I came to love the Black Panther during two days of intimacy. No, not watching the movie, but test-driving a car that was given that nickname. The new Ford Ranger FX4, launched in South Africa last week, had an extra attribute. The tech functionality of most cars lies in knowing which buttons to press to have a great experience. In the case of the Black Panther, our assigned jet black edition of the FX4, the cool experience started outside the car.
The FX4, produced at the Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria, is the first Ford pickup made in South Africa that can be classified as a connected car. Thanks to an app called FordPass, almost any function of the car that is not directly related to driving can now be controlled from a smartphone, at a distance. This includes remote locking and unlocking, remote starting on automatic vehicles, vehicle locating and vehicle health alerts
It is made possible by a service called FordPass Connect, with a dedicated modem fitted as standard on all new Ford Ranger models: the XL, XLS, XLT, Wildtrak, Raptor and the new FX4.
The FordPass Connect modem is the key to the connected car experience, as it is the interface between the car and the smartphone, but the app represents the experience itself. It allows for both command and control of the car, and stores key vehicle information, like warranty details, owner manual, and service bookings. Best of all, for those who just bought a Ranger, is that the app is backwards compatible, meaning it can work with previous models, as long as they were produced from 2017 onward.
With my car test partner Simon, sitting inside Steve’s Pub and Restaurant in Port St John’s, we took control of the car. Not only locking and unlocking, but also checking the mileage, oil and fuel level (no need to refuel, so time for another coffee). The extra time inside meant the car was going to be baking hot under the East Cape sun, so we started the car to get the aircon going, 10 minutes before sauntering back to the vehicle.
When we opened the door – unlocked from a distance, of course – the cabin was as cool as when we had left it.
Go to the next page to read information about the full set of features from the FordPass app and FordPass Connect.
The independent app
Sadly, we eventually had to take our leave of the Black Panther, but she still had a surprise in store via the app. Although the car was unpaired from the app once I got home, I discovered I could still use the app independently to find paid parking near a venue where I needed to have a meeting. Yes, you can find parking on mapping apps, but Google maps shows you every open, closed, paid and unpaid (i.e. not secure) parking area everywhere. Waze only shows Parking in one’s vicinity. FordPass not only allows one to search around a destination – and therefore plan the route to the spot in advance – but also indicates the hourly cost of parking.
None of this is groundbreaking. There are both cars and apps that have one or another of these elements, and even combinations. The exciting aspects of FordPass are that it is a well-integrated package, that it works seamlessly, that the lag between hitting the right button and the car responding has been reduced dramatically compared to similar functions in luxury vehicles, and that having this tech in a pickup marks the beginning of connected car functionality coming to mass-market vehicles.
“We’re looking at it in terms of baby steps,” says Kuda Takura, smart services lead at Ford South Africa. “It’s the start of the journey which allows us to introduce those types of features. They prove the capability to utilise the growing speed and pace of Internet networks and 4G connectivity, and in some quarters 5G, and pulling together where smartphones are today as well.
“We may have been ‘late’ in to the party, but we have arrived with a consistent, well-structured, fully-functional application that is going to start a much more detailed journey around what we can actively do with data to better the lives of our customers.”
Once the tech is more broadly rolled out, he says, Ford will probably go back to the market for insights, speak to engineering teams, and look at engagement data.
“There are two aspects of this. The one is from what customers have willingly opted into. There’s a lot of detail they can look at both on our website as well as on the application to understand what’s being shared, and the vehicle also allows them to specifically go in and detail what it is that they are comfortable sharing.
“On the other side, the ideas are limitless. For example, in the Ford Credit space, we can look at it as a means by which we can reduce instalments on vehicles. We can potentially look at your profile and say, perhaps we signed you up to a contract where you are driving 20,000 kilometres per year, and you’re being billed accordingly. But in these Covid times, for example, you’re only doing 12,000 kilometres per year. Can we then take that information and structure a better deal for you, presented to you in a manner that is personalised?”
The further significance of the launch, says Takura, is that it is happening now rather than a few years down the line.
“We have gone from potentially seeing this in 2025 or so to it happening here and now and we’ll continue to roll that out and look at where else we can go. For example, people were saying, if you can remote start, why can’t my phone then become my ultimate key? That is already available in the US market in the Ford Mustang marque, for example.
“In terms of the timeframe for full roll-out of connected cars, 2025 is realistic for all cars. We’ll see a lot more well before 2025.”
- Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee
Go to the next page to read information about the full set of features from the FordPass app and FordPass Connect.
Inside FordPass
The key features of the FordPass app and FordPass Connect include:
- Vehicle Status and Remote Vehicle Monitoring: Owners can check fuel level, oil status, mileage and tyre pressures, where a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System is fitted.
- Remote Start and Stop: Drivers can start their vehicle’s engine from home, office or restaurant via smartphone, enabling the cabin to commence heating or cooling to the last used setting. The vehicle is automatically locked when remote starting. It can only be driven once the driver inserts the ignition key, or presses the ‘Start’ button with the proximity key in the vehicle. A scheduled start can also be programmed for a predetermined time.
- Remote Lock and Unlock: Drivers can lock and unlock the Ford remotely, meaning they don’t have to rush back to their cars to check if they have remembered to lock their doors. This also allows drivers to let passengers into their vehicle regardless of whether they are there or not.
- Vehicle Locator: A map and location tracker in the app allows drivers can find their way back to their vehicle in a busy parking area or when one has shared a vehicle with a family member.
- Vehicle Health Alerts: Alerts pre-empt service needs and general maintenance, such as a low washer fluid alert.
- Map and Search: Search options include Ford dealers, fuel stations, available parking, entertainment, coffee shops and travel destinations like hotels and lodges.
- Maintenance Schedule: Key vehicle information is available in the Fapp, including the vehicle identification number (VIN), new vehicle warranty, and upcoming service intervals.
- Roadside Assistance: Customers have instant access to call Ford’s 24-hour emergency Roadside Assistance, provided by the Automobile Association (AA).
- Vehicle Support: Additional resources include how-to videos explaining features and technologies in the Ranger, digital Owner’s Manual, and an Alerts Guide addressing issues like water in fuel, and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) warning.
- FordPass Guide: One-on-one assistance via phone or e-mail, directly from the app.
- Over-the-air updates: FordPass Connect enables over-the-air (OTA) modem software updates seamlessly via the embedded modem to keep the vehicle current with new technology, performance and safety by wirelessly delivering new features and quality enhancements, without requiring a visit to a dealer or service centre.
For more information on FordPass Connect, visit www.ford.co.za/fordpass