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Why not buy a Mustang Mach-E?

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This is a weird review, as most of first drive reviews for the Mach-E are positive. His comments about getting oversteer and having the tires break free in "everyday turns" in particular are very hard to believe.

I personally couldn't care less about criticism over the Mustang branding, which most reviews seem to spend about 1/2 their space on. Yes, it was an odd marketing decision by Ford. But everybody knows it is not a Mustang. Nobody is going to buy this thing and be confused about why they didn't get a RWD V8 coupe.
 
I hope the Mach E does well, the more EV's the better for all of us. But much remains to be seen. I've owned several Fords and a Ford built in Mexico by Mexican workers, sold and serviced by Ford dealers doesn't fill me with confidence. We'll see once it actually hits the road. I think it will fill a niche for those who want to go electric but want the car to look and feel like the ICE cars they are used to driving, not like a car from the future.

I'm not convinced this isn't just a compliance vehicle, doesn't seem like Ford is all in when it comes to EVs. It seems to me that any legacy car maker who isn't actively manufacturing a line of EVs by 2025 is going to be relegated to an also ran in the marketplace. For legacy manufacturers inertia is a terrible thing. Their lack of vertical integration hurts them in many ways. Tesla certainly leads the pack when it comes to vertical integration, followed by VW, then Toyota, with all the rest far behind. The CEO of Porsche, discussing VW's software issues, said his cars had more than 40 different components purchased from suppliers that had their own computers and softwares, and it was a daunting task to make all that work seamlessly with the vehicle's own software.

The other side of the supplier issue is that the legacy manufacturers outsource all kinds of components, but for the most part they make their own engines in house, they are engine manufacturers. For the legacy automakers to really buy in to electrification, they will have to convert these factories to EV production, simpler to manufacture and more amenable to robotic manufacturing. That means dealing with the UAW, a corrupt organization (earlier this year three UAW presidents were going to prison for corruption). So the US legacy manufacturers have to make the change and still somehow get the approval of the UAW to do it. Not impossible. VW is doing it, and they arguably have a more difficult task since their unions are even more powerful, they hold 50% of the seats on VW's board. But they are begrudgingly going along with the CEO in changing over their factories to the tune of nearly $10 billion USD because he is the one pulling them out of the hole into which VW dug itself with dieselgate. Mercedes says it has eight EVs coming and is converting their factories, BMW says the same, but again time will tell, only VW has actually made the jump.

VW's CEO has said their id.4, a sweet EV that is likely to be very successful in the market, isn't a competitor to Tesla. It's a competitor to the Rav4 and the CRV because that's where the big market lies. They get it. Not sure Ford gets it.

I see the CEO of Toyota, Mr Toyoda, just announced that EVs were being hyped too much. It was part of their launch of the new version of their hydrogen powered Mirai. It's a really nice looking vehicle, built on the same platform as the Lexus LC500. But it has Prius acceleration at about 9 seconds 0-60, so not all that impressive when it comes to performance. He also made the bizarre claim that the hydrogen infrastructure was sufficient. Really? There are currently 43 hydrogen stations in California, 1 in Hawaii, that's sufficient? Toyota certainly isn't all in.
 
I've owned several Fords and a Ford built in Mexico by Mexican workers, sold and serviced by Ford dealers doesn't fill me with confidence.
Should be fair and point out that the quality and Customer Service of Teslas built in the US by US workers, sold and not serviced by the lack of Tesla dealers, also doesn't fill me with confidence.
 
Should be fair and point out that the quality and Customer Service of Teslas built in the US by US workers, sold and not serviced by the lack of Tesla dealers, also doesn't fill me with confidence.

That is true, although my Y only has one trim issue, it shouldn't have any. Interesting that the Shangai built Teslas are #1 in China in build quality. Maybe it's the workers, will see when the Texas and German factories come online with Texan and German workers. :)
 
Just saw few youtube videos on Mach E and wow, the positive reviews.. Now I'm debating whether I should wait for Tesla RWD or just go for Mach E when factoring in the Federal Tax Credit of 7500.
On the other hand, competition is GOOD, it forces Tesla to step up the game and possibly lower the price of Model Y. Besides, that's what Elon wanted in the first place, to usher in a new era of EV and save the planet.
 
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Just saw few youtube videos on Mach E and wow, the positive reviews.. Now I'm debating whether I should wait for Tesla RWD or just go for Mach E when factoring in the Federal Tax Credit of 7500.
On the other hand, competition is GOOD, it forces Tesla to step up the game and possibly lower the price of Model Y. Besides, that's what Elon wanted in the first place, to usher in a new era of EV and save the planet.

I’ll mention that the supercharger network played a HUGE role in my decision for the Tesla. It might not be a factor for you (maybe this will be a second car that’s just lives in town for work or grocery runs and *fun* drives or something), but I still believe the superchargers are more reliable for both uptime and general charging speed, and better well placed. Now of course that might change in the years to come, but for me the supercharger network seemed just too good to pass up.
 
Has anyone done any solid consumption tests on the Mach-E yet? Or, do we have to wait for Teslabjørn?

That would be the deal breaker for me. It already has a rated range significantly lower than the Y. Curious to see what real world efficiency looks like.
 
Has anyone done any solid consumption tests on the Mach-E yet? Or, do we have to wait for Teslabjørn?

That would be the deal breaker for me. It already has a rated range significantly lower than the Y. Curious to see what real world efficiency looks like.
Note that Tesla cars' EPA rating is *inflated* as Tesla does its own testing (Adjustment Factor) trying to milk out additional mileages. See this article - The Adjustment Factor Tesla Uses to Get Its Big EPA Range Numbers.

To all of us Tesla Owners, I have yet to meet a person that got the actual rated range. I'm lucky if I get 80% of the rated range. So as far as range goes, I think the advantage goes to a non-Tesla car assuming similar range. O, don't forget about vampire drain.

Now that was only about the range, Tesla is still much more efficient than Mach E. I believe Mach E uses 37kwh for 100 miles while Model Y uses 27kwh per 100 miles driven. Even with the inflated number and vampire drain, Model Y is still better.

Basically with a full charge, expect similar range between Model Y and Mach E on the long range version, but that's with Mach E having a bigger battery.
 
Interesting to note that Ford obviously has the Model Y to benchmark their latest and greatest offering. Bringing it out without competitive range, performance, FSD, efficiency, battery technology, OTA updates or on the highway charging options seems incomprehensible.

Everybody was saying the biggest threat to Tesla would be when the legacy manufacturers flexed their muscle to get into the EV space. Cannot say that the Mach E raises the bar in any major areas. Biggest competitive advantage they seem to have in the market is the availability of the tax credit, and that could be changed with the new administration.

Pretty much Ford has copied the formula that Tesla originated with 1/2 motors, batteries low in the floor, multiple battery size choices, and a useful frunk where the ICE motors usually go.
 
Because Tesla at this point in time is still at least four or five years ahead in battery technology and infrastructure. Manufacturers like Ford, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes have made an impressive impact but they're nowhere near where Tesla is today. Don't get me started on the infrastructure. Once we start seeing V3 superchargers become available at more locations, Tesla will dominate the electric game.

Keep in mind, this is a company that's 10 years old and sold more Model 3's than BMW sold 3 series. Impressive feat.
 
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If you are a Tesla owner who has ever wondered why Tesla's factory finish and customer service aren't better, or why Elon thinks $10,000 is a reasonable price to add on FSD, you should be rooting very hard for the Mach-E. If you've ever wondered why there aren't more charging stations across the country, you should be rooting very hard for the Mach-E. The better this car sells, the better the car company Tesla will have to be. You won't ever have to go near one or buy a non-Tesla EV to benefit from its success.