Ford Beta Tests Upgraded MyFord Touch With Employees

By Suzanne Kane

Suzanne Kane

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1,428 views Dec 14, 2011

MyFord Touch made simpler for 2013

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It’s no surprise that customers have been somewhat disenchanted with the complexity, slowness and other complaints about the MyFord Touch system.

Ford listened and, as we reported previously, is doing something about it, releasing an upgraded MyFord Touch on the upcoming all-new 2013 Ford Escape, as well as the Flex and Taurus.

MyFord Touch made simpler for 2013

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Before rolling out the new, simpler, faster, more intuitive system, however, Ford had an even better idea: Conduct beta tests using about 1,000 employees based in Michigan. According to our sister publication TheCarConnection, citing a report in the Detroit News, the group of Ford employees will be given a flash drive with the new software to test in their company lease vehicles for about a month. This will undoubtedly prove to be a sufficient pool to glean the experiences of users ranging “from the tech-savvy to the tech averse.”

2013 Ford Escape

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After all, the all-new Ford Escape small crossover is very important to the automaker as it looks to continue its reign at the top of the segment. For the calendar year through November, sales of the Escape total 228,719. Not only is the Escape the top of the small SUV segment, it was also the fourth best-selling vehicle, period, for the month (behind the Ford F-Series, Chevy Silverado, and Toyota Camry.

Indeed, with everything the Escape has going for it, the company wouldn’t want to jeopardize its chances at success over lingering concerns about MyFord Touch.

So, while there are no specifics yet released on the actual upgrades, it’s a fairly sure bet that they’ll be major improvements over the current system.

Following the software fine-tuning and the upgraded system’s rollout in the Escape, Flex and Taurus, Ford plans to make MyFord Touch available on about 80 percent of its lineup by 2014.

Current Ford Explorer, Edge and Focus customers with MyFord Touch on their vehicles will receive a flash drive with the upgraded software to either install themselves or take to a dealer for installation.

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