New Mustang variants coming

[akirby]

1 hour ago, fordmantpw said:

 

I didn't like it either, until I used one.  It's much easier to use as it's closer to the driver's line of sight and you don't have to take your eyes off the road as much to focus on the screen.

Exactly.  The ones complaining either haven’t used one for an extended period or are just stuck in the past.

[Motorpsychology]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

Exactly.  The ones complaining either haven’t used one for an extended period or are just stuck in the past.

Some are more intuitive than others, and familiarity helps. I find the Sync 3 in my Ranger to be the best, but the Sync  4 in the Bronco Sport loaner we've been driving for over the last 37 days while the Explorer is in the shop 😡 is also  good; no Ford Digital Experience to get in the way of Apple Car Play/Android Auto. 

 

My peeve is the size of some of the screens, and the placement as though the screen was an afterthought after the dashboard design was finalized; maybe true in some cases. 

 

[rmc523]

8 minutes ago, Motorpsychology said:

Some are more intuitive than others, and familiarity helps. I find the Sync 3 in my Ranger to be the best, but the Sync  4 in the Bronco Sport loaner we've been driving for over the last 37 days while the Explorer is in the shop 😡 is also  good; no Ford Digital Experience to get in the way of Apple Car Play/Android Auto. 

 

My peeve is the size of some of the screens, and the placement as though the screen was an afterthought after the dashboard design was finalized; maybe true in some cases. 

 

 

I think many screens are placed in such a way that they can easily be upsized in a refresh without having to rip up the dash.  Case in point Escape and corsair went to larger screens, but didn't have to change the dash much to accommodate that change.

 

Does it look as integrated, no, but there's at least a reason for it, and not just "let's make it sit there just because".

[Rick73]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

Exactly.  The ones complaining either haven’t used one for an extended period or are just stuck in the past.

Comment was about how it looks (aesthetics or appearance) and not how well it may or may not function.  It can be incredibly functional and still look like shit.  And no, I don’t have to try anything to know I don’t like how it “looks”.  Furthermore, just because I don’t like the same thing as you doesn’t mean I’m stuck in the past.  It only means we have different tastes and nothing more.  If you want to make it personal by accusing me of being stuck in the past (which is far from truth), I will remind you that manufacturers are redesigning dash layouts so screens don’t stick up like a sore thumb out of place.  You can like it all you want and I’ll still think it looks hideous, regardless of whether it works great or not.  Function and appearance are two separate things.

 

Example for clarity of what I find out of place and stuck there like an afterthought.  Chose a non-Ford example intentionally.

 

[akirby]

47 minutes ago, Motorpsychology said:

My peeve is the size of some of the screens, and the placement as though the screen was an afterthought after the dashboard design was finalized

rmc nailed it.  It’s not an afterthought at all.  Having the screen float allows the rest of the dash to be much lower and cleaner and it allows the screen to be larger and easier to reach in addition to making it easier to upgrade.  It really is superior ergonomically.  Once you understand that you can appreciate the design more instead of always thinking it was an afterthought.

[akirby]

7 minutes ago, Rick73 said:

Comment was about how it looks (aesthetics or appearance) and not how well it may or may not function.  It can be incredibly functional and still look like shit.  And no, I don’t have to try anything to know I don’t like how it “looks”.  Furthermore, just because I don’t like the same thing as you doesn’t mean I’m stuck in the past.  It only means we have different tastes and nothing more.  If you want to make it personal by accusing me of being stuck in the past (which is far from truth), I will remind you that manufacturers are redesigning dash layouts so screens don’t stick up like a sore thumb out of place.  You can like it all you want and I’ll still think it looks hideous, regardless of whether it works great or not.  Function and appearance are two separate things.

 

Example for clarity of what I find out of place and stuck there like an afterthought.  Chose a non-Ford example intentionally.

 

This form provides superior ergonomics and it allows the dash behind it to be much lower increasing visibility.  Just think of what it would look like if that screen was surrounded by the dash. It would be huge.  It also allows the other controls to be higher up.

 

Not saying you have to like it but at least acknowledge the ergonomic benefits.

Edited August 27 by akirby

[Rick73]

30 minutes ago, akirby said:

This form provides superior ergonomics and it allows the dash behind it to be much lower increasing visibility.  Just think of what it would look like if that screen was surrounded by the dash. It would be huge.  It also allows the other controls to be higher up.

 

Not saying you have to like it but at least acknowledge the ergonomic benefits.

I never said it didn’t work better in the first place.  

 

While on that subject though, I expect ergonomics can vary for some people more than others if they happen to not be “normal” or average.  Imagine drivers who may have some level of dyslexia or are visually impaired on right side.  Granted it’s not a huge percentage of population but what kind of vehicle are they going to drive when all vehicles have menu-based screen controls?

 

I expect the popular answer is that it’s not the manufacturers’ problem. 😀

[akirby]

3 hours ago, Rick73 said:

I never said it didn’t work better in the first place.  

 

While on that subject though, I expect ergonomics can vary for some people more than others if they happen to not be “normal” or average.  Imagine drivers who may have some level of dyslexia or are visually impaired on right side.  Granted it’s not a huge percentage of population but what kind of vehicle are they going to drive when all vehicles have menu-based screen controls?

 

I expect the popular answer is that it’s not the manufacturers’ problem. 😀

I was only talking about screen placement.  If the most used controls are on the steering wheel or easily reached on the main screen it’s a moot point.  Having a larger screen that’s easier to see and reach would help a lot in that scenario.

[ZanatWork]

23 hours ago, fordmantpw said:

 

I give up.  You win.  Screens are horrible.  If all automakers took them out completely, sales would skyrocket and their stock would be through the roof and they would have nothing to worry about.

That is the "poutiest" post I've seen anywhere, today. "Get off the cross, we need the wood".

Quit going all extremist on things with brat-babble. Tactile response is something that is obviously very important to some, arguably less important to others who prefer their touch screens. I guess some see a rectangle jutting out of a dashboard as a positive, others see it as a jarring add-on. I'm sure these divisions will have reveal age/generational biases, along with the occasional person that insists that Ford always knows better, and all disagreeing are obsolete, or whatever.

At the end of the day, I'd like to think we all want Ford to do well, and by building amazing, popular vehicles.

[fordmantpw]

54 minutes ago, ZanatWork said:

That is the "poutiest" post I've seen anywhere, today. "Get off the cross, we need the wood".

Quit going all extremist on things with brat-babble. Tactile response is something that is obviously very important to some, arguably less important to others who prefer their touch screens. I guess some see a rectangle jutting out of a dashboard as a positive, others see it as a jarring add-on. I'm sure these divisions will have reveal age/generational biases, along with the occasional person that insists that Ford always knows better, and all disagreeing are obsolete, or whatever.

At the end of the day, I'd like to think we all want Ford to do well, and by building amazing, popular vehicles.

 

OK.

[akirby]

6 hours ago, ZanatWork said:

Quit going all extremist on things with brat-babble.
 

I guess some see a rectangle jutting out of a dashboard as a positive, others see it as a jarring add-on.

Hello pot.  Meet kettle.

[fuzzymoomoo]

On 8/26/2025 at 10:28 AM, fordmantpw said:

 

In case you haven't noticed, screens are an increasingly important part of cars nowadays.

You’re not wrong but you can certainly do a MUCH better job of integrating it into the IP rather than looking like someone stuck it there with gorilla glue. 

[fordmantpw]

1 hour ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

You’re not wrong but you can certainly do a MUCH better job of integrating it into the IP rather than looking like someone stuck it there with gorilla glue. 

 

Agreed!  Some are done much better than others.  I think it was just a case of Ford not spending the money to redesign the interior enough to make it more integrated.

[ANTAUS]

I'm annoyed at seeing the new refreshed US Aviator, with the tacked on center screen, then seeing the Chinese Aviator, where it's better integrated....

[rmc523]

14 hours ago, ANTAUS said:

I'm annoyed at seeing the new refreshed US Aviator, with the tacked on center screen, then seeing the Chinese Aviator, where it's better integrated....

 

Ford has given the Chinese Lincolns more thorough updates than the US models, which makes no sense to me.

[akirby]

8 hours ago, rmc523 said:

 

Ford has given the Chinese Lincolns more thorough updates than the US models, which makes no sense to me.

Different market, different buyers, different economics.

[rmc523]

8 hours ago, akirby said:

Different market, different buyers, different economics.

this is an excuse.   So instead let’s have them diverge and put money to two different refreshes?

The engineering is already done, bring the better updates here.

[jpd80]

37 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

this is an excuse.   So instead let’s have them diverge and put money to two different refreshes?

The engineering is already done, bring the better updates here.

I sense that Farley is over US based ICE engineers and their big book

of doing things the old way. Eyes are being opened by other projects,

so let’s hope this flows through to much better products.

 

akirby brought up good ergonomics, it takes a lot more 

research and questioning of control placement, it shows

that engineering team are learning and taking notice of

 changes for the better.

Edited August 30 by jpd80

[akirby]

5 hours ago, rmc523 said:

this is an excuse.   So instead let’s have them diverge and put money to two different refreshes?

The engineering is already done, bring the better updates here.

Not saying it’s the right decision necessarily just explaining why they made that decision.  

 

One example is that the Chinese version may have a much higher price and profit margin in China so they can spend a little more.  
 

But just because you can justify it doesn’t mean it’s the right decision overall.  Just like Ford of Europe could justify making a totally different Focus and Mondeo but it would have been far better for the company in the long run to have a single version. 

[akirby]

On 8/28/2025 at 9:48 AM, ZanatWork said:

That is the "poutiest" post I've seen anywhere, today. "Get off the cross, we need the wood".

Quit going all extremist on things with brat-babble. Tactile response is something that is obviously very important to some, arguably less important to others who prefer their touch screens. I guess some see a rectangle jutting out of a dashboard as a positive, others see it as a jarring add-on. I'm sure these divisions will have reveal age/generational biases, along with the occasional person that insists that Ford always knows better, and all disagreeing are obsolete, or whatever.

At the end of the day, I'd like to think we all want Ford to do well, and by building amazing, popular vehicles.

Nobody is arguing that you have to like the appearance of the screens - that’s personal preference.  What is wrong is calling it haphazard and lazy and an “add-on”.  If you look at it closely or better yet drive one every day you’d see that it’s actually very well engineered from the dash design which is a lot lower and sleeker without having to encompass the screen.  And the screen itself is larger and more forward for easier access.  It allows the hvac vents to be centered and higher up.  It also allows the designers to change the size or move the screen without changing anything else.

 

Having gone from a 2016 MKX to a 2022 Nautilus the difference in ergonomics is night and day and I would hate to go back.  I like the overall appearance better as well but again that’s personal preference.

[Sherminator98]

Lets also keep in mind that Mustang is done on a budget and we are still dealing with 20 year old roots in the 2005 S197 platform

 

The screen integration looks ok, but I'm sure they could have done a better job if they had a bigger budget to make them more integrated into the dash vs using what they had. 

[rmc523]

On 8/31/2025 at 9:37 AM, Sherminator98 said:

Lets also keep in mind that Mustang is done on a budget and we are still dealing with 20 year old roots in the 2005 S197 platform

 

The screen integration looks ok, but I'm sure they could have done a better job if they had a bigger budget to make them more integrated into the dash vs using what they had. 

well most of the interior is also carryover (basically anything except for the dash), so you have a point here.

[DeluxeStang]

On 8/31/2025 at 7:37 AM, Sherminator98 said:

Lets also keep in mind that Mustang is done on a budget and we are still dealing with 20 year old roots in the 2005 S197 platform

 

The screen integration looks ok, but I'm sure they could have done a better job if they had a bigger budget to make them more integrated into the dash vs using what they had. 

I thought the changes made to the s550 were so extensive, that it was basically considered a new platform?

[bzcat]

Didn't Ford said that they designed the Mustang's 2-piece screen so they can fit in both RHD and LHD? That requirement probably was the limiting factor on how they could integrate the screens. With a low volume product like Mustang, it's kind of a miracle that Ford still finds a way to do a RHD interior. Global sales of RHD Mustang was about 2,000 units last year. 

[Sherminator98]

19 hours ago, DeluxeStang said:

I thought the changes made to the s550 were so extensive, that it was basically considered a new platform?

 

I guess it all depends on what you consider different-look at the F body

 

The F body came out in 1967 and was used till 2002 and it looked completely different over the almost 40 years it was in production. 

 

The Mustang did have a new rear subframe due to the IRS being added. But I'm sure stuff in the passenger cell are very similar or identical to the S197 to help with costs. The electronics where updated to share them with the CD and C platforms also.