Mach E in the wild

[Lukez]

Spotted this guy in the wild today. Haven't looked over all the details of the photos but one thing I noticed right away was no door handles!

Please do not reuse these photos for your own publications without credit.
Thanks

 

[Lukez]

 

[MXLRplus]

Not a Test Mule, a CTF - Captured Test Fleet Car (see MFR plate) Before a major MFR releases a car, they produce 50-500 and have employees drive them.

Great catch. I remember catching a Blue Devil (prototype 2009 ZR1) mule and it was loaded with datalogging equipment, in 2006?

 

[MXLRplus]

I must hand it to them. With the possible exception of the i-Miev that is perhaps the ugliest body ever fitted to a EV. A True Aztek in the making.

 

[Billyk24]

4000 of these are being produced prior to "production" models.

 

[Lukez]

Ya the shape was way more bubbly then I expected!

 

[bons]

Aesthetically questionable...

 

[MXLRplus]

4000 of these are being produced prior to "production" models.

Wow. When you consider they all get scrapped, that's a lot of cars.

 

[bons]

Wow. When you consider they all get scrapped, that's a lot of cars.

Does Tesla do this as well? I mean for the semi we saw 2? cybertruck, 1?

 

[Billyk24]

When you consider they all get scrapped,----that may not be true in this case.

 

[MXLRplus]

Does Tesla do this as well? I mean for the semi we saw 2? cybertruck, 1?

The mainstream automakers tend to scrap their CTF cars because usually there are a few changes between CTF and SN00001. It's a warranty and liability problem.

Does Tesla? I do not know.

 

[totoro722]

I think it looks pretty good.

 

[MXLRplus]

When you consider they all get scrapped,----that may not be true in this case.

We will see when the VIN numbers are assigned for the retail cars. I know Jaguar did not sell the I-Paces that were CTF.

 

[silverelan]

That's a good looking alternative to the Model Y. Skinny tires though makes me question its handling and stop/go performance.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Other than the tail lights, you could pretty much put any manufacturers badge on that car. It is generic beyond reason..

Could easily be a Hyundai, Kia, Buick, Chevy etc. Blah

 

[tcoombes]

Is that some sort of a door handle in the pillar?

 

[Nakk]

Is that some sort of a door handle in the pillar?

Yep. You push the button to crack the door like the internal door latch on the 3 and the Y. Then you pull it open with that little tab. It's fixed, just a handle to grab.

I think it's a nice looking car. I prefer the Y, but I'm biased because I own a Y. I like the wheels a lot; very nice factory wheels. I like the red better than the red on my Y. I wish our red was metalic. I like the keypad on the door pillar; it would be nice for those times you don't want to carry a key.

On the negative side, that is a tiny, tiny brake rotor. That seems to be a 10" rotor--I compared the rotor to the 19" rim--on a car that weighs 600 pounds more than the Y. (Which has 12" rotors.) I'd be a bit worried about overall driving dynamics if that's all they cared to spend on the brakes. What else did Ford short? 225 wide tires? Well, that's one way they're increasing their range and keeping costs down, but at the cost of driving dynamics. The tires are only H rated for speed, and have 55 pounds lower load capacity than the 104 rated tires on the 19" Y tires. That'll be a 100 pound reduction for the rear axle weight rating and a 200 pound penalty on GVWR compared to the Y--on top of being 600 pounds heavier to begin with. (I know 55x4=220, but there's a 10% penalty for P tires.) I guess we can already assume very limited tow capacity at best. I would have guessed Ford would go with a load rating for the tires of 107 as heavy as the Mach-e is.

I'm really cheering for Ford with this one for several reasons. First, the more electric cars on the road the faster the public charging infrastructure will grow, not to mention the environmental benefits. Second, the better the Mach-e is the better the Y will become. Elon is nothing if not competitive and he won't stand still for the E to best the Y in any category. If the E GT does 0-60 in 3.5, I'll be looking forward to the update that drives my Y to do it in 3.2. But the brakes and tires on that car don't paint a promising picture for the Mach-e.

 

[ICUDoc]

Doesn't really look like a Mustang to me, but I actually quite like the shape and lines of the thing..

 

[drift]

Doesn't really look like a Mustang to me, but I actually quite like the shape and lines of the thing..

Why the big front end? Can't be good for aero. What did they put under there? It is electric after all.

 

[brinox]

I think it looks almost exactly like all of the youtube reviews and comparisons I've seen. I like its futuristic look but am still on the fence of it being labeled as a "Mustang". I think this is a decently designed EV crossover and would be considering more it if the non-Supercharger charging network was comparable.

That all being said, I definitely think Tesla's offerings don't really compare to anything else on the market currently, in both hardware AND software! In terms of software, I'm referencing VW's ID.3 software shenanigans...