Test drove the Model Y, Model 3 and the Mach E back to back to back, yesterday

[gt2690b]

I'm aware.. Only if wireless carplay.. plugging my phone in Everytime I get in the car is a lame hack

I find it useful in rental cars but rarely use it in my car that has it

Do you guys use the share location on phone to Tesla app? I find that way more useful than carplay maps

 

[Cobe]

@AlamoX - oh, I wasn't arguing... just surprised that any other seats would win by comparison. I watched a video "interview" of Elon Musk by Sandy Munro where Sandy stated that most of the auto manufacturers hire out the seat manufacturing but Tesla does their own... Sandy was very impressed with the seats. Elon claimed they went through many iterations to ensure there were no points of pressure from the seat. I think they're dream seats. maybe I need to go test drive a Mach-E

I have to enjoy Elon Musk's honesty in the difficulty of moving from prototype to mass production. He described their original seats (model 3?) as a stone toadstool. He admits it took focus on all the small stuff to make improvements, and they are still in that mode on paint and seam fits. I appreciate all of you as I am learning so much. Thank you.

 

[mrwug]

they are still in that mode on paint and seam fits

I suspect that they're looking for significant improvements with the cast body parts. Stacking errors in the welded parts probably wreak havoc with body tolerances.

 

[kindofblue]

Here's a link to my impressions and conclusion in this other thread: Mustang Mach-E Gets Great Reviews = Model 3 Challenger

 

[tomagucci]

I have to enjoy Elon Musk's honesty in the difficulty of moving from prototype to mass production. He described their original seats (model 3?) as a stone toadstool. He admits it took focus on all the small stuff to make improvements, and they are still in that mode on paint and seam fits. I appreciate all of you as I am learning so much. Thank you.

In general Elon uses honesty only when it makes him look good.

Here for instance he says that the original seats were bad only because the new ones are so much better, so buy a new one! Notice how he's not talking about anything bad that can't be improved.

 

[TBrownTX]

Do you guys use the share location on phone to Tesla app? I find that way more useful than carplay maps

I do and it works great. If we can just get Apple Music integration I'll be a happy camper!

Tim

 

[dfwatt]

We are looking for a new car for my wife. We decided to buy our first EV. We visited our daughter and and we’re able to test drive both Teslas while there. On our the way home we were able to stop at a Ford dealer who had a Mach E available for test drives.

We drove the model Y first, white with black interior. We then drove the model 3, Blue with white interior. She mainly drove them, but I did get a chance to drive both on the way back to the dealer. My car history is heavy on performance. Multiple BMW M cars and pure gas guzzling sports cars (Dodge Viper ACR, etc.). I love the tech of the EVs as well as the insane straight line power. I was curious about the handling/cornering. I was pleasantly surprised by the Teslas. Obviously the Model 3 handled better than the Model Y due to the sedan vs SUV aspect. We liked how both rode, drove and handled. We also loved the tech loaded into both. The center screens are large and bright. They are integrated into the dash well (to the eye). The software was quick and relatively intuitive (especially if you use a smartphone/IPad). The interiors are clean and sleek, as everyone already knows.

The Mach E was black with black interior. It was the AWD version. The interior is more traditional with the drivers cluster and more switches and knobs. The center screen is in portrait orientation. It sadly looks like they glued an IPad to the dashboard. It just stuck out visually (something my wife also noted. The seats in the Mach E were the most comfortable. Rear legroom was surprisingly ample. The trunk/hatch was minuscule compared to the Model Y. We have a daughter who uses a wheelchair, so we gauge adequate truck/rear space by the ability to put the chair in. The Y, no problem putting the chair in upright. The Model 3 on its side. The Mach E we would have to remove the wheels and collapse the chair. I had more rear space in my M6. Driving/handling/ride of the Mach E was very comparable to the two Teslas. I fully understand that these cars won’t handle like a Viper, but they are pleasant to drive. The acceleration of the Mach E was anemic. Both Teslas destroy it in that department. The outside aesthetics go to the Mach E, IMO. It is a damn nice looking car. Not that the Y or 3 is ugly, just different. They definitely were using the lines of the Mustang to attract traditionalists. They got that one correct.

It was great to be able to drive these on the same day all in a row. In all honesty I was leaning towards the Mustang (especially with all of the hype and reviews), so much so that I had a deposit on one. And remember, I have no brand loyalty or predisposition to any maker. Well, this morning I contacted the dealer about getting a refund. Once that happens and my wife is ready we will be ordering a LR Model Y for her.

A side note, I wanted to sit in a Model S to see what the seat position is liked and there were none on the lot. Once my lease is up in a year I will most likely be getting the S. I’ll wait until later in the year for the Plaid version to be on the lot to drive and then decide between it and the + version.

I've been looking at options for a crossover type Eevee for my daughter and her family. Every dealership that I went to to look at the mach E had a surcharge which several of them euphemistically termed "Market adjustment"instead of dealer ripoff. What a turn off. Then there's it's absolutely anemic performance. Anybody looking at the Mach E should look at Sandy Munro's teardown. Not a vote of confidence there either. After all those negative chits so to speak piled in, I decided against that as an option.

 

[gt2690b]

I do and it works great. If we can just get Apple Music integration I'll be a happy camper!

Tim

I switched to Spotify years ago and never looked back

 

[thesmokingman]

I've been looking at options for a crossover type Eevee for my daughter and her family. Every dealership that I went to to look at the mach E had a surcharge which several of them euphemistically termed "Market adjustment"instead of dealer ripoff. What a turn off. Then there's it's absolutely anemic performance. Anybody looking at the Mach E should look at Sandy Munro's teardown. Not a vote of confidence there either. After all those negative chits so to speak piled in, I decided against that as an option.

Look at a used BMW i3s and it only goes to 93mph max so its perfect. I would never buy one new as the msrp is ridonkulous but used it's not bad for around 25K give or take, though I'm not sure in this crazy market atm. If Tesla doesn't come out with their 25k-30K option by then the fallback is an i3s.

 

[kindofblue]

I've been looking at options for a crossover type Eevee for my daughter and her family. Every dealership that I went to to look at the mach E had a surcharge which several of them euphemistically termed "Market adjustment"instead of dealer ripoff. What a turn off. Then there's it's absolutely anemic performance. Anybody looking at the Mach E should look at Sandy Munro's teardown. Not a vote of confidence there either. After all those negative chits so to speak piled in, I decided against that as an option.

I agree that paying over MSRP is a non-starter but our local Mullahey Ford doesn't do that. I would disagree on the performance though. But "to each his own" said the old lady as she kissed the cow.

 

[WhiteWi]

We are looking for a new car for my wife. We decided to buy our first EV. We visited our daughter and and we’re able to test drive both Teslas while there. On our the way home we were able to stop at a Ford dealer who had a Mach E available for test drives.

We drove the model Y first, white with black interior. We then drove the model 3, Blue with white interior. She mainly drove them, but I did get a chance to drive both on the way back to the dealer. My car history is heavy on performance. Multiple BMW M cars and pure gas guzzling sports cars (Dodge Viper ACR, etc.). I love the tech of the EVs as well as the insane straight line power. I was curious about the handling/cornering. I was pleasantly surprised by the Teslas. Obviously the Model 3 handled better than the Model Y due to the sedan vs SUV aspect. We liked how both rode, drove and handled. We also loved the tech loaded into both. The center screens are large and bright. They are integrated into the dash well (to the eye). The software was quick and relatively intuitive (especially if you use a smartphone/IPad). The interiors are clean and sleek, as everyone already knows.

The Mach E was black with black interior. It was the AWD version. The interior is more traditional with the drivers cluster and more switches and knobs. The center screen is in portrait orientation. It sadly looks like they glued an IPad to the dashboard. It just stuck out visually (something my wife also noted. The seats in the Mach E were the most comfortable. Rear legroom was surprisingly ample. The trunk/hatch was minuscule compared to the Model Y. We have a daughter who uses a wheelchair, so we gauge adequate truck/rear space by the ability to put the chair in. The Y, no problem putting the chair in upright. The Model 3 on its side. The Mach E we would have to remove the wheels and collapse the chair. I had more rear space in my M6. Driving/handling/ride of the Mach E was very comparable to the two Teslas. I fully understand that these cars won’t handle like a Viper, but they are pleasant to drive. The acceleration of the Mach E was anemic. Both Teslas destroy it in that department. The outside aesthetics go to the Mach E, IMO. It is a damn nice looking car. Not that the Y or 3 is ugly, just different. They definitely were using the lines of the Mustang to attract traditionalists. They got that one correct.

It was great to be able to drive these on the same day all in a row. In all honesty I was leaning towards the Mustang (especially with all of the hype and reviews), so much so that I had a deposit on one. And remember, I have no brand loyalty or predisposition to any maker. Well, this morning I contacted the dealer about getting a refund. Once that happens and my wife is ready we will be ordering a LR Model Y for her.

A side note, I wanted to sit in a Model S to see what the seat position is liked and there were none on the lot. Once my lease is up in a year I will most likely be getting the S. I’ll wait until later in the year for the Plaid version to be on the lot to drive and then decide between it and the + version.

Great choice and welcome to the club!

 

[MrFC1000]

Thanks for the great write-up. I was in a similar position as you, a long time driver of pretty great and expensive cars, both luxury and sporty. I dipped my toe into Tesla a few years back with a used S. It blew me away. I just a few weeks ago took delivery of a 2022 LR Y to replace the S. You simply won't regret it. I think it's the best vehicle I have ever owned.

There are a few areas that yes, various vehicles handle that area better, but I'm not sure there is a vehicle that can do so much so well. It's as fast and almost as sporty of a ride as anything I've owned, and yet just dwarfs everything else in terms of technology, convenience, utility, roominess, and features. It doesn't handle as well as my old "glued to the road S", but it handles great. No front seats can compare to a LS460, but the Y is really comfortable with it's super soft vegan leather. Road noise and ride quality could be better, but honestly I find the latest Y's to be pretty good in this area.

 

[schulty]

The seats in the Mach E were the most comfortable. Rear legroom was surprisingly ample.

I did a similar thing yesterday, compared a M3 to a Mach E GT... I agree on seat comfort, at least for the GT seats, however I wanted the seat to go back further for me. I am 6'2" and the Mustang ended up being like all other Mustangs... not big enough. I went there really wanting to love the Mach E, but came away fully sold on Tesla. All the more traditional interior cap in the Ford really just took away from the experience IMO. Both myself and my wife both preferred the M3 by a large margin on that front. We can get Ford employee pricing and the $7500 tax credit, and even that is not enough to sway us.

Next step for me is to get behind the wheel of what we will likely order very, very soon, a MYP in MSM

 

[Xdama]

I tried M3, MustangE to drive, went to the launch of the Kia EV6 & toyed with a BMW i4. Honestly for me I’d have gone with the Kia or Ford (apart from the range & not 4wd for the LR version), the BMW got discounted when I saw a review on it & realised it still had a transmission tunnel because its basically a converted ICE. Finally the Tesla won because of delivery dates plus being better range, 4wd & supercharger network. What annoys me with the Tesla is the updates that remove things ie. Regen braking now being fixed not adjustable as it was. That sort of thing never crossed my mind prior to ordering ‍♂.

 

[schulty]

Regen braking now being fixed not adjustable as it was.

IIRC that has two settings now... someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Xdama]

IIRC that has two settings now... someone correct me if I am wrong.

Tried adjusting it earlier, the other 2 settings (as per last software) are still showing but nothing happens when you press them. It just stays on regen which is not great in slippy/icey conditions imo.

 

[kindofblue]

I did a similar thing yesterday, compared a M3 to a Mach E GT... I agree on seat comfort, at least for the GT seats, however I wanted the seat to go back further for me. I am 6'2" and the Mustang ended up being like all other Mustangs... not big enough. I went there really wanting to love the Mach E, but came away fully sold on Tesla. All the more traditional interior cap in the Ford really just took away from the experience IMO. Both myself and my wife both preferred the M3 by a large margin on that front. We can get Ford employee pricing and the $7500 tax credit, and even that is not enough to sway us.

Next step for me is to get behind the wheel of what we will likely order very, very soon, a MYP in MSM

Huh. We just drove one last week and at 6'4" I had plenty of legroom in the driver's seat as well as headroom.

 

[schulty]

Huh. We just drove one last week and at 6'4" I had plenty of legroom in the driver's seat as well as headroom.

Dunno, it just didn't feel like I wanted it to I guess. Maybe I didn't really want to like the Mach E after all

 

[orion2001]

I'm not brand loyal, and rarely bad-mouth a manufacturer. However, both my recent Fords ( 2014 CMax, 2018 Fusion Energi (plug-in) were plagued with electrical issues that no one could solve. Both had parasitic drain that couldn't be found. We liked both cars very much, but changing batteries every 18 months to 2 years is ridiculous.

Mach-E???? Nope.

Hah, that pretty much describes my situation. My 2010 Ford Fusion (stick shift) was my first car I bought at MSRP when I started my first job after grad school (and I bargained the heck out of all the dealers by going with "The Fighting Chance" approach which some here may be familiar with). All my other cars that I have owned have been used cars and yet the Ford is the one I've disliked the most because of all the issues that kept occurring every year or so. And like with you, the electrical system has been the largest issue with the car. I've had to replace burnt out lights far too many times, have had the battery last for a maximum of 2.5 years, and had the wiring harness for my front headlight melt due to electrical issues.

I like the Mach-E as such. My brother bought one and I rode in it recently and it is a fine car. But I just can't bring myself to buy an electric vehicle built by them given all my woes. Maybe in 5-8 years when everyone has a better idea of what they are doing and have ironed out some of the kinks with their cars.

 

[timeshifter]

(and I bargained the heck out of all the dealers by going with "The Fighting Chance" approach which some here may be familiar with).

Yeah, I remember that guy. Bought and used his system back in 2014. Called a few times too and talked to them directly, essentially one guy plus an assistant was the whole company. Crude production quality of the materials, but a great system. Wonder if he's still around.