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More head-up displays are coming to a dashboard near you

With the exception of Apple products — $1,000 for a freakin' smartphone? — one great thing about tech is you typically get more for your money with each passing year. This is particularly true with automotive tech: Features like driver assists and surround-view cameras that were once exclusively available in luxury vehicles now come standard even on some economy cars. The same thing is slowly happening with head-up displays (HUD). For example, the 10-inch HUD in the 2018 Toyota Camry is one of the largest and best HUDs I've seen in any car. And a big improvement on the much smaller HUD in the latest Toyota Prius. Mazda is another mainstream brand that offers HUDs in several of its vehicles. But instead of embedding expensive components in the dash and using a special windshield, the HUDs in the Mazda3 and Mazda6 use a thin plastic lens that folds down when not in use. MINI has a similar solution, but this low-cost approach has limits in terms of size and position of the images compared to traditional HUDs that use the windshield as a screen. We're also starting to see similar lens-based aftermarket options that can be added to any car. Last year I tested a portable HUD called Navdy that taps into a car's OBD-II port to provide info on speed and RPM and uses built-in GPS and Google Maps to show the surrounding area, display speed limits and route you to your destination. Navdy also connects to an Android or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth to display data from phone calls, texts and music playing on a connected device, and it's simple to use and easily visible in almost any lighting condition. While Navdy is still available online, late last year the company ran into financial difficulties, and product support has been halted. I recently tested a new portable HUD called Hudly that's not quite fully baked and falls short of Navdy because it doesn't tap into an OBD-II port. Since a companion smartphone app for Hudly isn't scheduled to launch until next month, for now it only mirrors what's on a smartphone. So it can be used for nav and other apps, and its features are very limited. Between automakers adding HUDs in more reasonably priced cars and the aftermarket filling in the gaps for existing vehicle owners with add-ons, the technology is becoming more prevalent and affordable. And it's also getting better.

Ford and Lincoln owners can personalize their Alexa commands

Ford and Lincoln owners whose vehicles have hands-free access to Alexa don't have to stick to using standard voice commands if they don't want to. The automaker has rolled out enhanced Car Control capabilities, and with it comes the option to teach Alexa commands that reflect their natural way of speaking. For example, they can program in "Alexa, I'm cold," and then teach the voice assistant to respond by asking what course of action it should take, such as "I can increase the temperature by 5 degrees or turn off the AC. What should I do?" Another example of a personalized phrase would be: "Alexa, set the AC to full blast." The assistant can then ask the owner what they mean by "full blast." Training Alexa to respond to personalized phrases is made possible by the assistant's teachable AI technology. All vehicles with Alexa Built-in will get access to enhanced Car Control when it becomes available to them. At the moment, the models with access to the hands-free experience are the 2022 F-150, Bronco, Mustang Mach-E, Edge, the new Expedition, Lincoln Nautilus and revised 2022 Lincoln Navigator. The long-awaited 2022 F-150 Lightning will also come with the capability when it launches. Ford debuted the hands-free Alexa capability for its vehicles last year, marking the beginning of its six-year partnership with Amazon. As part of that partnership, it's giving its customers complimentary access to Alexa for up to three years that begin on the new vehicle's warranty start date. Ford Lincoln Technology Infotainment

2022 Lincoln Navigator priced at just $5 more than last year

The 2022 Lincoln Navigator still isn't listed on the Lincoln site at the time of writing, but Ford Authority says it has a price — one you'll not be surprised to hear is higher than that of the 2021 Navigator. The 2022 Navigator Standard sets the baseline with an MSRP of $76,710, or $78,405 with destination, a trifle of an up-charge at just $5 more than last year's trim. After that, premiums for the tech and feature updates given to the new Navigator climb quickly except in the case of the lengthened Standard L in rear-wheel-drive guise. That trim comes down by $200 on its MSRP, going up overall by $200 because of the updated destination fee, totaling $81,400.    2022 Navigator prices and their differences from last year are: Standard: $78,405 ($5) Standard L: $81,400 ($200) Reserve: $89,100 ($4,955) Reserve L: $91,770 ($4,760) Standard 4WD: $81,405 ($735) Standard L 4WD: $84,400 ($530) Reserve 4WD: $91,440 ($1,760) Reserve L 4WD: $94,465 ($4,785) Black Label 4WD: $104,675 ($4,725) Black Label L 4WD: $107,720 ($4,570) All Navigators will benefit from Lincoln Enhance, the brand name for Lincoln's over-the-air software update capability, and the improved Amazon Alexa integration that can respond to more natural language. The substantial rises on the Reserve and Black Label trims pay for ActiveGlide and CoPilot360 2.0. ActiveGlide is the advanced driver assistance tech that allows hands-free highway driving if the right conditions are met (it's known as BlueCruise on Fords). Using adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, lane centering and traffic sign recognition, the system can be activated on more than 130,000 miles of divided highways in North America. To help ensure hands-free doesn't turn into attention-free, ActiveGlide monitors the driverÂ’s head and eye positions with a driver-facing camera. Lincoln Co-Pilot360 2.0 bundles more ADAS like forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, and dynamic brake support, and for 2022 adds Intersection Assist and Active Sense Park Assist 2.0. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.