We normally don’t write about motoring over here at Pinoy Tech Blog but I was given the privilege of trying out the latest Ford Focus Sport for a few days and was so “œChristmas Day kind of happy” with some of its tech features that I just had to share it.
Some of the tech features may not be new to you but still, I think most of our readers here will appreciate what the Ford Focus Sport has to offer.
1. Keyless entry and ignition
Keyless entry and ignition is not that new any more. However, I was amazed that you don’t have to bring out your keys to get inside the car and turn on the ignition. You just have to be in close proximity to the door you want to open and simply pull the handle once to unlock. When you get inside the car, simply push the Power button to turn on the engine. No need to look for your keys inside your purse or pocket to drive the new Ford Focus Sport. Just make sure it’s within your person.
2. Ford SYNC
Ford SYNC is Ford’s essentially voice-command feature. Pair your phone’s Bluetooth with Ford SYNC and you can make calls, control your music (USB or phone) via voice command. I really like this feature especially for taking calls because I don’t have to wear a Bluetooth earpiece every time I get in the car. The radio or the music will stop when there’s an active call and you will hear the other party loud and clear and you just have to speak normally to reply, no need to shout.
3. Active City Stop
I wasn’t able to try this out because I don’t want to test it. Hehehe. What Active City Stop does is automatically engage the brakes for you if you’re about to hit an obstacle it detects using its lidar (Light Detect and Ranging) sensor when you’re driving up to 30km/h. Useful when it’s traffic and you’re sleepy that your foot sometimes lets off the brake pedal.
4. Auto windshield wipers
Do you sometimes experience your windshield wipers not having the “œjust right” interval speed that you’re forced to manually trigger it during light rains? I do and I don’t like it. Hahaha. Was surprised one time it was drizzling that the Ford Focus automatically turned on its wiper, and its timing was quite accurate.
5. Auto parallel-parking
One of the things I hate to do is parallel parking since you really have to know your car to do it in one go. I tried Ford’s Active Park Assist and it worked like a charm. Just drive slowly to where you want to park. Through its sensors, it will detect the first car, the empty slot, then the next car, and when it learns that the spot is sufficient, the car will take over the steering wheel. All you need to do is control the gas/brake pedal and the gear to reverse or move forward when it tells you to.
Here’s a video I took while trying out Ford’s Active Park Assist.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5jFDzZm2DM
As a geek, I was really amazed at the cool things the 2014 Ford Focus Sport can do!
