As prevalent as Youtube and digital music on mobile devices is these days, a lot of people still get an earful of radio on a regular basis. In fact, Nielsen’s Audio Today: Radio 2016 report states that 93 percent of Americans listen to the radio every week. We also spend a lot time in our vehicles. The 2017 Ford Fusion and Escape have audio systems designed to make those numerous radio listening experiences more pleasant.
Those two models are available with Sony audio systems that feature dual receivers and use the rear-window heating element as a second antenna. According to Ford, this marks “one of the industry’s first applications of dual reception for HD Radio, which uses a special receiver to broadcast a digital signal over a traditional radio.”
If you’ve ever driven through a city or a place with mountains nearby, you’ve probably heard interference caused by the radio signal bouncing off of the buildings or peaks around you and hitting your radio receiver twice. The dual receivers determine which one signal is the strongest and switch to that one to provide a smoother and clearer sound. That also means if you’re passing through an area where two different stations use the same frequency, you won’t hear any overlap between the two. You’ll just hear the station with the strongest signal, nice and clear.
Those aren’t the only audio improvements the Blue Oval made to the 2017 Fusion, though. The V6 Sport, Platinum, and Hybrid and Energi models, and Fusions equipped with the SE Luxury Package feature acoustic laminated glass on the windshields and front doors to keep out wind and road noise. Fusion Hybrid S and Hybrid SE models now come with nine speakers for enhanced Active Noise Control, which emits sound waves that counteract noise from the engine, transmission, and the wind outside the cabin. No wonder Ford says the Fusion has a quieter cabin than the 2016 Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
