I am trying to figure out why Ford is so far behind the curve in vehicle electronics and automation... no factory XM, no integrated bluetooth, no DVD at the same time as Nav system, no XM with Nav system, etc.

I just had a look at a new Honda Odyssey and the electronics in that vehicle are well thought out, fully integrated and state of the art! Everything is run through a good sized touch screen in the dash... DVD navigation, DVD video and radio can all be operating at the same time (separate DVD drives for Nav and video and separate 6 disc CD changer)... all controlled through the touch screen interface. The screen flips backwards (motorized) to expose a 6 disc changer without any cartridges necessary... all 6 discs go in and out one at a time... making it MUCH easier to load and unload. Fully integrated XM radio. Integrated bluetooth to use your cell phone through the car's sound system. Full vehicle message center in the instrument cluster showing bearing, mileage, and many usefull details about vehicle operation. Many vehicle parameters are easilly set via this interface (i.e. door autolock, headlight delay, etc... no engine on/off/on hit door lock, unlock, touch your nose three times sequences to enable/disable features like Ford). And all of these things are controlled via a full button interface right on the steering wheel OR a full voice recognition system for complete hands free operation. Navigation, radio, etc. all speaker independent voice controllable!

Don't get me wrong... I love Ford in every way except option/color/feature restrictions on XLT/EB/Lim editions and the electronics... but, the Honda electronics system is the best I have ever seen in a vehicle... I hope Ford takes a tip from Honda and comes into the current decade with these features.

Jeff

 

to a certain extend, the "answer" to this question is self evident to anyone who has been paying even a little attention to what has been going on with auto manufacturers and manufacturing in general, both here and a-broad.

-re manufacturing

the us has lost a significant portion of its manufacturing capabilities to off-shore and overseas locations in recent years. the rust belt gets rustier by the month.

-re auto manufacturing

a-surely we are all aware of the de-contenting across virtually every model line of ford and other us car manufacturers. ford is famous for this....

b-surely we all know that us car manufacturers are no longer the envy of the world. in fact, in the opinion of many, the big three badly lag japanese and european auto manufacturers in many respects, from build quality to design to content. your observations are indicative of the trend across the marketplace. sadly, from all appearances, the big three by and large just don't get it!

 

Interesting enough... the company that designed the integrated system for Honda was right here in the US... IBM.

Press release

 

Oops... try this link.

Press release

 

JSCOZZ; You may want to look in to the real world aspect of FORD - V.S. anybody if
you want gagets you should compare a NAVAGATOR to the rest of the competion, the
creature comforts you would be looking for are in that one, Also in the long run if you were to look into the long term cost of owning a FORD v.s. an import, it is the little items that will kill you cost wise. And as far as import reliability it is not what most people ASSUME ,i have been in the auto parts business for 15 years now & the failure rates on a lot of imports is rather high & not as low as most folks ASSUME!!!! I would not buy an import ( I WOULD RATHER BUY AN AMERICAN NAME PLATE & KEEP MY
MONEY WHERE I EARNED IT )
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER..................TURBO TED

 

My 1999 Expy XLT has power seats, windows, manual A/C and a decent aftermarket CD player. And that's just the way I like it. My car-buying philosophy can be summed up in one sentence: The fewer parts a car has, the fewer parts that can break.

A well-heeled friend of mine has a 2002 BMW 745Li that can do everything but burp you after a heavy meal at a French restaurant. When everything works.

 

Yep- we have friends with an '03. Nice car, but the BMW service manager is on a first-name basis with them.

re: vehicle electronics. I've got mixed feelings about that. Looking out at my '93, I can't help but wonder how much of the trucks durability was because of simplicity, coupled with a robust design. I know all that stuff is kewl when everything's shiny and new, but I can just visualize the additional service expense down the road as the years and miles roll on.