Car manufacturers are taking the drive experience to a new level by embedding new technologies into them. While hi-tech dashboards can be commonly seen in top-of-the-line cars, their introduction in cars priced under Rs 10 lakh is what can be perceived as a step in the right direction.
I recently drove the Ford EcoSport (Titanium) which comes with the company's Sync technology onboard. The EcoSport has been around for years now, but the Sync system in the car is not as old as this compact SUV. It was only last year when the company brought Sync with Ford AppLink to the Titanium variant of Ford EcoSport in India.
While the car without Sync activated offers a comfortable drive, the inclusion of this in-car technology takes the otherwise smooth experience to a new level.
The tech dashboard on EcoSport is intuitive and seamless. It just took me a while to comprehend all the controls and commands required to perform actions - all that without going through any manual or tutorial.
The real action begins once the phone is paired with Sync. I easily paired my smartphone with the system via Bluetooth. And every time I got into the car, it reminded me that the phone was connected. Be it anything, a reminder is always good.
When it comes to my in-car tech experience, I personally want two things to be in place when I am driving. Playlist on my phone set with AUX on and Bluetooth headset in my ear to make and receive phone calls. While I was quite satisfied with the usual music and call experience in my car until I drove EcoSport with Sync on.
On the EcoSport, it was all wireless and didn't require me to connect the phone every time I got into the car. I could conveniently access the playlist on my device with a few simple voice commands. And what made it even more convenient was the controls on the steering wheel.
As the phone is paired with Sync, it asks you to upload your phonebook. Once done, calling (while driving) is just a few commands away. For numbers which are not saved in your phonebook, you can just call out the digits and voila!
It clearly identified my Indian accent and understood almost every word that I uttered. In other words, I got the success rate of around 98 per cent while instructing Sync with voice commands.
The hi-tech dashboard on the EcoSport has a small screen located right in front of you which shows every detail that you would need at that particular time without taking your eyes off the road.
While Sync went along quite well with me, the experience wasn't wholesome given that it is capable of doing much more. Sync on EcoSport comes with Ford AppLink which, apart from the basic music and calling functionalities, lets users access apps on their smartphone while driving. While Ford has been trying to get more app developers onboard to work for AppLink, the plans are yet to materialise.
But the catch here is that there are only two apps compatible with Ford Applink - MapMyIndia Explore and Glympse. I believe unless that app catalogue is increased, the Sync experience, more or less, is going to be limited to basic calling and music.
But now that a company like Ford has given Indian users a taste of technology inside the car, it becomes pretty much obvious that we will be seeing a boom in this segment.
Maruti Suzuki has already integrated Apple's CarPlay into the new Brezza and Baleno. iPhone users driving these Maruti cars can mirror their phone to the touchscreen infotainment system while accessing more apps than what Ford has on offer. Having said that, such technology is currently limited to only iPhones and India is an Android dominated market. Ford may have had a good start with seamless Sync, but it still falls short when it comes to the App ecosystem.
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