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MotorWeek remembers pre-EcoBoost Ford with the Thunderbird TurboCoupe

Sometimes it feels great to embrace nostalgia for a trip down memory lane, and MotorWeek indulges that occasional desire with its regular Retro Review series. This time, the long-lived show goes back to the '80s to check out two of the top performance vehicles in the Ford lineup at the time – the 1987 Thunderbird TurboCoupe and Mustang GT. Both models had just received thorough refreshes after several years on the market. Long before an EcoBoost badge ever met its models, Ford made early forays into experimenting with turbocharging on vehicles like the T-Bird TurboCoupe. Based on MotorWeek's assessment, the company was on the right track. The boosted 2.3-liter four-cylinder was apparently a bit coarse but offered 190 horsepower with little turbo lag, compared to 155 hp the year before. The Mustang GT is likely the more-fondly remembered of these performance Fords today and provides an interesting point of comparison against the TurboCoupe. MotorWeek found some faults with the 'Stang, though. While it was quick for the time with a sprint to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, the 'car was described as "a nose-heavy beast" for its handling. And for a look at Ford's future in turbocharging – the GT will have an EcoBoost powerplant – check out our Related Video:

Ford to update Sync, MyFord Touch software... again

Ford hasn't had the best luck with its MyFord Touch and Sync systems, as the finicky infotainment system has been subject to a critical whooping while customer issues have helped sink Ford's IQS scores. The automaker has made a concerted effort, though, to try and fix MyFord Touch. And while the results have been mixed, The Blue Oval is hoping its latest free update, set to go live next week, will make things better.
According to a report from The Detroit News, the new system promises streamlined voice commands with fewer levels between opening query and actual result. Ford is also addressing where certain options are selected on the touchscreen. Rather than working one of the four quadrants on the homescreen, users will be able to select anywhere within the quadrant to make adjustments.
While it might only be a band-aid for MFT's problems, the fact that Ford is still trying to improve it is a promising sign. It's going to take more than just this update to address the system's ills, though.

Ford honors Chinese Year of the Horse with Vaughn Gittin Jr., Mustang video

Calendar years and fiscal years tend to be the only timetables automakers concern themselves with, but that doesn't mean there isn't recognition of other measures of time. Ford has opted to observe the Chinese zodiac, largely because the Year of the Horse ended just last week. That's fortuitous timing, considering the first Ford Mustangs were making their way towards the People's Republic as celebrations were carrying on. To recognize this fact, and the end of the Year of the Horse, Ford recruited drift king Vaughn Gittin, Jr., to take a 2015 Mustang GT to the streets of Ordos City, in north-central China. It's not as dramatic as some of Ford's recent videos, like the one starring Ken Block and the Ford Focus RS, but it's pretty cool all the same. Take a look. Related Video: News Source: Ford Performance via YouTube, Yahoo! Autos Ford Coupe Performance Videos