Car and Driver: Lightning Platinum 12.7@107mph 1/4mile and 4.0 0-60mph

[Pushrods&Capacitors]

I bought the GTPE purely for the magneride so am going to be in a small camp compared to those getting one for the promise of performance. If nothing can be done then so be it, it is what it is.

My major problem with that is that engineering limitations, the issue is that the GT/GTPE has been in customers hands for nearly a year so we all know by performance metrics it is a turd but Ford are still marketing it on the performance with any mention of the serious limitations buried away in the finest of print that are hard to find which is quite frankly dishonesty of the highest order.

I have certainly enjoyed my GTPE for the reasons I purchased it to the point that I will certainly be getting another EV as my next vehicle purchase with an eye for performance and yet despite owning numerous performance Fords over the years the chances of that next EV purchase being a Ford are currently at 0%

Doesn't matter how good they make the next one sound on paper the GTPE has shown me whatever Ford marketing promise on performance even when taking into account the typical exaggeration you expect from marketing, what engineering actual deliver falls flat on its face.

I will keep an keen eye on how Ford address this GT/GTPE elephant in the room but on current form I suspect the chances of me getting another Ford EV in my future are going to remain at 0% for a very long time.

Amen. And your statement that there is 0% chance that you’ll buy a Ford EV in the future is exactly the problem for Ford I mentioned way back when. When you fail to retain current Ford performance vehicle buyers because of a flaw like the 5 second limit, you sabotage your own Mustang and EV brand. They’ve shot themselves in the foot. Who really trusts the full EV Mustang coupe that’s coming? Maybe it’ll be fine like the Lightning. Or maybe it’ll have some other as yet unknown shortcoming. Who tf knows?

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[Pushrods&Capacitors]

Since this thread is about the Lightning…..

This is stinking impressive: “ But, surprisingly, in our 30–50-mph and 50–70-mph passing tests, the Lightning essentially ties the Rivian (0.1 second quicker in the former, and 0.1 second slower in the latter).”

The Rivian is insane fast and destroys the Mach E GT.

Imagine, what could have been….

 

[generaltso]

Said this before, I’m 47 and clearly remember the 1999 SVT Cobra debacle. Class action suit, recalls, “the fix”, owners finally got their 320 rated HP. Ford had to reflash the ECU, install new “fixed” intake manifolds and exhaust systems.

But that was a published spec that the car couldn't achieve. Is there a similar spec that Ford published for the MME GT that it can't achieve? I'm legitimately asking.

 

[Mach1E]

Amen. And your statement that there is 0% chance that you’ll buy a Ford EV in the future is exactly the problem for Ford I mentioned way back when. When you fail to retain current Ford performance vehicle buyers because of a flaw like the 5 second limit, you sabotage your own Mustang and EV brand. They’ve shot themselves in the foot. Who really trusts the full EV Mustang coupe that’s coming? Maybe it’ll be fine like the Lightning. Or maybe it’ll have some other as yet unknown shortcoming. Who tf knows?

Or maybe they learned from their mistake on the Mach E GT and won’t make that mistake again?

I get that the Lightning has better cooling.

But it also has more horsepower, weighs 1900 lbs more, and needs to be able to tow 10,000 lbs uphill in freezing and blazing temps at high speed.

If the Lightning only needs slightly better cooling to pull all that off with NO power reduction………. They’re sandbagging the crap out of the Mach E GT!

 

[Mach1E]

But that was a published spec that the car couldn't achieve. Is there a similar spec that Ford published for the MME GT that it can't achieve? I'm legitimately asking.

0-60 in 3.5 seconds.

480 hp!!

Not “480hp for only 5 seconds unless it’s cold or hot or low charge or high speed or………”

All those disclaimers came WELL after we ordered and received our first cars.

 

[generaltso]

0-60 in 3.5 seconds.

Assuming that's true, how would more power after 5 seconds help with that?

 

[RetiredDP]

But that was a published spec that the car couldn't achieve. Is there a similar spec that Ford published for the MME GT that it can't achieve? I'm legitimately asking.

GTPE 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.

 

[Psalm139]

Since this thread is about the Lightning…..

This is stinking impressive: “ But, surprisingly, in our 30–50-mph and 50–70-mph passing tests, the Lightning essentially ties the Rivian (0.1 second quicker in the former, and 0.1 second slower in the latter).”

The Rivian is insane fast and destroys the Mach E GT.

The Mach-E GT does 30-50 in 1.5 compared to Rivian's 1.7 and 50-70 (getting weaker this fast) in 2.2 compared to Rivian's 2.1. And faster than the F-150 Lightening.

The F-150 is great but you need to spec it up to at least $75kto get that speed. And that is without many other options as well. I don't think TOO many will try to drag race me and win.

And at that price it certainly has some extra cooling built in. Future MachEs will certainly be quicker with a few updates.

I will support that Ford should have marketed it as having a "boost" feature like the new Genesis GV60 has or many ICE cars have.

 

[SnBGC]

Yes, Ford intentionally wants to piss you off so they're withholding a software fix for the 5 second rule. I know for a fact Jim Farley has your picture on his dartboard.

That, or the fact that the lightning has dual cooling loops on the battery allows it to keep chugging after 5 seconds - which may be why Ford hasn't said anything because it's a hardware limitation that an OTA can't do anything about.

Hard to say which it really is

You are spot on.
The truck has a heck of a cooling system. Much more heat rejection capacity compared to the MME.

 

[buzznwood]

Assuming that's true, how would more power after 5 seconds help with that?

0-60 is not the problem, no vehicle be it ICE or EV which has 480hp accelerates the way the GT/GTPE does at freeway speeds it does however behave like an asthmatic NA ICE one with half the power stuck in top gear unless you happen to meet all the random twilight zone conditions it requires when for the briefest of seconds it remembers to be a 480hp one

If that is peoples idea to quote the marketing of "impressive power" & "blistering acceleration", then I have to question what they are using as a performance benchmark because it certainly is not a performance vehicle.

 

[Mach1E]

Assuming that's true, how would more power after 5 seconds help with that?

It answers your question and is just half the problem to be solved.

But the 5 second limit is an issue for the 2nd part of my post (the 480 hp).

I think you just quoted me before I finished editing my post

 

[ponEpwr]

Ended up going through with the purchase of a GTPE but if there were other options easily available I probably would have went a different direction after the GTPE performance shortcomings.

The BMW i4 looks pretty nice.

The magnaride suspension turned out to be a huge plus, to the point that I don't think I'd entertain another EV without it or something similar. So the GTPE has that going for it still.

 

[Regularmache]

Yes, Ford intentionally wants to piss you off so they're withholding a software fix for the 5 second rule. I know for a fact Jim Farley has your picture on his dartboard.

That, or the fact that the lightning has dual cooling loops on the battery allows it to keep chugging after 5 seconds - which may be why Ford hasn't said anything because it's a hardware limitation that an OTA can't do anything about.

Hard to say which it really is

OP's point is still valid, the F150 outperforms their Performance version of the Mustang Bill Ford personally authorized them to put the Mustang Name on it due to its performance.

Maybe Bill was blindfolded and really in a Lightning?
Bill for the love of everything Mustang, please address the Mach E GT's lackluster performance. I heard your story at the L.A. Premier when you said, 'This is worthy of the Mustang nameplate.' Make it worthy of the Qtr Mile at least.

 

[ARK]

OP's point is still valid, the F150 outperforms their Performance version of the Mustang Bill Ford personally authorized them to put the Mustang Name on it due to its performance.

Maybe Bill was blindfolded and really in a Lightning?
Bill for the love of everything Mustang, please address the Mach E GT's lackluster performance. I heard your story at the L.A. Premier when you said, 'This is worthy of the Mustang nameplate.' Make it worthy of the Qtr Mile at least.

It wasn't being designed as a Mustang SUV until pretty far along with the development process. Not so far along that they couldn't restyle it (which they obviously did), but perhaps far enough along that they were working with a battery cooling system initially designed for what was going to be something as sporty as a Ford Escape EV.

At least that would be my guess, that if they weren't going to start back at step one with the Mach-E once authorization was given to make it a Mustang EV SUV, they probably were a bit constrained by the already-designed basic design of the vehicle.

Still, I think it could just be that Ford is perhaps waiting on a bit more data before relaxing the five second rule. Of all the various grab bag of issues we have seen on this forum, knock on lots of wood, at least so far no one seems to be reporting any type of overheating issue on any Mach-E variant.

 

[moparguy]

@Ford Motor Company this is BS!
Since when did your F150 compete with your flagship fast performing cars?

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