- The bottom of the window at 45 degrees to the ground
- A view from two stories up and the Ranger drove us here.
What goes up must come down
- A view from the top
- Outdoor ‘Smart Drive’ to remain open one week after AIMS
- Ford to donate $10 for each test drive undertaken to NBCF
- Focus ‘Smart Drives’ for the NBCF to run in Sydney and Melbourne
Ford’s outdoor ‘Smart Drive’ at the Australian International Motor show will remain open to the public for a week to help raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Although the motor show finished on Sunday, the ‘Smart Drive’ has been such a tremendous success and crowd pleaser, that show organisers and Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority were willing to extend it.
As a Platinum sponsor of the NBCF, Ford will donate $10 for every test drive undertaken during the week after the motor show in a bid to raise $10,000 as part of Ford’s $100,000 pledge to the NBCF.
“The ‘Ford Smart’ drive has been an overwhelming success and we hope to leverage that success to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation by donating $10 for every test drive,” Ford Australia President and CEO, Bob Graziano said.
“The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority has partnered with Ford to keep the ‘Smart Drive’ open for the National Breast Cancer Foundation because it has been such a great success with showgoers and visitors to Darling Harbour.
“The plan is to raise $10,000 during the extended week as part of our $100,000 pledge to the NBCF.
“Further to the AIMS ‘Smart Drive’, we will run Focus ‘Smart Drives’ for the NBCF in Sydney and Melbourne across varying locations, so if you can’t make it to the Sydney Foreshore, you can do a Focus ‘Smart Drive’ and we’ll donate $10 to the NBCF,” Graziano said.
The ‘Smart Drive’ display at AIMS will be closed briefly on Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30 while the motor show exhibits are dismantled. It will re-open to the public from Wednesday, October 31 to Sunday, November 4 in a bid to raise $10,000 for the NBCF.
The public is invited to participate in a 10-minute ‘Smart Drive’ of the new Focus Titanium or Ranger Wildtrak around a specially constructed course that highlights key technologies and capabilities of the vehicles.
Some of those technologies in the new Focus Titanium include Active City Stop, Active Park Assist and SYNC connectivity.
To demonstrate the Ranger’s off-road prowess, showgoers can experience the tough truck’s Hill Descent / Ascent Control as it climbs over a specially created track.
The ‘Smart Drive’ display has been created using large shipping containers painted in Ford Blue Oval livery, which have been strategically placed to provide a partial off-road course for the Ranger, as well as dedicated areas to demonstrate the Focus Titanium’s Active Park Assist technology.
Ford will donate $10 for every test drive completed to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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