Ford Mustang Mach-E

[Zaxxon]

Having the speed off to the side is way less of a problem than you might imagine. I completely adjusted to it on the 20 minute drive back from picking the car up. Also, that's what cruise control is for.

This. But I do get it. My wife was not a fan at first, either. The only thing that I really like having right behind the wheel better is the navigation next step. (The X has it, the 3 does not.)

Stessier, Do you plan to road trip in this vehicle? If not, the Mustang sounds great. If so, your wife is right to lean Tesla. It really is no comparison as far as ease of road charging. I just did 2,500 miles over the past two weeks and it's a total breeze (aside from the longer stop time inherent to any EV).

Car and Driver just did a comparison of most of the major players, including the Y and Mustang for a long test trip.

[Biyobi]

Her impression was that the Model Y was slightly faster off the line, but the Mach E was slightly quieter on the road. She was not a fan of the exterior of the Y and deemed the interior spartan. She also didn't like that the screen was set off to the side. She really likes the looks of the exterior of the Mach E and felt the interior just looked better. She liked the materials, screen layout, and seating better. She really liked the small "gauge" screen just behind the steering wheel. She was a bit disappointed in the rear cargo space. She was a huge fan of the automatic lift gate that could be activated by swiping one's foot under the door.

I had given her a number of videos to watch about both cars and while it looked like we were getting the Mach E on Saturday before she watched them, it now looks like we are getting a Model Y - and it's all due to the super charger network. I have to tread carefully as it will be her car, but I'm going to mount a shadow campaign to see if we can get back to the Mach E. Ultimately I think either car will work fine, but the $7500 tax credit and how much nicer that Mach E looks would make me a bit bummed to end up in the Model Y.

I have friends with both (Y Performance and Mach-E Select) and your wife's impressions match mine. I've driven both several times and been driven around plenty.

The Mach-E is more comfortable (at least in the front seats, them back seats not so much). Not a fan of the button push to open the doors from the outside. There always feels like a slight delay and while the duration isn't much (or consistent) it always makes me feel like either the push didn't register or the door is still locked. Much prefer the Y's handles. I also love the dashboard screen, but that could be 35 years of driving with the gauges "where they're supposed to be" talking.

The owner of the Mach-E hasn't had to worry too much about charging stations (mostly city driving) but has said they are envious of the Y's range. From a pure driving perspective, I prefer the Tesla. The Mach-E feels more "big car" in the steering while the Y just handles better. As a day-to-day driver though, I imagine the quieter cabin of the Ford has got to take a lot of stress out of daily commutes.

[Zaxxon]

Stessier, Do you plan to road trip in this vehicle? If not, the Mustang sounds great. If so, your wife is right to lean Tesla. It really is no comparison as far as ease of road charging. I just did 2,500 miles over the past two weeks and it's a total breeze (aside from the longer stop time inherent to any EV).

Good news for the non-Tesla (and Tesla) road-tripping crowd: Electrify America today announced a doubling of their planned network by 2025.

[stessier]

Stessier, Do you plan to road trip in this vehicle? If not, the Mustang sounds great. If so, your wife is right to lean Tesla. It really is no comparison as far as ease of road charging. I just did 2,500 miles over the past two weeks and it's a total breeze (aside from the longer stop time inherent to any EV).

If there is a road trip, it would be in this car. Nothing like 2500 miles though - 250 miles 2x year is most likely with a less frequent 1000 mile trip every few years to visit the grandparents. (Note - we haven't gone anywhere outside the city in 5 years, though.) If it was just me, it would be a no-brainer - I'd go Mach E. I think the extra hassle now is well worth the $7,500 and expect the experience to improve dramatically over the next 10 years (the bare minimum life of the car). I've watched plenty of long haul videos of both cars and while the Tesla is easier, it's not like the Mach E is impossible. Just takes a few tricks to make things run smoother. The experience has also improved significantly over the last 3 months as Ford as updated it's software. But since it is her car, I'm willing to accept she needs an Apple experience rather than Android.

Car and Driver just did a comparison of most of the major players, including the Y and Mustang for a long test trip.

Interesting video, but they left out too much detail to make it a useful comparison. I hope they do an extended cut at some point.

[Zaxxon]

Yeah, in your shoes (including liking the Mach-E better) I'd go Ford, too, then. For very sporadic, interstate-hugging shortish road trips you'll be fine. It's the multi-thousand-mile and off-the-beaten-path stuff that's impossible in a non-Tesla (like the national parks trips that my fam does).

[Biyobi]

Not a fan of the button push to open the doors from the outside. There always feels like a slight delay and while the duration isn't much (or consistent) it always makes me feel like either the push didn't register or the door is still locked. Much prefer the Y's handles.

An amusing followup to this happened over the weekend. Not sure what caused it (botched update maybe), but a glitch in the matrix prevented the driver door from opening from the outside until any of the other doors was opened first, which then popped open both doors. The service tech at the dealership even let slip a "wtf". They were able to resolve the problem eventually.

[stessier]

Ordered today with a 24+ week estimated delivery. That's a long time for buyer's remorse to kick in.

[Zaxxon]

Ordered today with a 24+ week estimated delivery. That's a long time for buyer's remorse to kick in.

Sweet.

[Carpet_pissr]

I don’t understand the $7,500 difference. Are you not referring to a state or federal tax credit? If so, wouldn’t that be for any EV?

[Zaxxon]

I don’t understand the $7,500 difference. Are you not referring to a state or federal tax credit? If so, wouldn’t that be for any EV?

No. Tesla and GM no longer qualify because they were too successful in selling EVs.

[stessier]

The Infrastructure Bill, at one point, had provisions to extend the rebate and add level based on manufacturing location and method. Not sure it is still in there.

[Zaxxon]

The Infrastructure Bill, at one point, had provisions to extend the rebate and add level based on manufacturing location and method. Not sure it is still in there.

Last I saw, it's in the reconciliation attempt. $7500 for any EV, plus $2500 if made in America (natch, Mustang), plus $2500 if UAW-made. We'll see if/how it makes it thru.

[stessier]

The Infrastructure Bill, at one point, had provisions to extend the rebate and add level based on manufacturing location and method. Not sure it is still in there.

Last I saw, it's in the reconciliation attempt. $7500 for any EV, plus $2500 if made in America (natch, Mustang), plus $2500 if UAW-made. We'll see if/how it makes it thru.

Just trying some quick search terms in the bill that passed the Senate today, I couldn't find it. Anyone else have any luck?

[Zaxxon]

The Infrastructure Bill, at one point, had provisions to extend the rebate and add level based on manufacturing location and method. Not sure it is still in there.

Last I saw, it's in the reconciliation attempt. $7500 for any EV, plus $2500 if made in America (natch, Mustang), plus $2500 if UAW-made. We'll see if/how it makes it thru.

Just trying some quick search terms in the bill that passed the Senate today, I couldn't find it. Anyone else have any luck?

Because it's in the reconciliation attempt, not the bill that passed.

[stessier]

The Infrastructure Bill, at one point, had provisions to extend the rebate and add level based on manufacturing location and method. Not sure it is still in there.

Last I saw, it's in the reconciliation attempt. $7500 for any EV, plus $2500 if made in America (natch, Mustang), plus $2500 if UAW-made. We'll see if/how it makes it thru.

Just trying some quick search terms in the bill that passed the Senate today, I couldn't find it. Anyone else have any luck?

Because it's in the reconciliation attempt, not the bill that passed.

Ahhh, well that would do it!

[Zaxxon]

Mach-E review with Chief Engineer Donna Dickson (on Sandy Munro's channel):

[stessier]

Taking Blue Cruise out for a spin.

[stessier]

Munro wrap-up.

[Pyperkub]

My question, as with any ford non-truck, is reliability.

On the good news side, being ford, parts may be easier to come by than Tesla parts (tho those are probably doing better in years since that was a major issue).

But I did see one on the freeway the other day, and it did look sharp.

[coopasonic]

easier to come by than Tesla parts (tho those are probably doing better in years since that was a major issue).

This winter I waited three months for a new charge port door (it stopped opening automatically) for my Model 3. They pushed my appt back 1-2 weeks at a time for 3 freaking months.

[Zaxxon]

Surprisingly, when I was rear-ended last summer, the body shop was able to get all the needed parts from Tesla in 1-2 days. Seems to be one area where Tesla actually has gotten their customer service shit together. Same was the case for the repeater camera which Tesla came out and replaced in a couple of days' time.

[LordMortis]

My question, as with any ford non-truck, is reliability.

On the good news side, being ford, parts may be easier to come by than Tesla parts (tho those are probably doing better in years since that was a major issue).

But I did see one on the freeway the other day, and it did look sharp.

Anecdotally, Fords have been exceptionally reliable pre-electronic craziness. My lofi Focus, has been solid since early 2009. Oddly enough, my worst experiences have been with after market wear and tear parts when purchase from a local delearship. So much so, I've sworn them off and still deal with their shoddy work moving forward.

Not so anecdotally, It's interesting to see the production ramp ups for after market parts in this economy. This should go in the Viral Economy thread, but while production is being shutdown again and again across the board, aftermarket parts sales is keeping the supply chain busy.

I've only seen one Mach-E in the wild. The TESLAs are becoming more common, though they are a long way from ubiquitous. I'll see the occasional Bolt (Volt?) here and there and I've seen one Nissan BEV in the wild. I am seeing more and more self driving prototypes (not Waymo, but the ones with the fast rotating cameras/ladar or whatever you call it on every panel), and I give them an irrational wide birth when I do, like I instinctively expect them to fail, which is the exact opposite of how they behave.

[coopasonic]

My 12yo son went to a big pilots "convention" (EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh) with my father-in-law this summer. Ford was there giving test rides in the Mach E and they were stomping the pedal to impress folks. My son didn't really react at all and the guy says "Someone in your family have a Tesla?"

OK, I made up the last part but my son told me it wasn't too slow. I don't know what model they were demoing.

[LordMortis]

Munro wrap-up.

video snip

Oddly enough, when talking about friendly driving, I recognize where they are driving. It's the northern burbs. Auburn Hills/Rochester. Driving there is actually easy Michigan urban/suburban driving. And even horrible Michigan driving has nothing on Chicago which has nothing on Boston. They mention winning at driving. That's how it feels to drive in Chicago. In Boston, it's not even win or lose. Everyone is like "Fuck it" there is no win or lose when all the rules of the road are optional. (And then there's Mexico City, where I fortunately did not drive...)

Funny they mention the Blue Cruise the day after Ford changed their AI leadership. The big disappointment should be the Ford has been pushing AI driving for a long time and gotten nowhere.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/07/ford-hi ... -tech.html

I thought the drag co-efficient thing was interesting even if I'm too mulebrained to gronk it. I'm surprised at how much weight influences their review/energy usage. I have been under the impression, that weight was a much small contributor to efficiency due to so much energy being re-captured by braking, which took me back to drag co-efficient being interesting.

[Zaxxon]

Turns out that Ford roofs can come off, too.

[stessier]

I've been following the Mach E forums and knew that the 2021 Order book was closing this week and any vehicle not scheduled for production was going to be canceled. It was less clear what would happen after that. Today I got this.

Your 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium is being converted to a 2022 model year. Rest assured, your place in line has not been affected by this update. We've simply reached our production capacity for the 2021 model year, so we're updating your order.

Please note: Your dealer will be in contact to verify your order specifications. If you wish to make any other updates to your order at that time, your dealer will be ready to help.

To thank you for being a valued customer, we're offering you $750* to help cover any price variation for the model-year update.

Because you are a valued customer, providing you with the freedom to move and pursue your dreams is our biggest priority. We appreciate your patience and look forward to producing your Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Well okay then. Granted, the same forums are saying the first deliveries of 2022s won't be until March or April, so the wait is not going to be short, but at least I didn't lose my place in line.

[Zaxxon]

$750 ain't bad for the trouble, assuming the prices don't rise by more than that. I also saw that for the 2022 model year, they're releasing 2-3 kWh more (depending on the pack size selected) to the user, so range should go up a few miles/charge.

[stessier]

$750 ain't bad for the trouble, assuming the prices don't rise by more than that. I also saw that for the 2022 model year, they're releasing 2-3 kWh more (depending on the pack size selected) to the user, so range should go up a few miles/charge.

Yep - although I'd expect them to release that to the 2021s through an OTA update at some point.

[Zaxxon]

$750 ain't bad for the trouble, assuming the prices don't rise by more than that. I also saw that for the 2022 model year, they're releasing 2-3 kWh more (depending on the pack size selected) to the user, so range should go up a few miles/charge.

Yep - although I'd expect them to release that to the 2021s through an OTA update at some point.

One would hope.

[LordMortis]

Well okay then. Granted, the same forums are saying the first deliveries of 2022s won't be until March or April, so the wait is not going to be short, but at least I didn't lose my place in line.

I live in Ford country and the inventories here almost literally nothing across the board. The dealership next to Michigan Assembly (a short bike ride from my house) has a grand total of 49 vehicles on the lot.

https://www.jdemmerford.com/new-inventory/

(Of course one is a $60,000 Mach E... So if you hurry....)

[Carpet_pissr]

I've been following the Mach E forums and knew that the 2021 Order book was closing this week and any vehicle not scheduled for production was going to be canceled. It was less clear what would happen after that. Today I got this.

Your 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium is being converted to a 2022 model year. Rest assured, your place in line has not been affected by this update. We've simply reached our production capacity for the 2021 model year, so we're updating your order.

Please note: Your dealer will be in contact to verify your order specifications. If you wish to make any other updates to your order at that time, your dealer will be ready to help.

To thank you for being a valued customer, we're offering you $750* to help cover any price variation for the model-year update.

Because you are a valued customer, providing you with the freedom to move and pursue your dreams is our biggest priority. We appreciate your patience and look forward to producing your Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Well okay then. Granted, the same forums are saying the first deliveries of 2022s won't be until March or April, so the wait is not going to be short, but at least I didn't lose my place in line.

I would be giddy, personally. Could be an old wive's tale, but it makes logical sense: probably not ideal to buy the 1st gen model of a car (and especially so in this case, due to being EV). Heck, I've seen advice stating that you really shouldn't even buy the first model year of a redesign.

Of course the hope being that they got tons of feedback, found and squashed bugs, made design improvements, etc.

I was considering buying one of these a few months ago, but the fact that it was a first gen model was the primary negative on my pros/cons list.

[Zaxxon]

I was considering buying one of these a few months ago, but the fact that it was a first gen model was the primary negative on my pros/cons list.

[stessier]

I would be giddy, personally. Could be an old wive's tale, but it makes logical sense: probably not ideal to buy the 1st gen model of a car (and especially so in this case, due to being EV). Heck, I've seen advice stating that you really shouldn't even buy the first model year of a redesign.

Of course the hope being that they got tons of feedback, found and squashed bugs, made design improvements, etc.

I was considering buying one of these a few months ago, but the fact that it was a first gen model was the primary negative on my pros/cons list.

You really missed out - the first gen came with the undisclosed feature of being a convertible!

[Hrothgar]

I was considering buying one of these a few months ago, but the fact that it was a first gen model was the primary negative on my pros/cons list.

Yes, if you get in line, Stessier is proportionally closer to the front.

[coopasonic]

You really missed out - the first gen came with the undisclosed feature of being a convertible!

The most common question I get about my car after "how long does it take to charge?" is "does the roof open?"

My answer is: Once.

[LordMortis]

Breaking the glass ceiling!

[Jeff V]

I strong-armed Hertz once into giving me a Mustang Convertible (for $19 a day). It's a car I might consider for an electric version, the job I'm currently interviewing for would be compatible with that car as a commuter vehicle. But I wouldn't pay a premium for it; a Chevy, Nissan or Tesla would be considered with range being the prime statistic.

[gbasden]

I'm strongly thinking of picking up a Mach-E. This would be mostly in-town/commute style driving while keeping our ICE tow vehicle around for pulling the trailer and the occasional time we need 7 passengers or extended cargo.

While I'd love to get a GT, it seems a bit pricier than I want to spend. So I was leaning toward the Premium with AWD and the extended range pack. What would you guys pick? (Yeah, I know, Zaxxon would choose a Tesla... ) Any warnings or recommendations?

[Zaxxon]

[stessier]

I'm strongly thinking of picking up a Mach-E. This would be mostly in-town/commute style driving while keeping our ICE tow vehicle around for pulling the trailer and the occasional time we need 7 passengers or extended cargo.

While I'd love to get a GT, it seems a bit pricier than I want to spend. So I was leaning toward the Premium with AWD and the extended range pack. What would you guys pick? (Yeah, I know, Zaxxon would choose a Tesla... ) Any warnings or recommendations?

We chose the Premium with extended range pack (no AWD). We preferred it over the Select because of the extended range and things like the foot activated lift gate. The GT is extremely pricey (in my opinion). To get it with all the features in the Premium version is near $70k compared to $54k. $16k for the added speed and some lighting/exterior styling changes is a tough sell to me.

When you say "pick up", what are your expectations? Right now ordering one is at 28+ weeks.

What drew you to the Mach E? Have you been able to sit in a Model Y? It's worth it to compare because you can get a Y much sooner and they are very similar in terms of cost and performance.