After the roughly 18 month user-centric development process, which took engineers all over the country (and soon internationally) collecting upwards of 22,000 pieces of direct customer feedback, SYNC 3 will debut on model year 2016 vehicles in 2015 and be fully deployed in North America by the end of calendar year 2016.

Mark Boyadjis, senior analyst, automotive technology at IHS, said: ‘While it carries with it some new features over its predecessor, SYNC 3 is not going to become a new benchmark for flashy wow-factors. This might not win over an Audi owner, but then again, Ford is most interested in taking share from Toyota, Honda, and Chevrolet. Those buyers are less impressed with glitzy name-brand chipsets and find more value in something they can understand the minute they take the keys from dealer.’

The system brings a simpler user interface that ditches the four corners design, instead putting core functions like audio, climate, phone, and navigation in functional tabs along the bottom of the screen.  Ford also added an apps tab and a settings tab to round out the six large, high-contrast icons that grace the “system tray” as Ford engineers referred to it – a clear reference to the PC world.

Other changes to the wireframe include a maximum of four items per page when scrolling through a list, large tiles with 2D flat black icons, simple text modifiers for secondary menu selections (such as main settings or entertainment sources), and an on-off toggle bar for many settings that looks like it was taken straight off an iPhone. And Ford has drastically changed up the colour scheme.

The system also brings new features. First and foremost, Ford SYNC AppLink is now finally available on its top-line infotainment system. A new “One Box Search” allows users to enter addresses, cities, and branded or non-branded POIs into the same, initial search box eliminating a couple steps and providing search results on the fly as each character is typed in. Users can also use a similar search function via speech recognition and the natural command structure supplied by Nuance.

SYNC 3 will also come with Siri Eyes Free. However, when asked about Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, both engineering and PR members of the Ford team were very neutral in saying that both are “on the roadmap” but that SYNC 3 will not include either of them at launch.

In addition, SYNC 3 has Wi-Fi enabled SOTA (software over-the-air) updates which harness the Texas Instruments WiLink connectivity chipset. Ford will also enable Map Updates from its partner HERE to be sent via the Wi-Fi OTA platform. However, these are not expected to be free, and will not be available at the launch of SYNC 3 in 2015.

Commenting on the system, Mark Boyadjis said: ‘It is clear that this time around, Ford has put in the time and listened to enough customers to properly design, test, debug, and finalize this infotainment platform before it hits the market. According to a couple product managers, Ford is aiming to have a 60% penetration for SYNC 3 among new car sales in North America by the time the rollout plan is complete. This plan is ambitious, but possible because Ford did not reinvent the wheel with SYNC 3.

‘In our short initial experience with the system it appears much more responsive to inputs and in processing commands. It is clearly more intuitive to learn and use immediately. Also, it has added a few specific features that enhance and improve areas of entertainment, user interface, and safety to help keep this platform viable and relevant through the end of the decade, and beyond.

‘Ford’s next challenge is to get this into production, execute on the plan it has devised, and possibly retake some top spots in terms of customer acceptance and satisfaction – not a cake walk for an automaker who is expected to sell almost 7 million cars globally in 2015.’