Of course, it enables you to answer phone calls with the push of a button and the sound of your voice, and navigate your way to a destination. It offers so much more functionality than that, though.
According to Ford, “iPhone® users can activate Apple CarPlay,™ giving iPhone users access to Maps, Messages, Phone and Music through Siri® voice control or touchscreen. Android™ users can activate Android Auto,™ enabling easier access to Google voice search, Google Maps,™ Google Play Music™ and more via steering-wheel mounted controls and touchscreen.”
With SYNC Connect and FordPass, you can start, lock, unlock, and check the gas, oil, tire pressure, and battery levels on your vehicle from your smartphone. SYNC’s AppLink feature gives you the ability to control the apps on your phone with voice commands. Those supported by SYNC include Concur, through which you can log business-related mileage, and Eventseeker, which alerts you to events and concerts that fit your interests that are also near your vehicle’s location. Hit the FordSocial link below to see the rest of the useful SYNC-supported apps and learn more about the SYNC 3 system.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
