Traveling With the 2017 Escape & Ford Pass Mobile Phone App
If I told you that technology in automobiles has come a long, long way in the last decade, you’d probably slap me and tell me to report on something new. Okay, so what about the technology that’s not directly built into cars, but still surrounds them?
What I’m trying to say is that new vehicles are reaching a point of saturation when it comes to onboard technology. The 2017 Ford Escape Titanium I recently drove from Indianapolis, Indiana to West Virginia for a weekend road trip featured lots of it. Ford’s new SYNC 3, which encompasses the GPS navigation, XM radio/media, and Apple Carplay are a few of the features included in the $35,235 crossover.
On top of that, it had power seats, heated seats, automatic high-beam control, and smart cruise control, which adjusts the Escape’s speed depending on the vehicles around it via radar. The list goes on and on, but you already know all of that. Why am I saying this? Because besides a jacuzzi or a built-in 3D tv, all cars are maxing out on technology regardless of their price.
Technology aside, the Ford Escape’s 1.5 liter EcoBoost engine navigated the twisty roads around the Appalachian mountains with might, but you can read more about that here.
Say hello to the Ford Pass mobile app. In the day and age when humans can barely complete life’s most basic functions without the existence of a mobile phone application, Ford managed to add more tech to their vehicles, without actually cramming more tech into their vehicles. Makes sense?
Here are a few really cool things the Ford Pass app can do:
Remote start – Starting your vehicle from afar isn’t new, but what is new is to be able to do it from anywhere. The app utilizes your phone’s cellular/internet network to send the command to the vehicle from anywhere in the world!
Schedule a remote start – This was my favorite feature. Knowing we had to get up early to go white water water rafting, I set the app to remote start the Escape 10 minutes before heading out. You can also schedule recurring starts based on your daily work schedule or habits.
Pay your car payment – Yup. Chances are you financed your new Escape through Ford Credit anyway, so use the same app to make your monthly payment as you do to lock your doors.
Find parking – Live in a busy city? The Ford Pass app can show you where spots are available and whether or not they have a cost to you.
Locate vehicle – Forget where you parked? You can use the map feature to locate your Escape and make your way back to it. You can also honk the horn and activate the flashers remotely!
Needless to say, automotive technology nowadays can be found in places other than the actual car. It seems that the more our smartphones, computers, and other devices evolve, the more control we have of our vehicles as well. To see more Ford Pass features in action click here.
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