Mach-E beats Tesla Model 3 as Consumer Reports top electric vehicle for 2022

[valem]

To be clear, I'm not advocating for Ford or the Mach-E. I have a Model 3 and think it's great (mostly), but I also don't see Sandy Munro as a non-biased opinion.

I don't think he is biased, he is very objective.
There are videos where he criticizes Tesla.
He's not going to discuss V11 software, or how stupid the Ford volume knob is on the screen.
He looks at how the vehicle is built... not at a software revision, that is subjective; some like V11 and some don't, others will get used to it.
But when you use a mile of cooling hoses vs. a 1/4 mile makes a difference on how you build the machine.

 

[CyberGus]

Thanks for straightening me out, I wasn't aware of that.

“Munro Live” has an extensive video library. It can take a while to watch them all ;-)

 

[john5520]

They should start reading here.

Issues, Warranty, Recalls, TSB, SSM

www.macheforum.com

Yeah, I think by now anyone who's honest would consider CR a total joke. And whether they rated the Model 3 at the top or bottom, we know it's the better EV - by far. In fact, most of the world knows it except the die-hard Ford faithful or the first-time buyers clueless about what they're about to get into.

I could accept the fact that a first-year model is going to have growing pains, but what's happening to the Mach-E is inexcusable. To say it's inferior to the Model 3 / Y is an understatement:

Infotainment: it's not even close. Sync4 is just broken from top to bottom.
Point A to B reliability: Mach-e batteries are failing left and right leaving owners stranded. And Ford has no clue what the problem is. And that's assuming everything else works as it should.
Software design: Again, it's not even close. Their OTAs are practically non-existent (a couple games don't count) and their multi-module design is just a disaster when it comes to overall reliability.
Thermal system: Inadequate. An embarrassing hose-fest of a design that screams parts-bin cheap.
Performance: Disappointing. The car is a total dud above 80 mph because of poor engineering and poorly sourced parts.
Handing: Inconsistent is the word being thrown around now, and that's on the GT.
BlueCruise: a poor attempt at copying Autopilot.
Charging: Slower charging and a poor charging curve - even after the update (at least those that were lucky to get it).
Service quality: Tesla's service locations, even with all their faults, can't hold a candle to Ford's often shady, incompetent dealership network.

Even if I wasn't a Tesla fan, knowing what I know now, the Mach-E wouldn't even make the list of possibilities. It's a work in progress at best.

 

[father_of_6]

Supercharger Network alone wins the competition. What good is a car if you can't drive it long distances?

 

[ZenRockGarden]

Sandy Munro seems biased towards Tesla though. In his mind, Tesla can do no wrong. Is there a Sandy Munro video discussing how horrible v11 is?

Actually he was really hard on their early model 3's for lousy assembly quality, lazy glued fixes, and thoughtless design details (most of which Tesla has long since fixed).

He likes good engineering. That happens to correlate to Tesla right now.

 

[john5520]

And just to prove how worthless these publications are, JD Power rated the 2022 Mach-E a 60/100 for reliability. By their standards, that's poor. And their data is supposed to be comprised of vehicle owner data as well. So, who do you believe? That's why none of these ratings should be taken seriously. At least JDP got it right for once. Maybe Ford's check bounced.

 

[father_of_6]

JD Power ratings are bought by auto manufacturers, from what I've read. Ford must've declined to pay them this time.

 

[tm1v2]

I commented to the Tesla mobile tech installing homelink on my October 2021 M3P about how clean and well-organized everything looked under the hood, especially given it has a front motor (unlike my older Tesla). It was my own opinion, I hadn't watched any Sandy teardown videos or such.

The tech's response (paraphrasing): "Yes but you should see the older Model 3's."

Sounds like Sandy's changed opinion fits with with what Tesla's own techs think.

I wouldn't reject the Mach-E just because it's more complicated and messy under the hood. Those of you with older Model 3, do you dislike your car because it's more complicated or messy under the hood? Probably not, right?

It's good info to know, I do like Sandy's videos, but can you imagine if simple assembly / easy-to-work-on was a hard requirement for cars? Most cars Germany has shipped us in the past 20-30 years wouldn't exist. Nor would the excessively complicated Japanese sports cars of the 90s. Etc. We'd all be driving Japanese econoboxes. Which...okay, I've bought some of over the years, and I liked them, but it's good to have variety!

 

[RobDickinson]

Tesla is a moving target they change so much so fast, you can bet the Ford is basically the same after 4 years production

 

[father_of_6]

Tesla is a moving target they change so much so fast, you can bet the Ford is basically the same after 4 years production

4 years is a LONG time now for auto manufacturers... The world's top two selling EVs barely existed 4 years ago.

 

[john5520]

Tesla is a moving target they change so much so fast, you can bet the Ford is basically the same after 4 years production

Ford has little reason to evolve quickly since their fans gladly accept the unacceptable. If the Model 3/Y only gave 5 seconds of full power
and died after about 80 mph and Tesla never mentioned it anywhere, there'd be a revolt. Mach-E owners? "meh, I don't drive more than 80 mph on the freeway anyway".

 

[Brando]

I see people in this forum citing the same survey-based results when they support Tesla, like the brand being #1 in Owner Satisfaction according to CR. And I bet CR ranking the Model 3 as #1 was met with the same reception.

When it flips, suddenly CR is the bad guy

Not to direct that at you or anyone else specifically here, but there’s no shortage of bias all over the place

Tesla Sales seem to continue to climb.
Soon 4 factories = Fremont, CA; China; Berlin, DE; Austin, TX
Almost all others in decline.

 

[Quagmire2]

Sandy Munro seems biased towards Tesla though. In his mind, Tesla can do no wrong. Is there a Sandy Munro video discussing how horrible v11 is?

UI design is outside of his area of expertise.

His videos are about the build and engineering of vehicles, not software.

It's refreshing to see someone stick to their area of expertise then trying to pretend to be an expert on everything......

 

[AndreP]

Tesla Sales seem to continue to climb.
Soon 4 factories = Fremont, CA; China; Berlin, DE; Austin, TX
Almost all others in decline.

Tesla is plowing ahead very nicely!

Others in decline could be due to a number of dynamics in play here between the chip shortages, the way inventory was ordered, etc etc. The big OEMs are already delivering 6, 7, 10+ million vehicles globally per year and have huge market saturation, so it's much easier to decline than it is to continue increasing.

But the more competition the better for us as consumers, we do not want one brand dominating the world

 

[Brando]

Tesla is plowing ahead very nicely!

Others in decline could be due to a number of dynamics in play here between the chip shortages, the way inventory was ordered, etc etc. The big OEMs are already delivering 6, 7, 10+ million vehicles globally per year and have huge market saturation, so it's much easier to decline than it is to continue increasing.

But the more competition the better for us as consumers, we do not want one brand dominating the world

GM's share of the US market has decreased almost 3 times since its peak of 50.7 percent in 1962, falling to 17 percent in 2016.

Ford Motor Company's market share has likewise fallen but relatively less, from a high of 29.3 percent in 1961 to 14.6 percent in 2016.

source: google search

 

[Doc Brown]

GM's share of the US market has decreased almost 3 times since its peak of 50.7 percent in 1962, falling to 17 percent in 2016.

Ford Motor Company's market share has likewise fallen but relatively less, from a high of 29.3 percent in 1961 to 14.6 percent in 2016.

source: google search

No doubt that for quite a long time "Americans" only bought "American" cars. My anecdotal sotry: When I was "little," people had and drove Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets, Mercurys, Chryslers, Dodges, Lincolns, Cadillacs, etc. Yes - you had the occassional Europpean car (my best friend's dad had a "new" Alfetta) In the early 70s, some small (perceived) "junky" Japanese cars started to surface - the Datsun B210, among others. Then reliability became an issue and more bought foreign. America hasn't looked back.

Yes - market share has shifted and markets have expanded. Competition is king (in most places) and people will flock to the better (cooler)?) product. With the significant influx of foreign automobiles - market share has to shift - right?

Tesla is certainly poised to become a massive player in the global automobile market, perhaps for the better - but they need to stay on top of their game - which is what some legacy manufacturers haven't done well.

I do think Ford is doing a better job than GM - with the evolution towards alternative fuel vehicles - but that's me. Criticize the Mach E all you want - the reality is that it's a pretty cool car and has opened the door for Ford to gain some ground in the BEV market. The Lightning could be huge for Ford. Make a BEV Bronco - and more gains.

I just don't get why some [FILL IN THE BLANK BRAND] owners get so personally invested in everyone else doing poorly. I've never been brand loyal - maybe it's just me.

 

[AndreP]

No doubt that for quite a long time "Americans" only bought "American" cars. My anecdotal sotry: When I was "little," people had and drove Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets, Mercurys, Chryslers, Dodges, Lincolns, Cadillacs, etc. Yes - you had the occassional Europpean car (my best friend's dad had a "new" Alfetta) In the early 70s, some small (perceived) "junky" Japanese cars started to surface - the Datsun B210, among others. Then reliability became an issue and more bought foreign. America hasn't looked back.

Yes - market share has shifted and markets have expanded. Competition is king (in most places) and people will flock to the better (cooler)?) product. With the significant influx of foreign automobiles - market share has to shift - right?

Tesla is certainly poised to become a massive player in the global automobile market, perhaps for the better - but they need to stay on top of their game - which is what some legacy manufacturers haven't done well.

I do think Ford is doing a better job than GM - with the evolution towards alternative fuel vehicles - but that's me. Criticize the Mach E all you want - the reality is that it's a pretty cool car and has opened the door for Ford to gain some ground in the BEV market. The Lightning could be huge for Ford. Make a BEV Bronco - and more gains.

I just don't get why some [FILL IN THE BLANK BRAND] owners get so personally invested in everyone else doing poorly. I've never been brand loyal - maybe it's just me.

A true consumer should just be looking out for #1. We want competition, we want Tesla to not become complacent and potentially fall behind just like we don’t want any brand to become complacent. I want all of these companies fighting over my business, and I want them to offer the best product at the best price while not gouging to pump up their profit margins.

One company dominating does not lead to competition and it does not lead to the best outcome for consumers.

 

[RSpanner]

I test drove a Mach-E before we bought our Model 3, that was 6 months ago. I came in with a bias against it for how it handled and the cheap feeling interior. It was just something about the ride and feel of the SUV that was not very appealing.
I had been in a Tesla Model 3 that a friend has, before the Ford test drive, and liked it a lot, so a bias was planted.
Mach-E, I suppose I could live with it, but now, after owning and driving 5K miles in our Model 3, I know, for me and my wife, we made the right decision.
If I had the money,probably a lot here do, I would be thinking about Lucid..have not even seen one, but sure looks good. Too rich for my blood though.
Happy with our Model 3? Yes!

cars from the past...Audi 90s, A4. Q5, TTS, and a lot of others before that. Only the 2017 TTS handled better.

 

[ZenRockGarden]

No doubt that for quite a long time "Americans" only bought "American" cars. My anecdotal sotry: When I was "little," people had and drove Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets, Mercurys, Chryslers, Dodges, Lincolns, Cadillacs, etc. Yes - you had the occassional Europpean car (my best friend's dad had a "new" Alfetta) In the early 70s, some small (perceived) "junky" Japanese cars started to surface - the Datsun B210, among others. Then reliability became an issue and more bought foreign. America hasn't looked back.

Yes - market share has shifted and markets have expanded. Competition is king (in most places) and people will flock to the better (cooler)?) product. With the significant influx of foreign automobiles - market share has to shift - right?

Tesla is certainly poised to become a massive player in the global automobile market, perhaps for the better - but they need to stay on top of their game - which is what some legacy manufacturers haven't done well.

I do think Ford is doing a better job than GM - with the evolution towards alternative fuel vehicles - but that's me. Criticize the Mach E all you want - the reality is that it's a pretty cool car and has opened the door for Ford to gain some ground in the BEV market. The Lightning could be huge for Ford. Make a BEV Bronco - and more gains.

I just don't get why some [FILL IN THE BLANK BRAND] owners get so personally invested in everyone else doing poorly. I've never been brand loyal - maybe it's just me.

I agree with most of this, including Ford seeming to have their electric act together better than GM.

But Ford's success will be driven (or not) by their electric F150-style truck line, not the mustang. If they nail the lightning program, that's what will save their market share.

 

[Doc Brown]

I test drove a Mach-E before we bought our Model 3, that was 6 months ago. I came in with a bias against it for how it handled and the cheap feeling interior. It was just something about the ride and feel of the SUV that was not very appealing.
I had been in a Tesla Model 3 that a friend has, before the Ford test drive, and liked it a lot, so a bias was planted.
Mach-E, I suppose I could live with it, but now, after owning and driving 5K miles in our Model 3, I know, for me and my wife, we made the right decision.
If I had the money,probably a lot here do, I would be thinking about Lucid..have not even seen one, but sure looks good. Too rich for my blood though.
Happy with our Model 3? Yes!

cars from the past...Audi 90s, A4. Q5, TTS, and a lot of others before that. Only the 2017 TTS handled better.

Interesting - and everyone has their perosnal preferences and, I guess, biases. We drove the MY and MX before ordering both - but never took delivery (long story about Tesla treating me poorly). I still own lots of Teslas - but you can't drive them - I just watch them in my investment accounts.

My wife ended up with an eTron (which she loves) - and I've come to look at Tesla interiors (M3 and My) as "cheap feeling". Again - I guess it's real just personal taste and preference. The eTron seats are outstanding.

I checked out the Lucid "showroom" in Irvine when I was visiting my youngest at school in Irvine. Really nice car. There is quite a bit of money in this market segment - so no shortage of companies testing the limits of financial tolerance in the BEV market.

Anyway - I'm taking a second ride in both the Ioniq 5 and EV 6 tomorrow - I just might buy one to retire my "new" F-150.

Cheers - enjoy the weekend.