I was able to test drive a Mach-E Premium RWD in Rapid Red on March 20th. I thought I would share my experience coming from a 2019 Model 3 SR+ RWD Canadian owner.
Exterior.
The front trunk is tiny, has bizarre dividers that make putting in a pizza impossible. Granted, I only use my frunk for food take-out and pretty much nothing else. However, in the Tesla, I can open it remotely with my phone or one touch on the screen. In the Ford, you have to pull a 1980's lever twice from inside the car to get the frunk open.
Fit and Finish
Since this seems like something everything has to mention, I gave the car a quick run-through and noticed the fit and fish is good. I didn't measure gaps because I don't care. I did see exterior plastics were quite scuffed and in places roughed up. The Rapid Red is a super lovely colour, but the brilliant sunshine showed an awful lot of swirl marks. Whoever washed this car did a horrible disservice to the beautiful paint.
Interior
The interior is nice, nothing special, nothing terrible. The front seats are comfortable, but lack side bolsters that would add to the comfort. I love the armrest in my SR+, and I have to say the Mach-E was just OK.
The display behind the steering wheel, for my taste, has excellent resolution but is too close to the steering wheel. When I positioned the steering wheel for my driving position, the display's left and right sides are blocked by the steering wheel itself. I found myself moving my head around to see any important information I might be missing. There seemed to be a weird blue square in front of the vehicle icon, which didn't make much sense.
The larger portrait screen is in the wrong orientation. The software is laggy in comparison to Tesla. There are way too many options for this car, many of them buried in an endless tapping sequence. Did I mention there are way too many on-screen options? The plastic volume knob is a very cheap feeling, in my opinion, not needed. I understand the need for Ford to be different, but sticking on a knob makes no sense to me.
The phone charges worked excellently but are way too far away from the driver, maybe this is a good thing. The open space under the phone chargers is unusable. If you put something in there, you will forget about it and find it when you clean out your car. The accordion-style door under the armrest was near impossible to slide open. I'm sure it needed adjustment, but I felt I was going to break it.
Drive and Performance.
If you're coming from an ICE vehicle, the performance is good. The torque is adequate. The acceleration does appear to pause so slightly when you stomp on the accelerator. It does not throw you back into your seat. If you're coming from a Tesla, you will be disappointed. Well, at least I was. The acceleration and throw-your-neck-back in my SR+ are way more dramatic than the Mach-E. When stomping on the accelerator at 90KM, there is virtually no torque or push. The Tesla is way more fun to drive than the Mach-E. The Mach-E drive is quite good, quieter than my Model 3, and much softer. I consider it a "safe" compromise of comfort and performance. I found the front hood seemed way too big when driving, as I see way more of it than in my Model 3. The Mach-E was at 93% SoC and in unbridled mode for these tests.
Summary
Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic car, does a lot of things right. But with the long list of issues piling up on forums, along with the well documented charging problems, this will be a tough sell to consumers. Given the legacy of the dealership model, including service, it makes me wonder what the demographic this car is aimed at and how a legacy dealership will support this car. The MSRP for this model I test drove is $68,645 CDN or $77,568.85 after taxes and is still sitting on the lot waiting for a new home.
Exterior.
The front trunk is tiny, has bizarre dividers that make putting in a pizza impossible. Granted, I only use my frunk for food take-out and pretty much nothing else. However, in the Tesla, I can open it remotely with my phone or one touch on the screen. In the Ford, you have to pull a 1980's lever twice from inside the car to get the frunk open.
Fit and Finish
Since this seems like something everything has to mention, I gave the car a quick run-through and noticed the fit and fish is good. I didn't measure gaps because I don't care. I did see exterior plastics were quite scuffed and in places roughed up. The Rapid Red is a super lovely colour, but the brilliant sunshine showed an awful lot of swirl marks. Whoever washed this car did a horrible disservice to the beautiful paint.
Interior
The interior is nice, nothing special, nothing terrible. The front seats are comfortable, but lack side bolsters that would add to the comfort. I love the armrest in my SR+, and I have to say the Mach-E was just OK.
The display behind the steering wheel, for my taste, has excellent resolution but is too close to the steering wheel. When I positioned the steering wheel for my driving position, the display's left and right sides are blocked by the steering wheel itself. I found myself moving my head around to see any important information I might be missing. There seemed to be a weird blue square in front of the vehicle icon, which didn't make much sense.
The larger portrait screen is in the wrong orientation. The software is laggy in comparison to Tesla. There are way too many options for this car, many of them buried in an endless tapping sequence. Did I mention there are way too many on-screen options? The plastic volume knob is a very cheap feeling, in my opinion, not needed. I understand the need for Ford to be different, but sticking on a knob makes no sense to me.
The phone charges worked excellently but are way too far away from the driver, maybe this is a good thing. The open space under the phone chargers is unusable. If you put something in there, you will forget about it and find it when you clean out your car. The accordion-style door under the armrest was near impossible to slide open. I'm sure it needed adjustment, but I felt I was going to break it.
Drive and Performance.
If you're coming from an ICE vehicle, the performance is good. The torque is adequate. The acceleration does appear to pause so slightly when you stomp on the accelerator. It does not throw you back into your seat. If you're coming from a Tesla, you will be disappointed. Well, at least I was. The acceleration and throw-your-neck-back in my SR+ are way more dramatic than the Mach-E. When stomping on the accelerator at 90KM, there is virtually no torque or push. The Tesla is way more fun to drive than the Mach-E. The Mach-E drive is quite good, quieter than my Model 3, and much softer. I consider it a "safe" compromise of comfort and performance. I found the front hood seemed way too big when driving, as I see way more of it than in my Model 3. The Mach-E was at 93% SoC and in unbridled mode for these tests.
Summary
Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic car, does a lot of things right. But with the long list of issues piling up on forums, along with the well documented charging problems, this will be a tough sell to consumers. Given the legacy of the dealership model, including service, it makes me wonder what the demographic this car is aimed at and how a legacy dealership will support this car. The MSRP for this model I test drove is $68,645 CDN or $77,568.85 after taxes and is still sitting on the lot waiting for a new home.
