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FORD BRONCO MIGHT BE ABLE TO ADJUST SUSPENSION BASED ON MUSIC

A Recent Patent And Trademark Discovery Points To Several Driving Modes, Including G.O.A.T. Modes

Ford Bronco Rough Riders Baja 1000 SCORE Ultra4 Best In the Desert King Of Hammers
Image Via Ford.

Ford Motor Company has motioned to trademark “G.O.A.T. Modes” for “drive systems comprised of automatic controls for vehicle chassis and powertrain controllers, integrated as an integral part of a passenger vehicle.” The United States Patent and Trademark Office filing happened March 25th. The cryptic acronym could be used for the Ford Bronco SUV and other off-roaders down the pipeline. Ultimately, we have questions, and we’re sure you do, too. But that’s just the start.

Most commonly the G.O.A.T. acronym is used to identify the Greatest Of All Time at something. But as a driving mode? Surely it stands for something else. Goats, however, do love to climb things. Seemingly impossible things. That would make sense, then, for certain off-road driving settings to be designated as G.O.A.T. modes.

Maybe it’s “Get Over Any Terrain”.

According to Motor Trend, G.O.A.T. Modes are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what’s likely in store for the suspension system of the 2021 Ford Bronco, which was supposed to have been officially revealed by now. Nevertheless, the magazine outlines an electronically adjustable suspension system patent that utilizes a monitoring system that follows everything from traffic patterns, to weather, to terrain. Strangely, this patent even outlines how the vehicle’s suspension settings will change on the fly based on the music occupants are listening to. It can all be turned off, as well.

This is called Anomaly Mitigation Suspension Mode. How it relates to G.O.A.T. Mode is still unclear.

Fords Bronco R Racing Prototype. Photo via Ford.

According to the patent, as outlined by MT, A.M.S.M. is smart enough to automatically adjust ride height based on the surface of the terrain, and will even adjust the nose of the Ford Bronco by lowering the front suspension only for improved visibility in various off-road scenarios.

Based on the patent, the system offers more than just several off-road settings, which could mean that the technology could be found in other Ford vehicles that aren’t the Bronco.

There’s Entertainment Mode, Music Mode, and Daredevil Mode, for example. According to the original report, Entertainment Mode controls the Music and Daredevil modes. Music mode, as crazy as it sounds, will adjust the vehicle’s ride height to match whatever’s coming out of your speakers. Does this mean that the Ford Bronco will perform a dance? Maybe!

As for Daredevil mode, things get even more interesting. According to the patent, “the vehicle’s suspension height may be mapped to the target suspension height such that the vehicle . . . can be driven on, for example, two and/or three wheels without overturning.” Daredevil, indeed.

This mode could be best used in off-road situations, as it could articulate the suspension system preemptively, and could aid in climbing taller obstacles. Why didn’t they call this G.O.A.T. Mode then? Yes, we still have questions.

Ford Bronco

Here’s a breakdown of the 21 other driving modes, as Motor Trend describes them:

Mobility (the Avoidance, Traffic, Freight, and City Mobility modes fall under the Mobility umbrella)
Avoidance (adjusts to deliver quicker responses from the suspension)
Traffic (basically a comfort mode)
Freight (sounds like load leveling, in which the suspension accounts for a heavy cargo load)
City Mobility (sets the vehicle up for “aggressive” driving)
Cooperative (matches ride height to that of a nearby vehicle to facilitate transfer of cargo between them)
Utility (the Office, Towing, Cradle, and Rest modes fall under the Utility umbrella)
Office (a quiet, comfort-focused mode geared toward remote working within the car)
Towing (optimises the suspension for towing)
Cradle (no joke, this “assigns a low-frequency movement to the vehicle” to soothe a baby)
Resting (similar to the office setting, this makes the ride quiet and squishy)
Suspension Minder (the haptic and safety modes fall under the Suspension Minder umbrella)
Haptic (driver alerts can be registered by body motions / vibrations induced by the suspension)
Safety (maximizes suspension stability for safe avoidance maneuvers, similar to “avoidance” above)
Driver (Novice and Expert Driver functions fall under the Driver umbrella)
Expert Driver (if the vehicle determines the driver to be more experienced, it sets up the vehicle accordingly)
Novice Driver (if the vehicle determines the driver to be inexperienced, it sets up the vehicle accordingly)
Fun-to-Ride (this delivers a “rough ride” for a “fun-to-ride sensation for vehicle occupants”)
Fun-to-Drive (sets up the suspension for aggressive on-road driving)
Quiet (works “in tandem with, for example, active noise cancellation to reduce road-induced noise and/or detected vehicle vibrations)
Vigilance Boosting (similar to the Haptic function, this detects driver fatigue and can buzz the car via the suspension to wake him or her up)

 

Ford Bronco AMSM Patent

Written by Manoli Katakis

Muscle Cars & Trucks was founded by Manoli Katakis - an automotive media veteran that has been covering the latest car news since 2009. His journalism has uncovered dozens of major product changes, updates, plans, and cancellations long before automakers were ready to make things official.

Some highlights over the years of his reporting include the uncovering of the Zora trademark before anybody else reported on the coming of a mid-engine Corvette, as well as the dead-accurate reporting of the coming of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, two years before it hit the market, and even before the debut of the concept vehicle. This type of reporting has immediately continued here, with reports of the original seventh-generation Camaro plans being shelved, as well as what's in store for the Chevrolet Silverado.

Some of his work can be found on massive automotive media outlets, such as Motor1. He also has been a guest on the 910AM Radio Station with Detroit News auto critic Henry Payne, as well as the enthusiast-oriented Camaro Show podcast.

Over the years, Manoli has interviewed various automotive industry titans, leaders, and people that make things happen otherwise. These include figureheads such as GM CEO Mary Barra, GM President Mark Reuss, automotive aftermarket icon Ken Lingenfelter, Dodge firebrand Tim Kuniskis, along with various chief engineers of vehicles such as the Ford F-150 & Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro & Corvette, and many more.

At MC&T, Manoli is taking his journalism expertise, deeply planted sources, driving abilities, and automotive industry knowledge to new levels, covering more vehicles and brands than ever before. This is the place where you will continue to read groundbreaking stories about American performance vehicles, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles. Here is where you’ll also read insights and quotes from various automotive subject matter experts on the latest relevant products, as well as some of the latest official news from their manufacturers.

Fun facts: he also once beat Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner in an autocross with a Chevrolet Bolt EV. The biggest vehicle he’s ever driven is a John Deere mining truck. Besides a go-kart, the smallest vehicle he’s driven has been a Hyundai i10. He’s also spent time in the cockpit of various American performance vehicle icons, including the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Dodge Challenger Demon, and Ford Mustang GT350R. He has reviewed dozens of trucks, SUVs, and performance vehicles over the years.

One of his favorite new vehicles on the market today happens to be the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. He is also a card carrying member of the Sports Car Club of America, and regularly participates in Detroit Region autocross events.

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