Select AWD 10k review

[BigMach-E]

Prologue:

This is the first car I have ever bought new. I have never looked at a Mustang ICE in admiration, and certainly never thought of owning one.

I generally tend more towards Japanese brands for preconceived (albeit potentially incorrect) assumptions of reliability.

I find vehicle maintenance to be a chore that I'd rather not have to perform myself.

I have never owned an EV. I care about the environment, but not to the exclusion of all else.

When I first saw information about the Mach-E in late 2020, I was definitely very interested. I saw it as an aspirational purchase. I've never bought new because I might not be cheap in other regards, but I've also never wanted to extend myself with a car loan.

I was in a Mazda CX-5 lease that I could walk away from at any time. Mid June 2021 I took a test drive of a Space White Route 1. It was preset with 1PD and speed limit warning, which meant I hated the first 5 min of the drive.

As soon as I turned those off, I was sold within 10 miles. I thought about what exactly I needed, and decided on Shadow Black Select SR, no packages. I didn't want to wait for an order, and the dealer I test drove with had no Selects, and nothing in Shadow Black.

Next closest dealer had what I wanted just arrived on the lot, but in AWD. I thought about it, and talked to the salesperson letting them know that I wouldn't pay ADM. They came back with 5k ADM. I said I could do 2k. They countered with 2.5 k. Settled on 2.25k. Done deal, build month 5/21, bought 6/20/21. Financed at 1.9 for 5 years.

Now for the review:

This car is amazing!?

Pros:

Fast as all get out up to about 70. Can get up to about 92 with little issue. For me, I'm never going to track this car, so it's amazing to be that fast, at this weight.

Ride feel is great in that the car feels sturdy and planted as hell on the road itself. At high speeds the car has a lot of bounce in the cabin, but it's not a deal breaker. It just feels safe in wind (I deal with that a lot (bridges in the Bay Area).

Safety features are great, back up camera is very clear, adaptive cruise control and lane centering is pretty good. Audible park assist is great. I really like the implementation of blind spot monitoring in the car.

Cabin is comfortable, seats are very comfortable, stock audio system is better than passable.

Infotainment system is actually quite nice when you get used to it. Physical controls and push to talk command system is very good.

Cabin is quiet, and decently appointed for a base level model, which I love. I'm big into the idea that I have a lot of power, but not a lot of noise. Last powerful car I owned was a MB S500 that was a money pit, and it was pretty quiet too.

Braking is sure and swift.

All of the tech is great for me. It may be a learning curve for some, but I think it's actually quite intuitive.

Not having to pay for gas or visit a gas station!

Cons:

I was one of the people who had the "Stop Safely Now" message with needing to get HVJB and BECM replaced. 3 weeks of having a virtually brand new car (7 months old) in the shop is pretty close to unacceptable and almost unknown on an ICE.

Charge curve before the major module updates has been slow, and after the updates doesn't peak as high, but on average is much quicker.

Real world range is nowhere close to EPA, but is better in the summer, but I will have more data points later. I've only had one or two dicey range incidents, but I don't really road trip much.

All in all, it's a great car! Would I like to have Blue Cruise, sure, but I also don't need cameras staring me every time I drive. Do I regret not having the Panoramic glass roof? Not really, I'm usually the only person in the car, and I trust solid roofs more structurally. Extended range would be nice, but I can live with what I have.

I intend to drive this car long after the extended warranty expires. It's a great car! If you are thinking about it, and can get one for little to no ADM, do so before the tax credit runs out!

Sponsored

 

[Socalsp3]

i have ioniq 5 but waiting for my rwd select as well. im concerned about the bouncy ride hopefully my wife wouldn't mind. im more picky about ride quality ill likely stay with my i5 and give her the mme. hope they have sorted out the junction boxes this year

 

[CottonHill]

Good write up! I don’t think the select gets enough love on here, honestly. I’ve, forever, minus a ‘16 Ram Big Horn, never had a car that had the upgraded this or the extra package that. Could never usually afford the “extras” or didn’t want to be car poor just to say I have this or that. While I’ll never understand with cars being so much now that you still can’t get basic things standard (i.e., power folding mirrors, even heated seats), I still love that while I have a base model, it doesn’t necessarily feel like I do. Still, though, for an almost 50k vehicle, I can’t get even those two things standard??

Anyways, outside of the limitations of battery size and range, this is the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. It’s also full circle for me almost. My first car at 17 was a 2001 GT and now at 30 I’m back in a mustang, only electric and 4 doors.

 

[kkriskal]

Thanks for sharing, hardly anyone with the Select shares reviews. Thanks.

 

[BigMach-E]

For me, after seeing all of the reviews, driving a Route 1 as a test drive, and the driving a Premium as a test drive, I knew I didn't need more than the Select. The video reviews of the Select led me to believe it was enough for my use case.

 

[kkriskal]

I have had my SR AWD for only a month now with 1000 miles, I would love to see some more reviews of SR owners who have had it for longer. As of now for me it meets all my requirements including range, will share my feedback after I have owned it for longer and made some out of state trips.

 

[BigMach-E]

Congrats on the car! For me, I don't generally want to drive non stop for more than 2 hours. You just have to be mindful and plan when you are taking longer trips. For a commute car, it's perfect. I think it has just enough range for road trips in California.

 

[Bayviews88]

Thank you for posting a review on your Select AWD! My Select AWD in Dark Matter Grey was picked up on January 5th and it’s been amazing so far through 3500 miles. Only issue is that I have are:

1) the 19” wheels from the Comfort/Appearance Package look great but I think they contribute to my inability to get a full 200+ miles on a charge at freeway speeds (vs 18” wheels std. to the Select).

2) my charging curve drops off at 80% to 13kW. I have a 7/24/21 build Job 2 car, so I’m still waiting for an OTA update to fix this. If there is another way to get this done let me know!

I agree with you @BigMach-E about not wanting to drive more than two hours. I just came back from my first road trip to LA, and the only challenge was the way chargers are spaced out makes it difficult to maximize your distance. Leaving home at 100%, it took me three stops to go the 400 miles to my SoCal destination. I could have done the drive in two stops if there was a higher density of charging stations along Interstate 5. It does give me a pause if I should upgrade to a Premium or Route 1 to get the extended battery.

 

[MacherAWD]

New to the Forum, owned my Select AWD for 5 days now, and LOVING it. I am not new to EVs, had a used 2013 Leaf S for a few years, upgraded that to new 2020 Bolt, but after their battery recall debacle was able to slide into a MachE for only 5k out of pocket. The difference between those cars and the MachE is night and day, those cars were around town commuters, this car will now switch to being our primary (family of 4), with regular road trips of 2+hrs. Loving it.

 

[kkriskal]

Thank you for posting a review on your Select AWD! My Select AWD in Dark Matter Grey was picked up on January 5th and it’s been amazing so far through 3500 miles. Only issue is that I have are:

1) the 19” wheels from the Comfort/Appearance Package look great but I think they contribute to my inability to get a full 200+ miles on a charge at freeway speeds (vs 18” wheels std. to the Select).

2) my charging curve drops off at 80% to 13kW. I have a 7/24/21 build Job 2 car, so I’m still waiting for an OTA update to fix this. If there is another way to get this done let me know!

I agree with you @BigMach-E about not wanting to drive more than two hours. I just came back from my first road trip to LA, and the only challenge was the way chargers are spaced out makes it difficult to maximize your distance. Leaving home at 100%, it took me three stops to go the 400 miles to my SoCal destination. I could have done the drive in two stops if there was a higher density of charging stations along Interstate 5. It does give me a pause if I should upgrade to a Premium or Route 1 to get the extended battery.

I don't have the appearance package so only have the 18" wheels, I do have the tech package. Regarding the charging speed past 80, I am also waiting for the OTA update. I spoke to the dealer and it does Not even show up as a required option for this vehicle because I also have Job 2 so patiently waiting.

 

[kkriskal]

New to the Forum, owned my Select AWD for 5 days now, and LOVING it. I am not new to EVs, had a used 2013 Leaf S for a few years, upgraded that to new 2020 Bolt, but after their battery recall debacle was able to slide into a MachE for only 5k out of pocket. The difference between those cars and the MachE is night and day, those cars were around town commuters, this car will now switch to being our primary (family of 4), with regular road trips of 2+hrs. Loving it.

Congrats, enjoy your Mach E. I also use my Mach E as the primary vehicle for my family.

 

[MooSting]

I am a member of the select Select (only options are AWD and a Cyber Orange) family. I LOVE this car. I was worried about all the bells and whistles I would miss out on - but it ended up not mattering at all.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I am a member of the select Select (only options are AWD and a Cyber Orange) family. I LOVE this car. I was worried about all the bells and whistles I would miss out on - but it ended up not mattering at all.

So happy to hear that you're experience with your Mach-E has been nothing but positive! Thank you for the support.

 

[ckt]

Job 2 SR AWD here, definitely need the charge curve improvement update for past 80%. Since DCFC is sparse in the middle of the states, waiting for it to 80% to 95% just to get to the next DCFC is so slow.

 

[Tngo23]

So happy to hear that you're experience with your Mach-E has been nothing but positive! Thank you for the support.

Good to hear that Ford Reps monitor these forums......

Now, what about the 5 second cut-off on acceleration? THX

Sponsored