Ford is pushing its cars well into the future this year with advanced app connectivity coming to the Ford Ranger, Ford Everest and eventually much more of their range in 2020.

The Ford Ranger will be the first to get FordPass Connect by mid-2020, available as standard on the whole range.

Using an embedded modem in the car, a whole range of features are enabled on the smartphone of the car’s owner. They include the option to remotely lock and unlock the car, remotely start the car, check the vehicle status and even get a lowdown on where the car is and if it has any “health” issues.

With the car paired with a smartphone, ownership value adds include access to information like roadside assistance and online service booking when needed.

Ford Australia’s President and CEO Kay Hart says  “Ranger continues to lead the way when it comes to giving customers access to new technologies that make their lives easier, and the powerful combination of the FordPass App and FordPass Connect modem takes this one step further,”

“Ranger and FordPass bring innovation, best-in-class features and real-world convenience to Australia’s best-selling 4X4.”  

“Innovation for our customers’ benefit is at the heart of everything we do,” said Kay Hart. “FordPass Connect will be rolled out across the Ford showroom in 2020, as we bring the technology to all vehicle types, across all models and all price points. We want every Australian to be able to benefit from this great connected technology” 

Ford tells EFTM there’s no cost to the customer for the FordPass connect service, so that’s a mega bonus.

We’ll road test FordPass Connect in the Ford Ranger later in the year!