[AZ_Ryan]

I find then S650 interface to be pretty easy and intuitive overall. Especially switching back and forth between info screens. My only complaint is there should be a dedicated +/- button for the AC at the bottom of the screen without having to hit the fan button first. That is slightly annoying.

My wife's new Hyundai has a few more features, but is vastly more complicated to navigate. Switching from media to home and navigation is a pain. But she does get dedicated AC +/- on the screen at all times.

 

[LouG]

I wonder how much longer V8 engines will be available in any passenger vehicle, including light trucks? One sign is Toyota's switch to a twin turbo V6 in their various models. Yes, they've certainly had their share of issues with it, but Toyota is a persevering company and will soon get things corrected.

We all like the rumble of a healthy V8, but we need to face facts about the cost of manufacturing, CAFE standards, public opinion, etc. Doesn't matter if the Mustang was the first pony car, it is the only one remaining which is a real pony car. The rest are history, save for resurrecting the name as in Blazer, etc.

I may not live long enough to see the last V8, but the signs of demise are there to see.

It's one of the reasons I bought it. There may be a fair amount of Tech on it, but underneath it's a front engine, rear drive, basic beast like all the cars I worked on back in the day.
And being a US car, there's a better chance of parts being available from Ford or the aftermarket for many years.
And, I'm a bit tired of losing $10K a year on Euro depreciation. I suspect the Mustang will hold up better. Especially if it's the last V8.

 

[LouG]

I've just discovered a great feature Ford forgot to mention. The car makes right lane hogs move over.
I kid you not.
We did a return trip to Auckand last week, one of the few intercity roads with multiple lanes, and a 110kmh limit. I began to notice that as I started to close on a car ahead they pulled over. It happened so many times that I started to think it's something about the front appearance of the car. And, no, I wasn't closing at a million kmh, just cruising at 5 - 10 over.
Brilliant thinking Ford, well done you.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

I've just discovered a great feature Ford forgot to mention. The car makes right lane hogs move over.
I kid you not.
We did a return trip to Auckand last week, one of the few intercity roads with multiple lanes, and a 110kmh limit. I began to notice that as I started to close on a car ahead they pulled over. It happened so many times that I started to think it's something about the front appearance of the car. And, no, I wasn't closing at a million kmh, just cruising at 5 - 10 over.
Brilliant thinking Ford, well done you.

What the hell are your talking about? Lol

 

[LouG]

What the hell are your talking about? Lol

I'm sorry, I only speak and write English. Try Google translate.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

I'm sorry, I only speak and write English. Try Google translate.

Cmon, you can do better than that Lou.

 

[LouG]

Cmon, you can do better than that Lou.

OK, explain exactly what you're confused about and I'll elaborate

 

[AZ_Ryan]

OK, explain exactly what you're confused about and I'll elaborate

I couldn't tell if you were joking, or if you really think Ford has programing in your car that makes vehicles in front of you move over.

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