pr0t0c0l_dr01d
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2021
- Threads
- 20
- Messages
- 157
- Reaction score
- 263
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Vehicles
- 2024 Mustang Mach E GTPE
- Thread starter
- #1
I’ve owned my mach E for 6 months and I’ve put 7500 miles on it. Let me start by saying I love this car and my goal is to have @Ford Motor Company notice this post and improve a vehicle that I consider to be an absolutely brilliant freshman EV effort. I will not go back to ICE - the instant electric power and torque is like a drug and I love it, but this car does have some pretty significant problems and I hope I can make my tiny voice count.
I am not a Tesla-basher. I’ve driven a model 3 and it also was a terrific experience. The build quality wasn’t awesome, and Tesla’s reputation for cheap interior quality is deserved from what I can see. I’m sure Tesla will get their manufacturing game straightened out. But I should point out that some of the things I dislike about my Mach E are things Ford copied from Tesla.
Here are my gripes, from smallest to largest:
The charging port door is wonky. I like that they didn’t pull a Rivian and waste time and money developing a gimmicky automatic door, but it’s actually quite annoying to open and close the charge port.
The sound of the door closing is cheap. I know I know, minor gripe, but it doesn’t have that satisfying muted thud of a more premium car. It sounds like a door slamming. I remember reading an article years back about how they worked hard to make the Focus RS door closing sound premium and I don’t think they bothered with the Mach E. This is a Mach E select, but it was still 50 grand.
There is a buzz in the interior where the plastic meets the center console. Again, 50K car, there should be no buzzes or rattles. Where were Ford’s sound engineers on this one?
The door buttons. Nobody needs these. Give me a regular, grabbable door handle like on my Expedition any day of the week. I really dislike these needless electronic gizmos that people need to figure out to get into my car.
The heated seats are too hot. At maximum, they are unbearable after only a few minutes. EV makers actually recommend that you use heated seats instead of HVAC system to keep warm, in order to increase the range.. Sorry, consumers don’t want to hear stuff like this.
The pedestrian speaker in reverse. This is an annoyance. In fact, thanks to the speaker, I wake up my wife when I leave the house early for work. I’d be able to glide away noiselessly if it weren’t for this needless enhancement.
The center console screen is TOO BIG. This is a nod to Tesla that nobody needs. The heated seat and HVAC controls do NOT need to be part of the central screen, and I really dislike how the screen pokes up and blocks the really nice dashboard in this thing. It would be better about 3/4 of the current size IMHO. Currently, it’s so big that the lower left corner actually pokes my knee while im driving and that is supremely annoying.
The lower tray - I hate this thing. It hurts my shin while I’m driving and it really should angle my phone toward me. The leg area of the interior needs to be completely rethought. The Polestar2 has a brilliant-looking leg area - nothing for your legs to hit while driving.
Appearance - the Mach E Has what I like to call a reverse mullet - party in the front, business in the back. It looks absolutely terrific from the front. And while it has grown on me since I bought it - the back needs work. The stance is also kind of wrong - it needs to be lower, and the wheels need to match the wheel arches better. I’m also annoyed that Ford makes you buy a GT to get the glowing Mustang logo. Throw me a bone here would you?
The software - again, don’t copy Tesla. I don’t care about games. Instead, let’s get Apple and Google to make CarPlay and Android Auto more useful. Why can’t I use the Netflix app in CarPlay when my car is stopped? I don’t need auto companies coming up with their own subscription based entertainment options. And I sure as heck will get the pitchforks out if they ever charge me a monthly fee to use my heated seats a la Toyota.
And finally, the biggie. The ride is atrocious. I live in New England, where the frost heaves and plows make the roads a bit of a nightmare. I’ve never ridden in a car that makes me feel the road imperfections like this one. I’ve said in another forum, it’s like taking kidney punches. Maybe the magnaride in the GT is better than the suspension in the Select, but I’d need to spend 20 grand more to get myself into a GT (And lose out on a sizable Massachusetts rebate incentive in the process). On the highway this thing is a dream. I effortlessly float around the other cars. The acceleration is beautiful - it’s like being the wind itself. Seriously. But in my town, where I spend most of my time shuttling my kids around to school and sports - it’s bad. All I can think of is James May on Top Gear bitching about how ride firmness has ruined many modern sports cars, and he’s right. These EV’s need more active suspension modes for real-world conditions. I know this is a performance car, but I’ve never felt discomfort like this in a vehicle and it actually interferes with my driving at times.
I have other gripes, but I’ll stop there for now.
ALL OF THAT BEING SAID
I have no plans to get rid of this car anytime soon. It’s only a Select AWD with 266 HP, and the acceleration feels blistering. I leave my street, and look down at my speedo and I’m breaking the law before I can even check my speed. AWD is fabulous in the snow. It’s absurdly fun to drive and I can’t wait to see what Ford does to improve it. But improve it they must, and I hope like hell they don’t just try to copy Tesla while doing it. I don’t need video games or AI or intelligent door latches that freeze in the winter and piss me off. I’m a New England Dad who always loved Mustangs but couldn’t justify buying a RWD monster-machine pleasure craft that can’t go anywhere in the snow. This car solves all of that.
I think the whole EV industry needs a revolution in battery chemistry and tech in order to become truly viable. The range is still too short, the battery pack is way too heavy, and too much impacted by cold weather, and charging infrastructure presents some significant hurdles to success. We have a ways to go yet.
I am not a Tesla-basher. I’ve driven a model 3 and it also was a terrific experience. The build quality wasn’t awesome, and Tesla’s reputation for cheap interior quality is deserved from what I can see. I’m sure Tesla will get their manufacturing game straightened out. But I should point out that some of the things I dislike about my Mach E are things Ford copied from Tesla.
Here are my gripes, from smallest to largest:
The charging port door is wonky. I like that they didn’t pull a Rivian and waste time and money developing a gimmicky automatic door, but it’s actually quite annoying to open and close the charge port.
The sound of the door closing is cheap. I know I know, minor gripe, but it doesn’t have that satisfying muted thud of a more premium car. It sounds like a door slamming. I remember reading an article years back about how they worked hard to make the Focus RS door closing sound premium and I don’t think they bothered with the Mach E. This is a Mach E select, but it was still 50 grand.
There is a buzz in the interior where the plastic meets the center console. Again, 50K car, there should be no buzzes or rattles. Where were Ford’s sound engineers on this one?
The door buttons. Nobody needs these. Give me a regular, grabbable door handle like on my Expedition any day of the week. I really dislike these needless electronic gizmos that people need to figure out to get into my car.
The heated seats are too hot. At maximum, they are unbearable after only a few minutes. EV makers actually recommend that you use heated seats instead of HVAC system to keep warm, in order to increase the range.. Sorry, consumers don’t want to hear stuff like this.
The pedestrian speaker in reverse. This is an annoyance. In fact, thanks to the speaker, I wake up my wife when I leave the house early for work. I’d be able to glide away noiselessly if it weren’t for this needless enhancement.
The center console screen is TOO BIG. This is a nod to Tesla that nobody needs. The heated seat and HVAC controls do NOT need to be part of the central screen, and I really dislike how the screen pokes up and blocks the really nice dashboard in this thing. It would be better about 3/4 of the current size IMHO. Currently, it’s so big that the lower left corner actually pokes my knee while im driving and that is supremely annoying.
The lower tray - I hate this thing. It hurts my shin while I’m driving and it really should angle my phone toward me. The leg area of the interior needs to be completely rethought. The Polestar2 has a brilliant-looking leg area - nothing for your legs to hit while driving.
Appearance - the Mach E Has what I like to call a reverse mullet - party in the front, business in the back. It looks absolutely terrific from the front. And while it has grown on me since I bought it - the back needs work. The stance is also kind of wrong - it needs to be lower, and the wheels need to match the wheel arches better. I’m also annoyed that Ford makes you buy a GT to get the glowing Mustang logo. Throw me a bone here would you?
The software - again, don’t copy Tesla. I don’t care about games. Instead, let’s get Apple and Google to make CarPlay and Android Auto more useful. Why can’t I use the Netflix app in CarPlay when my car is stopped? I don’t need auto companies coming up with their own subscription based entertainment options. And I sure as heck will get the pitchforks out if they ever charge me a monthly fee to use my heated seats a la Toyota.
And finally, the biggie. The ride is atrocious. I live in New England, where the frost heaves and plows make the roads a bit of a nightmare. I’ve never ridden in a car that makes me feel the road imperfections like this one. I’ve said in another forum, it’s like taking kidney punches. Maybe the magnaride in the GT is better than the suspension in the Select, but I’d need to spend 20 grand more to get myself into a GT (And lose out on a sizable Massachusetts rebate incentive in the process). On the highway this thing is a dream. I effortlessly float around the other cars. The acceleration is beautiful - it’s like being the wind itself. Seriously. But in my town, where I spend most of my time shuttling my kids around to school and sports - it’s bad. All I can think of is James May on Top Gear bitching about how ride firmness has ruined many modern sports cars, and he’s right. These EV’s need more active suspension modes for real-world conditions. I know this is a performance car, but I’ve never felt discomfort like this in a vehicle and it actually interferes with my driving at times.
I have other gripes, but I’ll stop there for now.
ALL OF THAT BEING SAID
I have no plans to get rid of this car anytime soon. It’s only a Select AWD with 266 HP, and the acceleration feels blistering. I leave my street, and look down at my speedo and I’m breaking the law before I can even check my speed. AWD is fabulous in the snow. It’s absurdly fun to drive and I can’t wait to see what Ford does to improve it. But improve it they must, and I hope like hell they don’t just try to copy Tesla while doing it. I don’t need video games or AI or intelligent door latches that freeze in the winter and piss me off. I’m a New England Dad who always loved Mustangs but couldn’t justify buying a RWD monster-machine pleasure craft that can’t go anywhere in the snow. This car solves all of that.
I think the whole EV industry needs a revolution in battery chemistry and tech in order to become truly viable. The range is still too short, the battery pack is way too heavy, and too much impacted by cold weather, and charging infrastructure presents some significant hurdles to success. We have a ways to go yet.
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