Ford updates Mustang Mach-E UI; now you can turn a knob to change temps
Enlarge / We're not the world's biggest fans of all-touchscreen interfaces, so it's good to see Ford adding a physical control for temperature and fan speed to the Mach-E by adding new functionality to the car's volume knob. (credit: Ford)
This week, Ford pushed out a new over-the-air software update to its Mustang Mach-E electric crossovers. The new software "power-up," version 4.1.2, adds a bunch of improvements to Ford's Sync 4A system, including a new UI, more full-screen Apple CarPlay, and a couple of new games. But perhaps the most notable improvement is the addition of physical controls for the climate control and heated seats.
Well, kind of. As you might imagine, an OTA software update would probably struggle to add new physical hardware to a car, at least until someone finally develops replicator or transporter technology. Rather, Ford has leveraged the fact that the Mustang Mach-E's infotainment screen features a large, twisty knob to control the volume.
But now, the knob will do double duty. If a driver taps one of the icons to select the temperature, fan speed, or heated seats, the knob switches over from controlling volume to controlling the temperature or fan speed (depending upon which one you selected).