Search Car Reviews



See all makes



Ford to set DAB standard from 2012

Ford will become the first carmaker to fit DAB-radio as standard on all model, in preparation for the analogue switch off in 2015

Ford C-Max front

21st March 2011

The first maker to fit DAB digital radio as standard on every car it sells will be… Ford. The news comes as the firm revealed engineers are working on an upgrade, allowing existing owners with AM/FM head units to swap to DAB.

Digital radio offers more stations and improved sound quality, and is already standard on all Fords bar the Fiesta and Ka. It will be fitted to these car in the summer, and to commercial vehicles over the next 12-18 months.

“It’s difficult to be 100 per cent sure, but I believe we will be the first manufacturer to offer DAB as standard across the range,” said Mark Simpson, Ford’s marketing director.

All car companies are working on DAB because the UK’s analogue transmission network is due to be switched off in 2015.The upgrade initiative will enable owners of cars built after a certain year to buy a replacement audio system from their main dealers.
 
The exact cut-off date has yet to be decided, but Simpson warned that the firm “won’t be offering DAB for a 30-year-old Cortina”.

For an alternative review of the latest Ford Mondeo visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

What Next

For more breaking car news and reviews, subscribe to Auto Express magazine. We'll give you 6 issues for £1 and a free gift!

< Previous   Next >

Sponsored Results

6 Comments

Backwards compatible?

I would hope that the DAB head units would still be able to receive AM/FM for use in the areas of the country where DAB coverage is poor to non-existant.

By Abrach on 22 March, 2011, 7:58am

DAB sucks.

There is NO analogue RADIO switch off in 2015, that date is for TV.
Regarding DAB, the most recent government statement says "not until more than 50% of people are listening digitally". DAB is rubbish (particularly for mobile coverage) and should be resisted at all costs to force the continued use of AM/FM.

By BG350 on 22 March, 2011, 8:53am

DAB is OK

I agree that I've heard that the 2015 date is not now a firm date. I fitted a DAB radio in my previous Ford Galaxy and generally was very pleased with it. Performance in the area where I live was far superior to AM/FM but it does need a good roof mounted antenna for optimum performance. And it does of course depend upon the DAB coverage in the area. My current Galaxy has the Radio as part of the SatNav which makes it impossible to change to DAB without using a messy solution, and I must say I really miss the DAB. My next car on order now has DAB specified.

By eskdale on 22 March, 2011, 10:37am

DAB

I have the new Sony DAB radio in my new Ford Grand C Max it is one of the reasons that I bought that car over the Pug 5008. All the newspaper articles say not to buy a new car unless it has DAB radio. Not sure what the plans are concerning the change over since reports of the change now conflict. But I can say that it is a pretty good unit for my tired old ears.

By gregtheegg1 on 22 March, 2011, 9:54pm

starick

There is also a rumour that the existing poor quality DAB will be improved but the upgrade will not be compatible with existing receivers. Best advice is to stay away from DAB until we get told the true facts.

By starick on 22 March, 2011, 11:27pm

DAB is a Bonus

DAB is really a Bonus at the moment as all the built in sets also have FM so there is nothing to loose only gain by buying a car with Built-in DAB. The original DAB was developed many years ago and more efficient codecs have been developed since then, and this has lead to the DAB+ standard (This allows either better quality or more stations for the same bandwidth). No DAB+ transmissions take place in the UK at the moment but some other countries (the late adopters) are using DAB+. Many DAB radios can be upgraded to support DAB+ with a Firmware update. I would hope that current Ford models support both standards already as they are intended to be "World Cars"

By eskdale on 23 March, 2011, 9:32am

You need to register to post comments. Existing members can log in below to comment, otherwise click here to join.



Sponsored Results

- Advertisement -

Pictures

Ford C-Max DAB radio

Sponsored Results

- Advertisement -