Sponsored Video – Ford’s APA
Rick, what is APA? I’ll get to that . . . but first let me tell you my story.
My very first car was a Ford, a red and black 79′ Turbo hatchback Mustang. My dad paid 500 bucks for it, and while the turbo was long gone in 1991, and the sunroof leaked so bad my friends had to take turns sitting in the “drip seat” and it had black leather interior, in sunny (very sunny) South Florida, it was the greatest thing my dad ever got me. I dubbed it the Red Baron, because to me it had wings, dual mounted machine guns and could fly!
And when I finally got my license, what that car represented was something a lot of kids feel no matter what their first wheels are . . . freedom! But, it took me a few times to pass my driver’s test (much like in Taken 2, spoiler alert) because sometimes, shall we say, I forgot that it wasn’t really a Fokker triplane!
I was also not so hot at parallel parking. But as luck would have it, parallel parking was removed from the Florida driver’s test before I had to test. Good thing too, because I was solid on all the other maneuvers needed, three point turn, U-turns, all that jazz, and unlike a lot of my friends, I could drive stick. So, I beat the system, until my first trip to Key West, with my new found freedom, I was forced to park and pay each visit. I stunk out-loud at parallel parking.
So, now you may have guessed what APA stands for? It’s Ford’s latest amazing feature, the Active Park Assist thingamawhatsit! To see it in action, check out this video and take in the sweet ballet that is the brave new world, inching us closer and closer to the future where even our dogs will be walked by robots. I am praying that robots will at least leave a few of the finer things in life for us, but as for parallel parking . . . I say let our robot overlords feel free to slide into that spot, so to speak, smoothly.
Here’s how it works – Active Park Assist uses ultrasonic-based sensing system and electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) to steer the vehicle into a parking spot – EPAS also improves fuel economy up to 5 percent, while reducing CO2 emissions and enhancing performance, compared with traditional steering!
Yes, this post was sponsored by Ford, and let me just say that I am honored they reached out to our little blog, as we respect their commitment to their customers and we especially admire their ability to stand on their own where others needed, let’s call it . . . assistance.
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