Mystiq

Anyone else get this letter from Ford? This is just the first bullet point. The rest is how to do it (visit your dealer), how long it takes, and other such information. Obviously, I have no idea what these other "calibrations" are other than raising the speed. I'm curious what it does. I haven't had it done yet but I plan to soon.

I was listening to a song yesterday where the sound quality made the song sound completely unlistenable, probably because of the white noise included in the music, which compresses horribly. Don't judge but the song was Linkin Park's Numb on channel 37, Octane. The song includes a distorted piano and some extra white noise. The compression was so horrible that some of the instruments started to become impossible to make out and all I heard were the compression artifacts. That's the worst case of Sirius sound quality I've ever heard and it was disgusting. I've heard that song several times over XM and it never struck me as sounding much different from the MP3 version I have.

I wish they'd do that where I live. Long Island has mandated all fuel have ethanol in it. We're up to 10% and there's not a single gas station within like 150 miles that has no ethanol. I wonder how much it destroys the gas mileage in my Fusion Hybrid. I don't understand why it's even an option when the reduction in price doesn't make up for the loss in energy, and it also raises fuel prices. That, and making ethanol is a net loss in energy. Simple math. The price of ethanol doesn't make up for the loss in efficiency and I wouldn't doubt the net production of greenhouse gasses due to the loss of efficiency makes up for the immediate gain at the car's exhaust.

Your phone doesn't have a shelf life of 5-10 years and you can buy a new one for far, far less than $25,000, the rough starting price of a basic Fusion. In most cases, Android and iOS updates often work on the older models, especially critical fixes and usually interface improvements. iOS 7 won't work on an iPhone 3GS but it will work on the three previous models: 4, 4S and 5. I would expect MFT "Metro" to work on the 2013 Fusion but maybe not the 2012. Of course, this could all be moot as soon as the update is available. I don't have much faith in Microsoft as a consumer-facing company. They're historically pretty hostile to users, though they have gotten better as of late but that's only because they're facing competition for once. I suggested to remove those buttons to reduce the complexity of that screen. Removing the voice controls would not reduce complexity because it's an alternate interface and doesn't affect the Climate screen. I went in hearing horror stories about Sync and tried to remain positive but I'm just so jaded because I keep comparing the Fusion to my 2008 Altima. The touch screen was basic. It did what it did well and I had no complaints (and it had XM instead of Sirius, which sounded much, much better than Sirius). MFT tries to do a lot, and I applaud Ford (and Chevrolet) for trying to push in-car technology, but you can't forget the basics of user interface design in the process. That they're adding buttons shows you that they went a little too far. I'm not going to comment on the last part because my sister was looking at a Fusion with MFT. I told her Sync is a pain in the butt but she ended up getting it anyway. Her complaints are nowhere near as serious as mine but focus on the car itself (too small, there's the sound of air coming through the driver-side window, one of the door panels is loose) rather than MFT. My enthusiasm for the car itself (and the looks) is probably what pushed her into getting it over a Mazda. I'm not everyone but I like good sound (Sirius is terrible) and I had gotten used to a simple but effective touch screen with quick access to common functionality.

I know the two share nothing in common. If they did it would be a good thing, something I rarely say when it comes to Microsoft. It's good to know there's a version coming that takes after Windows 8 but it's somewhat infuriating that it may not work on my car. They know it's bad so am I supposed to just dump my car after 3 years so I can get the upgraded Sync system to support the next version? No, I don't want to splunk down another $35,000 for a damn screen. This is the problem with technology and the expected lifetime of a car: they don't sync (pun intended). As for the complicated screens, some of the screens have a large number of options shown all at once. The climate window has a ridiculous number of buttons. They could have left the bottom 6 out because there are physical buttons. Make physical switches/buttons for the seat heater -- a lot of people ask me what the dead space is where the seat heater buttons usually go because they know I have that option -- and you get rid of two more. There are already buttons for temperature up/down. Get rid of 4 more. I've just gotten rid of 12 buttons and suddenly it looks a lot less like a mess. Someone clearly wanted to have as few physical buttons/dials/switches as possible and did so to the detriment of the car's usability. And just to remind everyone, I repeat, I like the car but I do not like Sync.

The problems with it aren't my problem. :P Let them figure it out. The application interface to the car could be simple enough where it won't/can't cause problems. Yes, there will be issues, but aren't there issues with any design choice? As to your iOS and Windows Phone comments: this leads me to believe you are a Microsoft fanboy. But are your comments that Apple isn't an OS-maker even relevant? Thousands of companies are using Unix derivatives. What OS do you think consoles such as the PS4 are running? Microsoft is guilty of exactly the same things you point out about Apple. More to the point, thousands of companies made working devices without having made their own OS from scratch (bolded for importance). That said, I think you're simplifying the issue. I only meant that Apple has had many successful years in developing applications for small devices and Microsoft hasn't. In any case, I'm guessing Microsoft has a lot more to do with Sync's design than Ford does. That means Microsoft had a lot of time to redesign Sync under the paradigms used by Windows 8. Instead of releasing something that leveraged what they learned under Windows 8's R&D, they gave us the Dec. 2012 update either because they ignored Windows 8 entirely or because it's just an interim release because the original was so bad. It's an improvement but after reading all I did about Windows 8's design (Microsoft has smart people but the company politics are ruinous), it doesn't look like they read a single design document. That said, I'm very interested in the update supposedly coming this summer. I would bet that the speed of the screen isn't related to the processor (look at the processors in phones) so much as it could simply be the technology used for the touch screen. It's pressure sensitive, whereas the screen in your phone reacts to the fact that your finger disturbs an electric field. Or, the designers like the delay and made it that way on purpose. Nearly every single screen strikes me as overly complicated, especially the ridiculous climate screen, given the design goals of Windows 8: minimalism. The corners idea of Sync may have been the inspiration for the corner stuff in Windows 8 but other than that, just, no. If they find they have to add physical buttons to remove complexity from Sync, I'm fine by that. I just want to know who the hell's idea it was to remove physical buttons for the seat heater because I want to slap them upside the head.

What would be super awesome is if the phone manufacturers worked with the car manufacturers to create a standardized embedded device interface such that the phone could hook up to your car and replace the standard interface in the car. Let Apple and Android have their own climate app, which interfaces directly with the car's climate control (including heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, etc.). All major smartphones already have navigation, some sort of music app, and it wouldn't be a stretch to let the phone tap into the car's antennas to support satellite and terrestrial radio, as well as use the car's GPS antenna. (Some phones even have FM antennas.) It would solve every last problem with in-car control systems and let consumers pick which one they liked best. Don't like the GPS app that comes with your phone? Download another one. Don't like the default climate control app on your phone? Get another one. It would mean massive coordination among all the companies but I think the benefits outweigh the logistics. Let the companies do what they do best. Ford makes good cars. Microsoft does not make good embedded systems. This could easily create a new market just for a device that can replace your car's standard interface. Swappable car infotaintment systems? Yes, please. Apple and Chevrolet started it.They need to take it all the way and separate the infotainment system from the car because a car's lifetime is way too long for how fast technology moves.

I was told repeatedly by people (who don't have it) that Sync is horrible. It's not horrible but I think it is pretty bad. Some of the screens are pretty complicated (for example, the climate screen) and navigating the audio screens is a mess, mostly due to the delay for a button's press to affect the screen (push down arrow on the Sources, wait 3 seconds). Response time makes it feel horrible to use. They need to change that. People are inevitably going to use the thing while they're driving -- I do -- and you might as well organize it to account for that. They put a lot of stuff on the screens at one time (this makes it look cluttered and difficult to use) and the stuff that isn't on screen is buried in menus (this makes it feel like it's complicated and hard to find stuff). Yeah, I did just contradict myself. Not everything needs to be on the touch screen. There's something to be said for having tactile feedback. I do not like the buttons as they are because I can't simply feel for a button and push it; I have to get a direct hit or I'm going to do something I don't want to do. The Source Prev/Next buttons below MFT are basically useless because it's one source at a time, and it cycles through all 3 variants before moving onto the next one. They were smart to put the defroster and climate control as buttons because those are super common functions you do not want to be dicking around with a touch screen to find. The rest need to be re-thought. I also wish they would have just put the damned seat heaters as a button like every other car instead of splashing it all over MFT. For having a touch interface, it looks like it was designed without one in mind. Windows Phone was Microsoft's only experience with touch devices before Windows 8 and you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks they are well-designed. MFT/Sync was obviously created before Windows 8 was an inkling in Microsoft's eye, when they really researched touch input and design. Only the interface for receivers comes to mind as being worse than MFT/Sync. The only screen that I think is designed well is the home screen. It's simple, things are spread out and shows all it needs to show: the common functions of all the other areas. Sync tries to do a lot and I don't think it ends up doing anything well. And to boot, it's just not acceptable to me that there are bugs. The WiFi keyboard and the Surround DSP option. Seriously? (Not to mention the choice of Sirius and it's terrible sound quality. Siriusly?) Partner with someone who has a proven track record in this space and use them. Microsoft's touch devices are awful, and prior to Windows (Phone) 8, they were fucking awful. I like the car. I do not like MFT. My complaints about the car mostly stem from MFT/Sync. Ford makes good cars but I don't have much faith in them where MFT is concerned. It's been around since 2007 and this is all they have to show for it? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MyFord_Touch#Criticism You know it's serious when a consumer group recommends people not to buy a product with MFT. I've only ever had the 2012 update and I can only fathom how bad it used to be. [Edit] I should mention I keep reading now that they plan another update this summer. I am intrigued.

Yep. I honestly think it makes it sound worse because it applies an HRTF, which means post-processing, and a drop in signal quality.

My current vehicle is actually a 2013 Fusion Titanium Hybrid. Whoops. Changing my profile... (In my defense, my OP does say that I used to own an Altima.) I've been trying to research the piss out of this and it just seems that Sirius sounds like a tin can whereas XM sounds more like traditional MP3. Sirius is compressed using PAC (never heard of it), and XM uses a modified AAC. It would also appear that Sirius is being phased out and will be gone sometime around 2014-2015, if what I've read proves to be true. Trust me, XM sounds a lot better. There are a couple things that bug me about the Fusion but the fact that Ford chose Sirius over XM is the most irritating by far. I thought something was wrong with my ears or the speakers in the Fusion when I first heard Sirius and thought I was going out of my mind, that it was all in my head. What I've read over the past couple weeks just proves that my ears aren't deceiving me and the quality of Sirius is just blown away by the quality of XM. Streaming Sirius XM off my phone through Bluetooth sounds better, and that's just sad. I'd love to hear of someone swapping out the Sirius receiver in their Fusion for XM and keeping the same functionality but if I had to guess I'd suppose that it's baked into some kind of SoC into a motherboard along with a bunch of other functionality and the interface to Sync is too proprietary, thus making the whole thing a pipe dream unless you could customize the firmware. Maybe someone with a little more experience in this matter could try it and let us know. I saw somewhere else that someone complained to SiriusXM directly and they were sent a free XM receiver with car kit. I think that's such a waste, and shame on Ford for picking the inferior-sounding tech (especially if it's being phased out) for otherwise such a nice car. The only plus I'll give to Sirius is that it doesn't drop out as often but the trade-off in sound quality is definitely not worth it. Supposed roadmap of SiriusXM future tech plans: http://www.xmfan.com/viewtopic.php?t=115557

I'd like to say that I think this is a pile of crap because I've had experience with 3 cars, 2 of which had excellent quality, and one of them has tin can syndrome. There has to be a reason the Altima, Charger and TSX have good Sirius XM quality and the Fusion is crap (and not because Ford is skimping on quality, what about the receiver is different, and can it be changed). I was aware that Sirius and XM merged. You'd think they'd take their combined bandwidth and increase the quality a little instead of trying to stuff ever more crap and reducing the quality. I don't know. It seriously noticeable to me in the Fusion.

I previously owned a 2008 Nissan Altima. That car had an XM receiver. The Sirius XM quality was good. I really couldn't tell the difference between XM and music off my phone through the auxiliary input. After Hurricane Sandy pissed on my Altima, I temporarily drove a 2009 Acura TSX. It also had an XM receiver and I couldn't tell a difference in quality from the Altima. Then I got my Fusion with a Sirius receiver. Now I can hear compression artifacts and the sound quality drives me nuts. What the hell? I read that Sirius quality was better than XM. Is it the car or the speakers?

I have a problem with the bluetooth audio on my iPhone 4S. Sometimes when I play music through it, it will play like 10-15 seconds and then go to the next song. Manually tapping Next/Previous doesn't help. I was fucking with it today for a few minutes while at a red light and finally fixed it by selecting a song on the phone itself. I can always fix it but it's really annoying. I have that Surround problem too but that isn't nearly as annoying as my phone simulating some derped-up version of Preview mode.

Nice. I finally got to enjoy the sound system today using my MP3 player (I know, but I only have a couple CDs and none of them in the car). Sounds damn good. I discovered that I prefer the surround DSP when the source is good enough. XM still sounds like crap.

I have a Fusion Titanium Hybrid and I'm not actually convinced it has a sub. Does it?

Yeah, I got a ridiculous number of comments on the color.

Got my Ruby Red Fusion HyTi a few days ago, I just haven't had a chance to post pictures yet. My first day of really trying to get the most of out of it netted me about 40 MPG across 25 miles.

I believe I owe you a few pictures.

I'm just curious, if they start taking orders May 15th for the 2014s, when will the first ones actually arrive? And will they be doing the Hybrid Titaniums from the get-go.

Can I get an update? 3FA6P0RU5DR277007

I know this was a couple pages ago, but can you explain how it ended up where it seemed like only Ruby Red orders were pushed back? By the correct info it seems like stock orders were put on hold for Ruby Red to make sure all the customer orders were taken care of first, and retail orders were still pushed out.

Yay, I got a window sticker! http://fordlabels.webview.biz/webviewhybrid/WindowSticker.aspx?vin=3FA6P0RU5DR277007

Pump in the trunk what now?

That makes no sense. It's a standard Fusion Hybrid Titanium. The only option I added was MyFord Touch (unless the rumors are true that they're pulling MFT from the Ford line and saving it for Lincolns). I'm paying my dealership a visit this weekend.

My car was schedule to April 1st. I was away for a week. When I got back, the dealer called and said it's been delayed again, now to the 15th. No word on why. Is there really a problem with Ruby Red? This is already past ridiculous.