2025 FORD BRONCO SPORT WILL GET LARGE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN

[DWG]

Not sure if this was already posted. From Ford Authority:

2025-ford-bronco-sport-will-get-large-infotainment-screen-pictures

There goes the buttons.

In a poll on Ford Authority asking about losing physical climate control buttons most prefer buttons.

poll-what-do-you-think-about-ford-phasing-out-physical-climate-controls

Per the article some manufacturers are adding back some buttons.

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[Mark S.]

Just for grins, I clicked on "screen-based controls" and the site responded: "There was an error, please try again."

I think it's rigged...

That said, polls like this aren't very useful. The reality is pretty much NO ONE likes change. Back in the days when manufacturers moved from drum brakes to disc brakes there was a lot of bellyaching about "newfangled" technology, higher costs, etc., with many people opining "We don't need better brakes, people just need to slow down!" Obviously, disc brakes are far, far superior to drum brakes, and I've no doubt they have saved many lives over the years. But people wouldn't understand the real advantages of disc brakes until they became ubiquitous.

Am I suggesting that screen-based controls are superior to physical ones? Not at all--to each his own. What I AM saying is that (IMHO) screen-based controls, if properly designed, are neither better nor worse than physical ones, they're just different.

 

[Bronclahoma]

The fly in the ointment is that auto manufacturers are doing this to cut costs, not to make the driving experience better. If the most common features are pinned across the top, a screen would be fine. But, it is not safe to be looking around in screens while driving in traffic.

 

[wireman]

The fly in the ointment is that auto manufacturers are doing this to cut costs, not to make the driving experience better. If the most common features are pinned across the top, a screen would be fine. But, it is not safe to be looking around in screens while driving in traffic.

I can live with the screen controls within limits. A volume control should be a physical button in a location easily accessible.

My main concern with Sync 4 is, if your screen goes black for whatever reason, are the climate controls still visible and functional.

I wish someone on this forum who has Sync 4 in another vehicle could shed some light about this.

I would think Ford engineering has considered this a possibility.

 

[Mark S.]

I would think Ford engineering has considered this a possibility.

This would fall under the "if properly designed" caveat in my earlier post. Putting all your control "eggs" in the basket of a single touch screen conjures a nightmarish failure scenario.

 

[wireman]

Take the volume controls on the sport's steering wheel. I don't like having 2 buttons for volume control.

I've owned 3 German vehicles. All have had a scroll wheel for the volume. You push it to mute, push again to unmute.

Very easy to" feel" on the steering wheel and control volume. Also has a scroll wheel on the center console for passenger use.

 

[Ecom911]

I have recently driven a Ford Edge as a loaner while by BB was in for service. This unit had the newer larger format screen with the integrated controls. While driving during some extreme inclement weather, I found the the screen difficult to control the HVAC I needed quickly due to window fogging. This along with a failure warning of the collision warning system, again due to the weather, was impossible to manage without taking your eyes off the road, to the point where I had to pull off the roadway to manage the HVAC.

In my BB or my older F150, this can all be managed by touch and muscle memory very quickly without taking eyes off the road. I find the consolidation of the controls on the screen a huge safety issue besides the usual distraction ( I drive frequently at night and turn my screen off because of this) and will not be prchasing any vehicle without manual HVAC controls.

In fact, I find the screens more of a pain than an advantage for what I use. I appreciate the advantages of some of the tech we have today however, I am finding I don't use the majority of what was included (and paid for) and would prefer the ordering of these "features" be "A-la-Carte".

I think we have swung too far with the amount of tech inside the vehicle. I much prefer basic and add-ons as needed.

 

[jason202]

I wouldn't mind a slightly bigger screen, but I do not like those capacitive buttons at all. They're hard to use while you're trying to keep your eyes on the road and they don't offer the physical feedback that lets you know that you've actually pressed the button.

 

[rocks]

I like the screen. With the screen and if Ford would have added a 2.0L option in the Outer Banks, I'd buy a '25.

 

[Robink]

I have recently driven a Ford Edge as a loaner while by BB was in for service. This unit had the newer larger format screen with the integrated controls. While driving during some extreme inclement weather, I found the the screen difficult to control the HVAC I needed quickly due to window fogging. This along with a failure warning of the collision warning system, again due to the weather, was impossible to manage without taking your eyes off the road, to the point where I had to pull off the roadway to manage the HVAC.

In my BB or my older F150, this can all be managed by touch and muscle memory very quickly without taking eyes off the road. I find the consolidation of the controls on the screen a huge safety issue besides the usual distraction ( I drive frequently at night and turn my screen off because of this) and will not be prchasing any vehicle without manual HVAC controls.

In fact, I find the screens more of a pain than an advantage for what I use. I appreciate the advantages of some of the tech we have today however, I am finding I don't use the majority of what was included (and paid for) and would prefer the ordering of these "features" be "A-la-Carte".

I think we have swung too far with the amount of tech inside the vehicle. I much prefer basic and add-ons as needed.

I'm with you!!!!

 

[Deleted member 8941]

Although we're very happy with our current Bronco Sport with its 8-inch unit, it is nice to see an upgraded unit with Ford's latest software. It won't be enough to consider trading it in but it's nice that they're finally phasing out the dated and glitchy Sync 3. It takes seconds to load certain pages and looks like it's five years behind.

However, the climate controls moving to the screen will take some getting used to. I have no problem with the rotaries on the bottom. They're very easy to identify by touch so you don't have to take your eyes off the road. Going by the screen will be more of a guessing game where you have no choice but to take your eyes off the road to make sure you're hitting the right "button."

As long as the climate controls are automatically set to the very bottom no matter what menu you're in, I don't see it as too much of a problem. Overtime someone can get used to it but I know the manufacturers aren't doing this to better the experience, it's all in an effort to cut costs since designing physical climate controls is more expensive than integrating it into a screen that costs very little and can be updated with software.

 

[DWG]

As raised in some of the previous posts. My son drives the 20 Escape with sync 3 and just the other day called me because the screen froze and the touch screen did not respond. It eventually came back on it's own I think after turning off the car a couple of times. I do not think he has had the issue repeat yet. At least on the 20 Escape there are still some buttons like our Broncos but they work in conjunction with the screen. For instance if I turn the climate control dial on my Bronco the temperature is displayed on the screen. So some buttons may still be useless if the screen is not operating correctly. Also on the Escape forum there are some threads about the sync 4 screen going black.

I thing the bigger issue with these large screen as mentioned in the Ford Authority poll article is a safety issue when what you are looking for is not readily available on the screen and you have to drill through the menus to get to the button you are looking for. My favorite example is the recirculate button on our Broncos. You push it in and it lights up so that you know it is on. On the Sync 4 screen that I had on the 23 Escape which I had for about 6 months the recirculate touch toggle was buried in the climate menu so you did not know if it was on or off. Also on the recent model Fords recirculate can automatically turn off and without the lighted button you would not know.

 

[BSBB4Les]

As the technology advances within these vehicles, it may become necessary to travel with a "co-pilot" at all times, if for no other reason than to allow the "pilot" to drive undistracted! ?

 

[Bucko]

My concern is when a given touch screen control fails, the entire touch screen has to be replaced, and that leads to an expensive repair. If an individual button or dial fails, its just that button or dial.

I'm not partial to either, but am partial to cost of parts/repair.

And with Ford's recent shortage of parts, you wait.....

 

[Mark S.]

I have recently driven a Ford Edge as a loaner while by BB was in for service.

Unfamiliarity is part of the issue in this instance. This is not YOUR car; if it were you would be more familiar with the location of different controls.

I was involved in a large-scale study (data collection and interpretation) of the relative safety between different aircraft makes/models--some claimed that a specific make of aircraft was more "dangerous" than others. We looked very hard at the data and it became clear that the majority--more than 50%--of accidents with that particular aircraft occurred during the pilot's first 50 hours flying one, with the number approaching 60% if you extend to the first 100 hours. I thought that was a curious anomaly with that particular aircraft until I looked at the wider general aviation fleet. Turns out that's a common statistic across ALL aircraft models.

Many professional aviation training organizations maintain a fleet of what they call "part-task trainers." These are nothing more than mock-ups of the flight deck--sometimes little more than photographs of the various instrument panels arranged appropriately--that allow a pilot new to the aircraft to familiarize themselves with the location of various controls.

I've flown a number of different aircraft types, and my personal technique is to spend an hour or two just sitting in the pilot seat and memorizing the controls.

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