Ford Sync 3 is coming to Europe this summer

Ian Betteridge February 22, 2016

Ford is bringing its advanced connected car system Sync 3 to Europe this summer. The system will be included in new Mondeo, S-Max and Galaxy models, as well as in the new-style Ford Kuga, which is due to be released at the end of the year and was on show at MWC 2016.

Ford Sync 3 is coming to Europe this summer

Ford Sync 3 is based around an 8in touchscreen that has its own built-in suite of apps for navigation and controlling car functions. The navigation system allows you to set favourite destinations, such as home or work, and get a route to them via a single tap. You can also search for addresses or points of interest – typical points of interest include petrol stations, restaurants and coffee shops. The data for these can be updated via Wi-Fi.

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Voice control is also built-in, and there’s a degree of natural language support that allows you to use phrases such as “I need fuel” and be routed to the nearest petrol station, or “I’m hungry” and get directions to a restaurant. Although Ford Sync 3 supports 15 European languages, not all are supported by voice control.

As well as its own mobile apps API, which has a range of apps including Spotify, Sync 3 includes support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This means that, if you plug in an iOS or Android device via USB, the screen is taken over by Apple or Google’s software. CarPlay features the familiar iOS grid of icons for apps, while Android Auto looks more like a small version of Google Now. In both cases, there’s an additional Sync 3 button, which gives you quick access to Ford’s own apps.

NEXT: MWC 2016: six things we’ve learned.