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Confusion About The Infotainment System - Base vs Sync 3?

eRock92

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Help me understand this, and correct me if I'm wrong. The Maverick comes standard with the 8" infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. However, Sync 3 is available on the Lariat trim. So outside of Sirius-XM support, what's the difference between the two systems? Is the new 8" screen essentially a touch screen version of regular Sync? If so, that's a major win since I use Android Auto more than I use the basic radio.
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Yup. No gain apart from the fancy speakers.
Bang & Olufsen are nice, from a home speaker standpoint, but I'm not sure how important they would be to the audio quality in the cab. I mean, my HP laptop is stamped Bang & Olufsen, but it sounds like garbage compared to the Klipsch speakers I usually use.
 
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eRock92

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The SYNC 3 is faster and smoother, slightly more user friendly however I use Android Auto and it works fine on my SYNC and SYNC 3 vehicles...
Thanks for the reply. I was just curious because my 2020 Escape has Sync 3, but (to my knowledge) the 2021 Ranger is still available with plain radio and standard Sync in the 4.2" screen variant. As long as the 8" can display Google Maps via Android Auto, I'm fine with it
 

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Granger Ford

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There are varying levels of the SYNC3 as well I have a 2018 Edge without the connected SYNC3 and my 2018 Platinum F-150 has the connected version and I have capabilities with my phone / truck connection that she simply does not have...

As for speed between the two of them I believe it is the same...

The old SYNC system in my daughters Focus has the large screen but is slow as molasses....
 

TooManyVehicles

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My question is how hard it will be to upgrade/replace the sound system? In my F150, while I still have the Synch 2 module I have an in-line amp before it, a powered sub behind the back seat and Focal speakers in Fronts, door pillars, and Rears along with sound deadening in the doors. It's better than any factory installed system I've ever heard.
 

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Well above my paygrade there, i know that the B&O in my 2018 platinum walks all over my SONY system in my 2014 FX... I have been in trucks that are set up properly with aftermarket systems and you can really hear all of the highs and bass....
 

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The screen in the Maverick is the same screen Ford uses in everything the same one is in my Ranger and my wife Edge. I would have thought Ford would have given the Maverick a bigger screen for the Lariat but I guess they decided to use one screen size to hold cost down.
 
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eRock92

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The screen in the Maverick is the same screen Ford uses in everything the same one is in my Ranger and my wife Edge. I would have thought Ford would have given the Maverick a bigger screen for the Lariat but I guess they decided to use one screen size to hold cost down.
This is exactly why I made this thread. It seems like Ford sacrificed on the interior and creature comforts to keep this trucks starting price down. The direction Ford seems to be going is utilizing Android and Apple's car app features to handle a lot of the phone, navigation, and infotainment functions with Ford's system merely acts as the interface. Oddly enough, that's a smart move. It probably saves time and resources (and in the end, money) when all you need to make is a radio and a touch screen interface for phone apps as opposed to making a proprietary system to handle and operate the latest Sync 3+ with many custom applications along with phone car apps.

I did a 450 mile trip a few weeks ago, and that made me really appreciate the function and convenience of Android Auto. It still has a few quirks, but it was better than the Garmin and built-in GPS systems when I was a teenager.
 
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Good points, eRock. Consumers expect fairly short evolutionary cycles for mobile devices, so I've also wondered why automakers want to recreate the phone on the dashboard. We hold on to our vehicles longer than phones/tablets, and infotainment hardware is never upgraded so it becomes sluggish quickly. This leads to inevitable disappointment over time, as our phone hw/sw keep improving but the in-vehicle stuff doesn't.

One example: the built-in nav system in our '19 Escape was pretty poor right out of the gate. Slow response to user input, poor database of destinations (compared to Google Maps, e.g), really crappy automatch/autocompletion. The real joke was when they started sending me offers to "upgrade my Sync map database" for only $149! With "free shipping" too! Yes, I'd like to use the bigger screen for nav, but it's painful compared to the phone experience.
 

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Good points, eRock. Consumers expect fairly short evolutionary cycles for mobile devices, so I've also wondered why automakers want to recreate the phone on the dashboard. We hold on to our vehicles longer than phones/tablets, and infotainment hardware is never upgraded so it becomes sluggish quickly. This leads to inevitable disappointment over time, as our phone hw/sw keep improving but the in-vehicle stuff doesn't.

One example: the built-in nav system in our '19 Escape was pretty poor right out of the gate. Slow response to user input, poor database of destinations (compared to Google Maps, e.g), really crappy automatch/autocompletion. The real joke was when they started sending me offers to "upgrade my Sync map database" for only $149! With "free shipping" too! Yes, I'd like to use the bigger screen for nav, but it's painful compared to the phone experience.
Based upon what you guys have experienced in the past, then, is the Sync 3 even really worth it if you're largely planning to run your navigation, etc. from either Android Auto or Apple Car Play?
 

giddyup

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Based upon what you guys have experienced in the past, then, is the Sync 3 even really worth it if you're largely planning to run your navigation, etc. from either Android Auto or Apple Car Play?
From the order guide it looks like the only way to get Sync3 is with Lariat Lux package, is that right? If I didn't already want other features in the lux pkg, Sync3 would not be a compelling feature. If it was standalone I might pay a couple/few hundred bucks for it, at best.

I haven't used Android Auto but I'm going to give it a try since you guys seem to like it.
 

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From the order guide it looks like the only way to get Sync3 is with Lariat Lux package, is that right? If I didn't already want other features in the lux pkg, Sync3 would not be a compelling feature. If it was standalone I might pay a couple/few hundred bucks for it, at best.

I haven't used Android Auto but I'm going to give it a try since you guys seem to like it.
Yes, I love using Android Auto as well. It is also nice that I can voice control calling up Spotify playlists and the like since I hate paying for SiriusXM.

Also, if you have not tried it, look for a navigation app called "Waze". The maps are updated often and people mark things like police, wrecks, wildlife crossing, etc. so you can keep an eye out for those things on road trips.
 

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From the order guide it looks like the only way to get Sync3 is with Lariat Lux package, is that right? If I didn't already want other features in the lux pkg, Sync3 would not be a compelling feature. If it was standalone I might pay a couple/few hundred bucks for it, at best.

I haven't used Android Auto but I'm going to give it a try since you guys seem to like it.
Correct re the Lariat Lux package - that's what I'm mulling over as well - largely based on the entirety of what that package includes vs. what features I absolutely need from that package.
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