If you have a Ford with the SYNC software package in recent years, you will be able upgrade to the latest version which will be shipping in our 2013 models.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the all-important role that cars play in modern romance can’t be overlooked. And it’s not just the make and model of a car that matter. The features inside your ride can have a considerable impact on the setting and mood.

and not with this Ford American Idol commercial

Cramping My Style

Take interior space, for example. Cramped, tight spaces can really put a damper on a comfortable “car date.” But you don’t have to have a big car to get some elbow room.

The all-new Focus from Ford brings small car interior space to a new level, rivaling larger vehicles. It offers more shoulder room than an Audi A4 and more front headroom than a Toyota Camry. In the spacious second row, the new Focus provides more hip room than the Audi or Toyota.

Sweet sounds

There’s nothing like good tunes to spice things up. Music is essential on a date. Wouldn’t it be even better if you could simply ask your car to select the song your date wants to hear from your custom playlist on an iPod or MP3 player?

Ford’s next-generation voice control can interpret a single voice command, such “USB, play artist, Lifehouse” to change a song if the mood calls for something soft and slow. Connectivity for portable devices and media players, are available through two USB ports, three RCA jacks (video, right and left audio) and SD card reader.

The setting gets even better when the songs are played on a premium Sony® 10-speaker audio system with subwoofer found on most Ford models.

Careful component matching and tuning for the vehicle has ensured that the premium sound system delivers outstanding sound quality. System performance is enhanced by the center speaker, which provides highly authentic staging, while the subwoofer ensures that bass sounds have a full, rich quality.

Mood Lighting

Almost as important as mood music is mood lighting.

Ford’s advanced ambient lighting system uses LED technology to provide precise pools of illumination in the foot wells, cup holders, door handle releases and map pockets. The driver can choose between seven different accent colors and set the brightness level to suit his or her mood.

A search mode can also be activated, switching the lighting to a bright white color, helping occupants to find misplaced objects within the car.

The right kind of lighting, such as Ford’s new LED Crystal Blue interior lighting, ensures consistent levels of color and brightness are delivered in the right places and at the right times to set the right mood.

Roof with a view

If gazing at the stars is your idea of a romantic car date, you can while staying warm, dry and bug free while viewing from the inside of your car. Several of Ford’s crossover and sports utility models can be equipped with the panoramic Vista Roof. The large glass moon roof provides a grand view of the sky.

The roof features a large glass panel. The oversized front panel provides open-air touring. Close the forward roof and the enormous skylights allow natural light to flood the cabin while protecting it, and you, from the elements. Or sky-gazing on a hot, sunny day? Twin power-operated cloth shades can be closed simultaneously to block nearly 100 percent of ultra-violet rays.

Chillin’

Need to keep beverages chilled? Ford’s Flex cross-over vehicle boasts a class-exclusive refrigerated console that is mounted between the second-row captain’s chairs. The available refrigerator can cool up to seven 12-ounce cans, four half-liter bottles or two 20-ounce bottles from room temperature to 41 degrees in a little more than two-and-a-half hours – 40 percent faster than a standard home refrigerator.

Intimate Interiors

Attention to detail, including the look, touch, feel and operation of all controls, features and surfaces also help define the setting. Materials that feel luxurious to the touch, comfortable seats and a welcoming interior contribute to the appeal and allure of any interior space, including a car.

For example, Ford uses authentic chrome plating on the interior trim parts, such as door handle release, rather than painted coatings to improve the look and feel of its car interiors. Optimizing the softness and feel of key customer touch points, such as the steering wheel, door armrests and center console, also provides an overall feeling of comfort and style.

Peace and Tranquillity

An ideal date night is one without distractions or disruptions from noise generated by the external environment, such as traffic noise, pedestrian chatter, and other business taking place outside of the car.

Soundproofing cars to shut out distracting outside noises offers both privacy and tranquillity inside.

Windshields with a special acoustic layer and thicker side and rear glass on Ford cars and trucks significantly reduce high-frequency noises. Sound-absorbing carpets and self-expanding foams also help absorb sound, as well as help maintain a more consistent sound level distribution inside the vehicle.

So while your Ford car can help set a mood, it can’t guarantee a second date.

With all the tech we’ve got in our home, office and even our pocket, it’s somewhat surprising our vehicles are lacking the latest in technological innovations — especially given how much time we spend behind the wheel each week. As we reported from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year, Ford is devoted to changing all that.

Read the entire article at Sync.

Last week the Ford Fusion earned the title of Motor Trend’s Car of the year. This week Car and Driver magazine annouced the 10Best Cars for 2010, from a list of 58 cars, the 2010 Ford Fusion wins!

It’s an unlikely claim, but the Ford Fusion hybrid is in fact the most advanced car on this list. Through the body of this unpretentious family sedan runs the sturdiest bridge between the tech of the 20th century and that of the 21st.

2010 10Best Cars

• 2010 Audi S4
• 2010 BMW 3-series / M3
• 2010 Cadillac CTS / CTS-V
• 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
• 2010 Honda Accord
• 2010 Honda Fit
• 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata
• 2010 Mazda 3 / Mazdaspeed 3
• 2010 Porsche Boxster / Cayman
• 2010 Volkswagen GTI

While everything they say about seat adjusting, telescoping steering, non existent cup holders are all very annoying… I was nicely surprised when #5 Inscrutable navigation system interfaces appeared with a note to other manufacturers:

Our advice for these ergonomically and technically challenged brands is to just buy a Ford Fusion with Sync 3.0 and Sirius Travel Link and marvel at the very best in the business.

Tyler has done a great job covering exactly how much more you can do with Sirius Travel Link and Sync!

Cars.com’s David Thomas did a video review of the MKS and he commends the luxury sedan for it’s space and absolutely luxurious interier. Have a look: Cars.com.

For more information check out the 2009 Lincoln MKS brochure.

From the Ford website:
2009 Lincoln MKS has the Largest Array of Comfort and Convenience Technology Features:

Adaptive Cruise Control, which allows the driver to set the car’s speed and maintain it without using the accelerator pedal. The radar-based system also can monitor the vehicle in front (up to 600 feet) and adjust the speed of the Lincoln MKS to keep it a safe distance behind the lead vehicle, even in fog or heavy rain. Four settings allow the driver to set a desired distance, speed and the time gap between vehicles.

Intelligent Access with Push Button Start, a first for Lincoln, allows the driver to enter the Lincoln MKS and start the engine without using a key. Drivers simply carry the special fob as they approach the vehicle, touch the keyless entry pad on the B-Pillar, open the door and with the brake pedal engaged, start the engine by pushing a button. Unlike some systems, the Intelligent Access key fob will work even if it is kept in the trunk, in a coat pocket or briefcase.

SecuriCode™ Keyless Entry Keypad, the next-generation version of a feature familiar to Lincoln owners. It allows access to the vehicle by unlocking the driver door using a five-digit code. The new system is now flush-mounted to the car’s driver-side B-pillar, using technology similar to that found on portable MP3 music players to create heat-sensitive, backlit numerals that become visible once they’re touched.

Adaptive Headlamps with Standard High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamps enhance nighttime visibility by illuminating more of the road and reducing glare from oncoming traffic. Sensors monitor vehicle speed and steering wheel input engaging electric motors that pivot the left headlamp up to 5 degrees and the right headlamp up to 15 degrees to increase the driver’s field of vision.

Auto High Beams coupled with the Adaptive Headlamps enhance nighttime visibility by switching to high intensity when no other vehicles are in range and automatically reverting to low beam intensity when they detect the headlamps or taillamps of other vehicles. Derived from sensing technology developed for NASA, the system can detect taillamps at a distance of more than 500 feet and headlamps at a distance of 2,000 feet. A patented filtering technique distinguishes street lights from vehicle light sources, preventing unnecessary dimming.

Rain-Sensing Wipers use an advanced optical sensing system to detect how hard rain or snow is falling and determine when to activate windshield wipers and how fast to run the wiper motor. An infrared beam “reads” the surface of the glass and sends information to a sensor mounted in the windshield shade band. Customers can program the system to their preference choosing from five different sensitivity settings.

The Forward Sensing System uses four hidden sensors mounted in the front fascia and audible beeps to help drivers determine how close they are to objects in front of their vehicle while parking. It can detect objects up to 1,500 feet away, plus objects at certain heights even out of the driver’s view, such as parking blocks. It operates only below 8 mph.

The Rearview Camera System works in conjunction with the vehicle’s reverse sensing system and uses the navigation screen as a display. A camera mounted beneath the Lincoln Star on the decklid is activated when the vehicle is shifted into reverse.

Easy Fuel™ Capless Fuel-Filler System is an industry-exclusive feature that provides customers a hassle-free, odor-free and more-consistent seal than a manual fuel cap. When fueling is completed and the nozzle is removed, the system automatically seals shut. The system has an invisible benefit, too – fewer evaporative emissions.

SYNC is standard on an array of 2009 Lincoln vehicles. The award-winning, industry-exclusive, voice-activated hands-free communications and entertainment system developed by Ford and Microsoft, fully integrates most Bluetooth®-enabled mobile phones and digital media players into the vehicle.

Voice-Activated Navigation System with SIRIUS Travel Link™ offers a host of convenient features including more than 150 hours of music storage. Users can browse the music juke box via touch-screen or by using voice recognition. The system also integrates the climate control and SIRIUS satellite radio into one easy-to-use, smudge-resistant, 8-inch touch-screen display.

Users can even upload personal pictures from CD to be displayed on the system’s home screen. SIRIUS Travel Link™ provides users access to up-to-the-minute information including real-time gas prices at the closest stations as well as movie listings and sports scores through the vehicle’s navigation system.

Overall: 1st Place: “The Ford Flex is the best, no question,” my 13-year-old daughter pronounced, and she spoke for the family. Between the car’s unique looks, its cool electronic features, its roominess and its comfort, it set a tone that none of the others could match. While my wife would have preferred to sit higher up, like in the Pilot, even she named the Flex as her overall winner. Considering how much the Flex wowed our friends and relatives, it probably deserves the top spot…

Flex also won the catgories for best of Looks, Comfort and  Gas Mileage (21.6 mpg).

Starting day one on the Road, the Flex was drawing a crowd everywhere it went, it’s no wonder the Flex is #1 for Looks.  The “Runaway winner” for Comfort, the Flex was chosen by all of the Suburban Dad family members, with Suburban Mom describing the seats, “like sitting in an armchair at home,” plus a refridgerator and the easiest access to the third row.

Recieving a second in the Entertainment category because of a lack of DVD player, the Flex continued to impress Suburban Dad and family with it’s “voice-activated nav system, regional weather maps, movie times and more — not to mention the awesome Sync system for my iPod that tied in with a really top-notch sound system.”

I enjoyed Suburban Dad’s vacation driving, like he said “So you don’t have to,” allowed all of us to see each Family vehicle with it’s flaws (such as cargo room and comfort in the Dodge Journey) and it’s positives (which the Ford Flex has many).

The answer is yes!

Using the bluetooth enabled iPhone you will connect with Sync. Using the USB cable your music on the iPhone will be played in the vehicle with Sync. There are not many vehicles out there that connect with the iPhone, according to KickingTires there are 3 that do it easily. The Ford Sync vehicles, BMW and Audi; all offer iPhone integration.

So go ahead Ford owners!! Feel free to get that iPhone tomorrow, you will be connected.

Now, let’s get SIRIUS! Ford SIRIUS Travel Link navigation system will be introduced this summer in the 2009 Lincoln MKS. This SIRIUS Travel system offers uninterupted coast-to-coast coverage using the existing SIRUS infrastructure.

From the Press Release:

Specifically, the Ford SIRIUS Travel Link system provides information on:

• Traffic Data: SIRIUS Travel Link combines real-time traffic speed and flow data with accident and incident information to allow the user to navigate around congested areas.
• Weather: SIRIUS Travel Link shows coast-to-coast weather data, current conditions and five-day forecasts, detailed storm cell information, hurricane and tropical storm tracking, local wind speeds, and even ski resort conditions.
• Fuel Prices: Drawing on information from more than 120,000 gas stations, SIRIUS Travel Link sorts fuel options by price, distance or alphabetically. If requested, the navigation system can route users to the gasoline station with the lowest fuel price.
• Sports: No matter your passion – NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, NCAAF, NCAAB, and golf – SIRIUS Travel Link provides scores and schedules and can be personalized for the user’s selected teams.
• Movies: With listings from more than 4,500 movie theaters, SIRIUS Travel Link helps consumers plan ahead by providing movie times, theater addresses, ratings and run lengths. Using the Ford navigation system, the data can be sorted by distance. If requested, the navigation system can route users to the selected movie theater.

Video from Autoblog.com: