Hands-on reviews: digital gauge cluster, display screens, SYNC 4 -- which media are calling impressive

[Classic Lover]

Where the old fogeys at to complain about their lost physical gauge clusters?

23 year old here and yes analog will always beat digital, in cars and on watches.

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[5.0ALM]

It would be nice to know the dimensions of the wireless Qi charging pad area.

Have to replace my stuffed phone... will a Galaxy S23 Ultra fit?
First world problems.

 

[62Telecaster]

I see zero resemblance but almost a good one

Skip to 3:15

So you don't see a resemblance to a black videogame system controller/outboard screen with large bezels...dude, you had me fast forward to Ford's usage of an Unreal Engine graphic/video game car with flames shooting out of it lol.

And yeah...maybe you ARE right; even Nintendo knew to use at least some physical controls for the best user experience possible

 

[Hi-PO Stang]

That Cadillac screen looks far worse than the Mustang screen integration. Ugh.

 

[DarthMalice]

Old fogey here at 46. I have no issue with that label...a good number of the people that try to use it as an insult are not even sure what bathroom to use nowadays. Still hate the screens...poorly implemented. We need a moving map...menus are for when you are setting up and don't need to be 4k. I don't understand people going nuts over how sharp they are. Who cares. I am not playing a video game on the damn thing...and I am a serious gamer so I am not anti-tech. The S550 digital display was perfect. Physical a/c controls will always trump a row of static screen buttons when you need to change something while driving. As the one review said, give me my toggles for suspension, exhaust, steering, mode etc. Just make them up and down functional. I could very easily set my settings from those while and kudos if the car remembers it. The irony is captured perfectly by one review...no truly useful changes have been made. The hard plastic has a different texture but it is not really any different-certainly doesn't make this car any more upscale. We get some fancy screens but did we get any digital upgrades that would have made for a better driving experience like a PDR or heads up display? Nope. The only thing I will give this is the driver focus angle is an improvement but that could have been done on the S550 layout too. I would never trade for this. If something happened to my Mach 1, I would probably see what I could get in a used Mach 1 or GT500 and then I might look at a Dark Horse if the used route failed.

 

[Bikeman315]

23 year old here and yes analog will always beat digital, in cars and on watches.

I'm impressed. A 23 year old that likes analog watches. Hopefully mechanical as well.

 

[mabcim]

I am seeing a lot of glare, on those screens, in the more recent reviews. Granted they are in a room with a ton of lights, but still. I wonder what it is like in real life. I can see it being problematic for the convertible.

I am also seeing a fairly big black border around the actual lit part of the screens. Not sure why they couldn’t get it closer to the edge, must have some interesting mounting behind the plastics or maybe their is an internal cooling area around the actual screen.

Digital or analog? Analog looks better, but those have been digital, behind them, for so long. So all you are really losing the physical needle. By losing the needle you get all the customizing, which seems what people like these days.

 

[93-Oct Mayne]

So you don't see a resemblance to a black videogame system controller/outboard screen with large bezels...dude, you had me fast forward to Ford's usage of an Unreal Engine graphic/video game car with flames shooting out of it lol.

And yeah...maybe you ARE right; even Nintendo knew to use at least some physical controls for the best user experience possible

I think you've lost your point here. Its a nice screen, graphics and all.

 

[gone_n_60]

I see zero resemblance but almost a good one

Skip to 3:15

Ouuuu can I get Jlo in a thong to pop up between the tach and speedometer?? Now that would be cool. ;?

 

[62Telecaster]

Ouuuu can I get Jlo in a thong to pop up between the tach and speedometer?? Now that would be cool. ;?

Exactly...the whole thing is so immature and just awkward. It literally has to age poorly as all electronics do; zero class and longevity behind both the physical design as well as the actual software presentation itself. Great stuff if you like iPads from last decade forever displaying Need For Speed car models from 2014 from now until forever...

 

[Underway]

I'm 63 with a new Dark Horse deposit laid down and I love the new screens. I have a 2021 GT premium loaded with all the good stuff but looking forward to the 2024.

 

[Mazman]

So it seems that everything can be set independently now?

Thinking of steering, engine, dampers, exhaust?

 

[gone_n_60]

Exactly...the whole thing is so immature and just awkward. It literally has to age poorly as all electronics do; zero class and longevity behind both the physical design as well as the actual software presentation itself. Great stuff if you like iPads from last decade forever displaying Need For Speed car models from 2014 from now until forever...

Here's an example of how you could do a digital instrument cluster and keep the eyebrow. The eyebrow provide that cockpit "real sports car" feeling to it that the elongated flat panel doesn't. Like one has the soul of a fighter jet the other a vibe from the newest Suburban. Note I found that image from the 2023 Porche 911 pics.

 

[62Telecaster]

Here's an example of how you could do a digital instrument cluster and keep the eyebrow. The eyebrow provide that cockpit "real sports car" feeling to it that the elongated flat panel doesn't. Like one has the soul of a fighter jet the other a vibe from the newest Suburban. Note I found that image from the 2023 Porche 911 pics.

Yup...Ford has been quoted many a time as referencing Xbox players as inspiration for what they did lol. It's just a silly and immature approach without much imagination and zero class. It's a sort of "disposable" approach, as Ford isn't going to update the software beyond a point and certainly can't update the hardware...so, in 2050 with whatever holographic dash crap we get, lol, by then...hey cool, there's your ol' Need For Speed dash looking extremely idiotic like all dated electronics eventually become. It'll look like an Atari level dash by then.

...analog dials literally can't lose class and style over time. And yes, Porsche did it infinitely better there than Ford's ugly rectangles with huge rounded bezels, square edge digitizers, a black separation between the two screens to kill flow, the driver's screen having more bezel/black on top than the bottom so it's not even centered, and the center stack screen with it's info display sitting taller noticeably than the driver's screen lmfao.

...they didn't even do it right, it's all off-center/uneven/misaligned if you look for it.

 

[Freedom]

Reserving judgement til I sit in one.

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