Mustang Mach-E Gets Great Reviews = Model 3 Challenger

[chinney]

I finally saw my first Mach E in real life yesterday. It certainly took a while - maybe they have not filled very many orders into Canada yet. Of course, I had seen many online pictures and a number of videos, but seeing one on the street can be somewhat different. And, after seeing it, my own view is that…it is plug ugly.

This not to say anything against the way that it drives - on which I have seen quite positive reviews. I am a long-time Ford guy, and I have always very much liked they way that their products feel and handle on the road. I don’t doubt that Ford have brought their abilities in this regard to the Mach E. Nor do I have any doubt that they are serious about electric vehicle technology: everything I have read indicates that they are, although I do think that, like other traditional manufactures, they are still playing catch-up to Tesla.

My comment here is solely about its visual appeal. I am not a fan of SUVs in general. I should clarify that I have been a Ford car guy - I have never owned, or wanted to own, one of their SUVs or trucks (which means that I probably will never own a Ford again, given the decisions that Ford has made about cars). Even at that, I think that the Mach E is a particularly ugly SUV. The vehicle is squat; ponderous; big looking from the outside, but looks surprisingly cramped inside; it has bizarrely tacked on, and unconvincing, ‘Mustang’ design cues mixed with phoney-looking futuristic elements. Ack.

I would acknowledge that, based on the general commentary that I have seen, my take on the design seems to be a distinct minority viewpoint. But that is the way that I see it.

 

[mark95476]

Unfortunately, things have changed with Tesla. There's no escaping a comparison to Tesla when talking vehicles.

Those slower clunkier EVs are expensive compared to their faster and arguably better gasser equivalents.

Which is all that's needed. Ford isn't dumb. The slower clunkier vehicle right now seems like the EV to get and its working.

 

[El joe]

Amazingly I still haven't seen one yet. I've watched dozens of reviews though and most of them love the looks. The only real complaint I've seen centers around the charging experience -- third-party network issues and the drastic taper after 80%.

 

[texas_star_TM3]

305 miles max range on California route 1 which is RWD only doesnt get me excited when the Model Y AWD is rated 326 miles ... Not a deal breaker but also not a competitive advantage especially given the slower max charging speed of the mach E

 

[alexgr]

I have been driving EVs since 2012, I have driven the car around 2/3 of the USA, I have never encountered coal rolling or any other animosity towards EVs. most people love to ask questions about owning the car and are quite interested in my experiences with the EVs.
if you being harassed in your model 3 maybe it isn't the fact that it is an EV.

So, I guess, you are the one of people who will blame the rape victim.

By the way, I visited the SC today for the first time in 2 years of owning a Tesla, and I took the Model Y for a drive. In brief, MY is MUCH bigger in the back, it is a LOT quieter than my 19 M3, but it is noticeably more wobbly on the road and less accurate in responding to the steering wheel. Basically, if you LIKE to drive - take a Model 3, and if you NEED an SUV - take a Model Y. Regarding SUVs, my vehicle is the Acura MDX, and I should say that the Model Y would be a very serious contender even if both run on the same type of fuel. Based on my experience sitting (not yet driving) the Mach-E, it is a vehicle in a lower league even though with some materials it pretends to be a more sophisticated creature similar to some Korean cars. As in Hyundais and Kias, some design compromises and hard plastic reveal the truth.

 

[Candleflame]

I'm sure dealers were required to install charging stations and special equipment to service.

If they were smart, they would have installed a few in the "front lot" and made them accessible to customers 24/7. A lot of Ford dealerships out there. At least they would have their own version of supercharger network, something that is required to have a "useable" EV.

too expensive for the dealerships

 

[kindofblue]

So, I guess, you are the one of people who will blame the rape victim.

By the way, I visited the SC today for the first time in 2 years of owning a Tesla, and I took the Model Y for a drive. In brief, MY is MUCH bigger in the back, it is a LOT quieter than my 19 M3, but it is noticeably more wobbly on the road and less accurate in responding to the steering wheel. Basically, if you LIKE to drive - take a Model 3, and if you NEED an SUV - take a Model Y. Regarding SUVs, my vehicle is the Acura MDX, and I should say that the Model Y would be a very serious contender even if both run on the same type of fuel. Based on my experience sitting (not yet driving) the Mach-E, it is a vehicle in a lower league even though with some materials it pretends to be a more sophisticated creature similar to some Korean cars. As in Hyundais and Kias, some design compromises and hard plastic reveal the truth.

After test driving a Mach e LR AWD on Wed, I would beg to differ. The quality of the fit and finish and interior are first rate and the driving experience is much more engaging compared to our MYLR. I found it has a much better road feel compared to our MYLR and is simply more fun to drive. It's a blast really.

That's why I ordered a Mach e Premium AWD (grabber blue no less) to replace Shannon's 2017 Volt as our second BEV.

Yes the EPA range isn't that of the MYLR but it's been pretty well documented that Tesla overstates its range while others, including Ford, understate theirs.

 

[voxel]

After test driving a Mach e LR AWD on Wed, I would beg to differ. The quality of the fit and finish and interior are first rate and the driving experience is much more engaging compared to our MYLR. I found it has a much better road feel compared to our MYLR and is simply more fun to drive. It's a blast really.

That's why I ordered a Mach e Premium AWD (grabber blue no less) to replace Shannon's 2017 Volt as our second BEV.

Yes the EPA range isn't that of the MYLR but it's been pretty well documented that Tesla overstates its range while others, including Ford, understate theirs.

Totally agree the MME is more engaging to drive. It’s still a terrible road trip EV because of the charging fall off after 80%. Ford throttled the charging speed to 9 kW. Supposedly there is an fix via dealer update but that’s only available for pre July 2021 builds and those builds don’t have BlueCruise.

Both the MYLR and MME have firm suspensions that I’m not a huge fan of. I recently bought a RAV4 Prime and wonder if I could return back to MME/MYLR ride comfort levels (have orders for both still in progress). Will be looking at an Ioniq 5 in two weeks just to see if rides like the ID.4 (which was far more comfortable than both the MME and MYLR).

 

[BooMan]

Totally agree the MME is more engaging to drive. It’s still a terrible road trip EV because of the charging fall off after 80%. Ford throttled the charging speed to 9 kW. Supposedly there is an fix via dealer update but that’s only available for pre July 2021 builds and those builds don’t have BlueCruise.

Both the MYLR and MME have firm suspensions that I’m not a huge fan of. I recently bought a RAV4 Prime and wonder if I could return back to MME/MYLR ride comfort levels (have orders for both still in progress). Will be looking at an Ioniq 5 in two weeks just to see if rides like the ID.4 (which was far more comfortable than both the MME and MYLR).

Not a fan of CUVs thus not really into MachE, Model Y, or any of that boring form factor. BUT, I have to question your logic on road-trip charging. Who charges post 80% on a road trip? I mean I agree it sucks that Ford throttle charging past 80% but A) most EVs do that to varying degrees (fords throttling is extreme though) and b) unless it’s an unusual circumstance I can’t imagine ever waiting to change past 80% on a road trip anyway. Why bother ? I mean if I happen to be taking a really long pre planned break I guess why not but maybe it’s me but I don’t tend to take hr long plus breaks when I road-trip . The longest is maybe 30min tops -and that’s only with my Tesla (to charge up to 80) as in my ice road-trips at most a stop (even snaking, using potty, and walking dog) shouldn’t take more than 10-15 min max. Thus there are not too many scenarios where I see people waiting to charge over 80% with any EV. And yes, I understand in some parts of the country you may need a deeper charge to make to next charging station but you should probably consider ice for those situations until the infra is built out ..IMHO

 

[voxel]

Not a fan of CUVs thus not really into MachE, Model Y, or any of that boring form factor. BUT, I have to question your logic on road-trip charging. Who charges post 80% on a road trip? I mean I agree it sucks that Ford throttle charging past 80% but A) most EVs do that to varying degrees (fords throttling is extreme though) and b) unless it’s an unusual circumstance I can’t imagine ever waiting to change past 80% on a road trip anyway. Why bother ? I mean if I happen to be taking a really long pre planned break I guess why not but maybe it’s me but I don’t tend to take hr long plus breaks when I road-trip . The longest is maybe 30min tops -and that’s only with my Tesla (to charge up to 80) as in my ice road-trips at most a stop (even snaking, using potty, and walking dog) shouldn’t take more than 10-15 min max. Thus there are not too many scenarios where I see people waiting to charge over 80% with any EV. And yes, I understand in some parts of the country you may need a deeper charge to make to next charging station but you should probably consider ice for those situations until the infra is built out ..IMHO

I agree on the ICE comment hence why I traded the Mach-E for a RAV4 Prime and get 500 gas miles and 42 EV miles. I argue the EV mode of the Prime is a better daily driver experience than the MME and Y because of the softer ride.

With Electrify America chargers so spread out (I.e FL where they can be 80-90 miles apart) it is best to charge as much as possible up until a cost-benefit point (on MME anything above 80% is not worth waiting for). When I owned by Tesla and found Superchargers plentiful I rarely charged past 70% (it was more for a rest stop and quick charge).

 

[StealthP3D]

After test driving a Mach e LR AWD on Wed, I would beg to differ. The quality of the fit and finish and interior are first rate and the driving experience is much more engaging compared to our MYLR. I found it has a much better road feel compared to our MYLR and is simply more fun to drive. It's a blast really.

I'm afraid that calling the Mach-e "more engaging" to drive than the Model Y is just another way of saying it's more of handful to keep in control, even before the corner speeds get very high. The skinny tires and wheels on the Mach-e don't have nearly the grip of even the lowest cost 19" Model Y wheel/tire combo and that makes the Model Y more composed. Said another way, on a twisty track the Model Y would crush the Mach-e and that is true even if both cars were somehow normalized to the same power outputs.

Even if I could live with those deficiencies over the Model Y, I could not live with the way maximum output of the Mach-e is reduced after only 5 seconds or less.

I'm not criticizing your personal preference of the Mach-e over the Model Y, simply pointing out that "more engaging" doesn't mean sportier or more capable, just that it's not as composed when pushed in the corners. That's not the kind of engagement I search out.

 

[Takumi]

Fast driver, slow car OR slow driver, fast car?

 

[SO16]

I'm afraid that calling the Mach-e "more engaging" to drive than the Model Y is just another way of saying it's more of handful to keep in control, even before the corner speeds get very high. The skinny tires and wheels on the Mach-e don't have nearly the grip of even the lowest cost 19" Model Y wheel/tire combo and that makes the Model Y more composed. Said another way, on a twisty track the Model Y would crush the Mach-e and that is true even if both cars were somehow normalized to the same power outputs.

Even if I could live with those deficiencies over the Model Y, I could not live with the way maximum output of the Mach-e is reduced after only 5 seconds or less.

I'm not criticizing your personal preference of the Mach-e over the Model Y, simply pointing out that "more engaging" doesn't mean sportier or more capable, just that it's not as composed when pushed in the corners. That's not the kind of engagement I search out.

Exactly.

 

[kindofblue]

I'm afraid that calling the Mach-e "more engaging" to drive than the Model Y is just another way of saying it's more of handful to keep in control, even before the corner speeds get very high. The skinny tires and wheels on the Mach-e don't have nearly the grip of even the lowest cost 19" Model Y wheel/tire combo and that makes the Model Y more composed. Said another way, on a twisty track the Model Y would crush the Mach-e and that is true even if both cars were somehow normalized to the same power outputs.

Even if I could live with those deficiencies over the Model Y, I could not live with the way maximum output of the Mach-e is reduced after only 5 seconds or less.

I'm not criticizing your personal preference of the Mach-e over the Model Y, simply pointing out that "more engaging" doesn't mean sportier or more capable, just that it's not as composed when pushed in the corners. That's not the kind of engagement I search out.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. I think the Mach e has more road feel. And you'll note I also have a MYLR.

 

[SO16]

We'll just have to agree to disagree. I think the Mach e has more road feel. And you'll note I also have a MYLR.

That’s cool.

I wonder how well the Mach E would do in this situation given how poorly it does in the moose test.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1480244538320900099

 

[kindofblue]

That’s cool.

I wonder how well the Mach E would do in this situation given how poorly it does in the moose test.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1480244538320900099

The moose test is now how someone would actually try to avoid a moose What Is the Moose Test? - Car Reviews and Tips

In reality the safest way to avoid hitting a moose is to be alert as you drive and anticipate critters coming across the road, especially at dawn and dusk. And if one does suddenly "appear" you would lessen the impact by slamming on your ABS brakes.

 

[SO16]

The moose test is now how someone would actually try to avoid a moose What Is the Moose Test? - Car Reviews and Tips

In reality the safest way to avoid hitting a moose is to be alert as you drive and anticipate critters coming across the road, especially at dawn and dusk. And if one does suddenly "appear" you would lessen the impact by slamming on your ABS brakes.

That video of the model Y in that tweet was not trying to avoid a moose. But it mirrored the test pretty closely. Albeit not quite as dramatic.

 

[kindofblue]

That video of the model Y in that tweet was not trying to avoid a moose.

Ah, hadn't actually looked at the video in the link. That certainly was a quick reaction time on the part of the driver.

 

[SO16]

Ah, hadn't actually looked at the video in the link. That certainly was a quick reaction time on the part of the driver.

Yes. I doubt I could have pulled that off.

 

[kindofblue]

Yes. I doubt I could have pulled that off.

Having been a US Cycling Moto Ref for several years (cat B) and riding motorcycles for 10 years I've learned some good habits of defensive driving. Chatting with a moto cop one time (they are the most skilled riders) he said something that stuck with me. The most important safety feature when riding is between your two ears.