Words by Ian Leslight 

Sitting in my Grandfathers brand new Ford Falcon as a kid I remember clearly his excitement at showing me its latest feature.
“You just push this button in here and wait a few seconds” he said with a big grin on his face.
I watched intently as, ‘pop’ the button popped back out.  “Wow” I said, “Wait, watch this” Granddad said as he reached down and pulled out the button. My eyes widened when I saw the bright orange glow and watched in amazement as he walked it out of the car and used it to start our campfire burning without a match.
“How good is that” he said proudly.
I was very impressed and I enjoyed pushing that button with my siblings, over and over again for the rest of the camping trip!

Lets move forward now to 2015, where I have been looking at the list of Ford’s Latest Technologies.

• EcoBoost – Giving small engines big horsepower.
• Active City Stop – Preventing you from rear ending the car in front if your not paying attention.
• Adaptive Cruise Control – sensing the distance of vehicles in front to maintain a safe distance, I love this one.
• Active Park Assist – It not only finds the perfect size park for you it steers you in as well.
• SYNC™ – Control your phone and music hands free, seamless voice activated user benefits.
• Hands-free Tailgate – No more fumbling for keys when your hands are full.
• Emergency Assistance – If you are involved in an accident, stay calm, your car has used your mobile to call the emergency services for you and passed on your location. Amazing!
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)- Helping you to maintain grip and control in sticky situations.
• Rain-sensing Wipers – I don’t know how they do this but it is very convenient.
• Rear Parking Sensors & Camera – Helping you to reverse and park safely.
• 6-speed PowerShift – The sporty feel of a manual with the ease of an automatic.
• Boron Steel – Aerospace steel reduces wait and increases strength where it matters.
• Torque Vectoring Control – Keeping you safe and steady while cornering.
• Active Grille Shutter – Electronically controlled grille, adjusting air flow to manage fuel consumption and engine temperature.
• Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) – A non intrusive warning when a vehicle comes into your blind spots, very useful for city driving.
• Hill Launch Assist – Hill starts are a breeze with this technology
• Auto Start-Stop – Saving you fuel wherever possible
• Keyless entry & Push-button Start – Bulky keys are a thing of the past.

These latest technologies are not available in every Ford model, it’s more a case of, if its relevant to the common use of that vehicle it has it.

Ford’s might not have an inbuilt lighter anymore but I am sure my late Grandfather would yet again be impressed with Ford’s Latest Technologies.

I certainly would enjoy showing him how the lighter socket has evolved and now provides power top-ups on all our igadgets.

Keep up the good work Ford!

Check out more detailed info regarding Ford’s Latest Technologies here!