Ford shocked the dual-cab ute world by unveiling the 2022 Ford Ranger with a huge 12.0-inch vertical display central to the cabin. It’s likely to also be carried over to the all-new Ford Everest when it’s revealed next year.
In addition to the visual appeal of the new 12.0-inch display (some models will be fitted with a 10.1-inch display), Ford has integrated over-the-air updates to the screen and more than 50 modules within the vehicle.
“We knew to future proof this product that we had to ensure that we had a great human machine interaction,” said Ford T6 chief platform engineer, Ian Foston
“That was both with a cluster on the centre screen and ahead of the driver, so it was kind of a no brainer. It was almost the first thing that we decided we were going to do when we had to do the product,” Mr Foston said.
Mr Foston confirmed the technology not only had to look impressive, but had to be functional within the cabin.
“We looked at a number of ways of putting it in, whether it was kind of stuck on top of the dash… but customers told us clearly they wanted something that was going to be robust.
“When you’re off road or you’re fanging… it’s got to be durable and not subject to damage. Certainly for us, we fitted in what we what we thought was the biggest screen we could fit in to the architecture with what has integrated into the [dashboard] as well,” Mr Foston said.
The over-the-air updates will be a big deal for Ford, given the updates will not only cover the infotainment system, but the car’s other modules. The Blue Oval will be able to roll out future updates to the product as any issues are detected in the field via an inbuilt modem.
While Ford hasn’t confirmed the same technology for the next-generation Everest, it’s pretty safe to assume it will carry the same technology announced with Ranger.
