Over The River Or Through The Woods, Ford Ranger Breadcrumbs Tech Helps You Find Your Way Back...

[Jim Oaks]

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 19, 2019 – Ford is making off-road adventures less stressful by giving drivers a “breadcrumb” path to find their way back to the pavement.

When enabled in the SYNC® 3 navigation settings, the Breadcrumbs feature works in the background to drop a virtual pin every second while out on the trail. When drivers need to return to the road, the feature provides them with a guide to get back to their starting point – without the stress of relocating landmarks.

Based on satellite technology, the Satnav Breadcrumbs feature is included in Ranger’s navigation system and is available on XLT and Lariat series trucks. Breadcrumbs is also available on other Built Ford Tough trucks equipped with SYNC 3 and navigation technology.

For even more off-road capability, Ford Ranger can also be equipped with an FX4 Off-Road Package, including an electronic locking rear differential and Terrain Management System with Trail Control for situation-specific traction. Off-road accessories like a winch-capable front bumper and leveling kit are also available for improved ground clearance and rugged styling.

 

[Jim Oaks]

My Personal Opinion: You've probably already seen this news release, but I figured I would share this since it's Ford Ranger news. I've told Ford that the new Ford Ranger needs a better navigation system that will either allow you to program a route in to it's GPS, or allow the trucks Sync to connect to a https://www.gaiagps.com/ app on your mobile device.

There are numerous trails out there for you to explore in your Ford Ranger. https://www.trailsoffroad.com/ is a great resource for finding different trails in your state. For example, you can take the 160 mile Rimrocker trail from Montrose Colorado to Moab Utah. This is a 9-hour drive, if all goes well. There are other roads that intersect with this trail, so you need to know where you're going. And of course there's the Trans America Trail, and the only way to follow that is with a route programmed in a Gaia GPS app. Adventure travel isn't about telling the GPS to take you to a specific destination, and then following the route the GPS gives you. It's knowing which roads make up these trails. These trails (routes) are made up of roads chosen not only for the scenery that you're exposed to, but to also challenge you and your vehicle. The road less traveled, because it's difficult, and that in itself is the adventure.

While I'm sure someone will likely find this feature useful, I'm hopeful that Ford will eventually offer a way to help adventure enthusiasts navigate the 1,000's of trails that cross this great country, and not just a device to help you find your way when the current navigation can't get you there.

By the way, https://www.trailsoffroad.com/ has over 1,900+ off-road trails to check out.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Theyre making it too easy.

 

[Josh B]

I wonder how it works in a thunderstorm after dark when you really really really need it to(say someone got hurt rock climbing or any number of other scenarios)

 

[HenryMac]

I wonder how it works in a thunderstorm after dark when you really really really need it to(say someone got hurt rock climbing or any number of other scenarios)

Good question.

We have a handheld Garmin, and hike a couple times a week in the National Forests in Central Colorado. We've done that for about 20 years. In those 20 years we've never had an issue... that being said.. we don't hike in thunderstorms.

 

[Josh B]

Good question.

We have a handheld Garmin, and hike a couple times a week in the National Forests in Central Colorado. We've done that for about 20 years. In those 20 years we've never had an issue... that being said.. we don't hike in thunderstorms.

That is certainly the best policy sir, but still, you never can tell when that little white cloud coming over top of the mountain might have a big black tail on it

 

[Dirtman]

Maps still exist right? Does anyone under 40 know what a map is? It's like GPS made from a tree. The user interface is sluggish, backlighting leaves something to be desired and reload times are tricky if they are not shut down properly, but battery life and signal strength are phenomenal.

 

[91stranger]

If it is GPS then a thunderstorm or night time shouldn't matter.... GPS still works in the rain lol.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Maps still exist right? Does anyone under 40 know what a map is? It's like GPS made from a tree. The user interface is sluggish, backlighting leaves something to be desired and reload times are tricky if they are not shut down properly, but battery life and signal strength are phenomenal.

Both are nice.

We used both on our Ohio trip. GPS just ran live and actual route planning was on paper. I didn't have to keep bugging the navigator "how far until ______?" She would say turn at Van Wert or something and I could just monitor how far Van Wert was on the GPS. It was really slick.

Mine also spit out the speed limit (which turned into a travel game of how quick does the GPS speed limit change vs signs) and my actual speed. Having all that built into the truck would be AWESOME. Here I was curious how far until we hit Indiana so I plugged in a town right next to the border.



Worked good for meal stops too. Going to stop in Tiffin for lunch? Plug it in and I have a running countdown until lunch... without irritating the map lady.

 

[sgtsandman]

GPS units are nice and convenient and I use them for driving and in the woods. The system can glitch from time to time though. There have been times due to various reasons, that GPS units can be miles off from where you actually are. Always have paper maps as a backup and for verification. A good compass is a great idea too. If for nothing else than to orient your map to North.

 

[adsm08]

Maps still exist right? Does anyone under 40 know what a map is? It's like GPS made from a tree. The user interface is sluggish, backlighting leaves something to be desired and reload times are tricky if they are not shut down properly, but battery life and signal strength are phenomenal.

Yes I know what a map is. I even use them from time to time.

 

[ericbphoto]

Now we're going to start seeing flocks of pigeons following Ford trucks, eating breadcrumbs.

 

[Josh B]

I grew up in the mmmmm "way back". You could go into any gas station and get a free map of whichever city or state you happened to be in. We weren't "jet-setters" by any means, but my father took us to a lot of places. He had grown up during the Great Depression and the Second World War.
I started collecting those maps from everywhere we went, still have an old Justin Boot box full of them around somewhere.
Then I graduated into Nat'l Geographic and the maps they'd often insert into their magazine. When I'd see them at Goodwill or Salvation Army stores, libraries, yard sales etc, I'd just look for the ones with the "lumps", knowing it had a map.
We didn't have many books when I was a kid, but one I definitely remember was an old World Atlas, and after I got tired of looking at the maps I'd read through the index at the list of countries, and the cities, and was totally intrigued by their populations.

To this day I keep a file on my computers with most any map I can find of anything that piques my interest at any point in time.

That might not be a great accomplishment, but it's one of the minor things that suits me.

The GPS is also very interesting. I'll just be glad when they get to be, in one I can afford, something accurate enough to do precision surveying

 

[Dirtman]

The gps on my phone is never off by more than 10 feet or so...

 

[sgtsandman]

It’s more of a dedicated GPS unit thing I think. Cell phones are a hybrid between the GPS system and the cellular tower triangulation system. By default, cell phones ping the cell towers for a location but use the GPS system when signal is lost. Like going through a tunnel or being out in BFE with spotty cell service.

Like you, I use a cell phone for navigation while driving but I still keep maps and atlases just in case.