Daily Archives: December 11, 2016
3 Key Elements Of Ford’s Return To Park Feature On The 2017 Ford Fusion
Ford engineered a new feature that will assist drivers and reduce the possibility for vehicle rollaways. Through this feature, a new rotary gear shift dial in the Fusion will engage a special software that can detect when the customer intends to exit the vehicle.
Called the “Return To Park,” this feature will keep the drivers’ peace of mind that their Fusions will park as intended, especially when they forget to put the gear to “P.”
1. Return To Park Uses Vehicle’s Sensors
To detect a driver’s intention to park when he/she forgets to put the gear to “P,” the fusion’s Return To Park feature will use the vehicle’s network of sensors to identify certain movements from the driver. These movements will be preprogrammed to the software that is connected to the gear shift.
This was accidentally discovered when Ford engineers were designing the new 2017 Fusion rotary gear shift dials. They realized that through the dials and by designing a special software, they can address the issue of rollaways that will reduce the potentials of accidents under certain conditions.
2. Return To Park Work Under Different Conditions
Designed to put your car into “park,” this software uses a network of sensors that will keep your car safe from rollaways under these conditions: when you turn the vehicle off, when you open the door and your seatbelt is unlatched and the vehicle is stationary, and when the seatbelt is unlatched while the driver’s door is open and the vehicle is on stop.
3. Return To Park Will Not Disrupt Normal, Day-To-Day Operations
There is no way the Return To Park feature can disrupt your normal everyday driving behavior. It is designed not to operate when it detects that the driver, with his seatbelt on, opened the door while the vehicle is moving. This usually happens to free a stuck coat tail or if the driver is inching into a parking space and wants to see the lane marks.
The Return To Park feature will be available on all 2017 Ford Fusion vehicles.
Top 3 Expectations From The Chevrolet Blazer
We are still unsure of what General Motors plans to call this midsize crossover seen being tested on the road. We assumed that the camouflaged Chevrolet vehicle being tested last week is indeed the model that hopes to bridge the gap between the Equinox and the Traverse.
Although it is smaller than the full-size Traverse, which is scheduled for a redesign for the 2018 model, the similarities are uncanny. Experts believe that this new vehicle from Chevrolet is going to be called the Blazer and that it will be the same size as the 2017 GMC Acadia.
1. It May Look Similar To The Acadia
The spy shots of the Chevrolet Blazer crossover SUV seen lately revealed the vehicle’s side profile. If we are to believe the photos we have just seen, we can assume that it will resemble the Acadia very closely.
But how did we know it was really a Chevy? Enough of the vehicle’s grille was visible through the camouflage and the sculpted headlights and LED daytime running lights are similar to the 2018 Equinox, which was brought to the limelight last September. Even the vehicle’s overall form gives off the feeling of it being a Chevrolet.
2. It Will Use The GM’s Chi Platform
Replacing the GM’s Theta Premium and Lambda platforms is the C1XX, pronounced as Chi. It is the platform specifically designed for the construction of midsize and full-size crossovers. Among its many features is that the power comes to the front wheels, it is transversely-mounted, its suspension system is dependent on the four wheels, it offers front- and all-wheel drives, it can support two- or three-row seating, and it has ample cargo space when the third row is up.
3. It Will Arrive As A 2018 Model Year
Before the Blazer is released to the market, we’ll get to see the redesigned Equinox first. The upgraded Equinox was made slower to give way to the Blazer, which will cover that part of the segment.
