Would you pay $75/month or $800/year for BlueCruise hands free highway driving? This will be option for 2023 Mach-E

[Mach-Lee]

The value they’re provided does not come close to $800/yr. No expanded coverage seen in 1.5 years since release, and no improvement in software released yet. For $800 they would have to double coverage or add stop light recognition. It’s all a game to see how much they can get people to pay. The map data to make BlueCruise work is worth less than $200/yr.

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[RickMachE]

Over priced just like cable tv and looks what's happening to them. People are cutting the cord in record numbers now. In the future don't think many people will have cable tv or blue cruise at that price. It will go away like the home land line. Home phone were over priced and rarely used for the price. And if you used it, it would cost even more. Most people don't use blue cruise ever day so they will not pay that much for it.

Not a valid comparison IMO. People cut the cord because they have alternatives that are cheaper, i.e. streaming.

Now, if you cut the cord like we did over a decade ago, and switched to broadcast TV, yes.

 

[RickMachE]

$600 for 3 years is fine.
$800 per year is ridiculous.

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

Frankly, I'm hoping that was a typo!!! $800/year . That's a hard NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO from me. I was considering the the 3 years @ $600. #FORD like I tell my kids; "I'm not a money tree".

What is the legality of the ankle weight on the steering wheel? I'm assuming law enforcement frowns on that sort of thing.

 

[timbop]

I was struggling to justify renewing the BC subscription for another $600 for 3 more years on my '21 GT. For $2100 though?

That's an easy decision for a hard no.

Exactly. I was about to pay the $600 for 3 year renewal on my job 1 when they extended the trial period. Now it feels like bait-n-switch

I like this feature and use it almost always when driving on highways, but I would pay nothing because I already paid for this car a huge amounts of money and think any subscription services in the car is a nonsense.

They've all figured out that they can suck more out of customers by adding subscriptions. I do really like bluecruise but work from home so only end up driving on highways a few times a month. It was a stretch to justify that at $600 for 3 years but $2100 is an easy "HELL NO". As for the "connected services" and other crap - not a chance I ever pay for any of that.

I love Blue Cruise. I use it every day. I have actually changed my driving habits to drive more on roads that are “Blue Zones” even when that is not the fastest way.

All that being said, F!#K THEM! No way I’m paying $800 a year for a system that they don’t even bother to update when a new version comes out.

It’s worth maybe $10 a month, and that would come with a provision that there are map updates at least 4 times a year and an entire system update at least once a year.

I agree - I have changed my driving habits driving for hours on the highway but for that kind of money I can keep my hand on the wheel. There's a fine line between "added value" and "are you kidding" and they've just crossed it. It's one thing when its an add-on at purchase time ($2100 extra on a $60000 car "feels" reasonable), but to try to charge that as an ongoing service is quite another. I hope the take rate is virtually nil to readjust Ford's expectations.

 

[Mirak]

Not a valid comparison IMO. People cut the cord because they have alternatives that are cheaper, i.e. streaming.

Now, if you cut the cord like we did over a decade ago, and switched to broadcast TV, yes.

There is a cheaper alternative to BC.

 

[Mirak]

What is the legality of the ankle weight on the steering wheel? I'm assuming law enforcement frowns on that sort of thing.

All of these driving assists exist in a bit of a grey area. Most state and municipal laws I’m aware of speak only to attentive driving - not the specific details of hands on wheel, hand positioning, etc. That’s how things like BC and SuperCruise have emerged - there are not express hand requirements in law.

If you are alert and prepared to take control of the vehicle, it is no less attentive to use the weight as it is to use the eye nanny. The actual lane centering and ACC is the same with either system.

The difference, of course, is that the weight allows hands free operation on undivided highways, which is obviously a bit riskier. But I don’t see how that would make a distinction re application of existing law.

Then there is the bypassing of a safety feature to consider. Some safety features are required by law, such as air bags and seat belts and turn signals and mirrors and such. But no law I’m aware of speaks to steering wheel torque sensors.

From a matter of civil liability, obviously in the event of an accident your defects case against Ford would be torched by bypassing the torque sensor. And bypassing the sensor might be used against you as proof of negligence by a third party, although here again we’re getting a bit murky.

 

[DR.J56]

98% of my driving is on non BC roads. I don’t travel with this car (I don’t have the patience for DC charging) and probably never will unless some strange circumstance arises. I might be able to see the advantage of BC if I were to travel interstates daily for long distances, If that was the case, …… nope, still wouldn’t pay for it.

 

[ShawnMakie]

Short of something that more closely approximates Tesla’s FSD, I would not consider paying that price. Not even close.

Lane Centering with an ankle weight works just as well, for free, and without a geofence. In either case, I have to keep my eyes on the road.

That's a neat trick you came up with there. Probably not brave enough to try it myself plus the wife would probably die of a panic attack if she saw it ?

Also, how is the text in your screen red?

 

[A-A-Ron]

Make it $80/year or $7.50/mo and I might consider it. I think they're off an order of magnitude.

 

[MONDO]

Absolutely not for $800/year. $600 for 3 years, that was the deal when I bought the car, that is what I’ll pay to keep it. If they want to bump my 21’ up to BC 1.2, I’ll consider an appropriate amount more for the features that system promises, but I promise you it isn’t 4X the price. Some suit at Ford must have looked at Tesla‘s $6K “Enhanced Autopilot” after trying out BC 1.2 and figured they were giving their customers a deal.

I recently participated in a focus group that discussed subscription based offerings for EVs. There was 3 of us participating. Myself and another person were firmly in the “no subscriptions for things the car can already do” lane. Heated seats, extra mileage, faster speeds, etc. The other person in the group, however, was completely onboard with subscriptions when it was marketed as “saving you money when you purchase“. They felt that they are getting a good deal if the car is ”discounted” for features you don’t use or want, and you could choose when you want to use them for a fee. I am pretty sure this is who Automakers will love selling cars to. There is a fraction of car buyers who will have no problem with subscription services.

 

[Mr67gta]

I like to drive my cars myself and only have BC for resale value. $10 a month is the most I would pay if I did use it.

 

[Awmustang]

So if you don't pay for the Blue Cruise subscription is the eye tracking completely disabled for the regular adaptive cruise and lane centering?

 

[Vulnox]

I am a big, big fan of BC. Big fan. And when BC 1.2 comes to us, will be a bigger fan based on all the reviews I have seen of it. I am all in on BC.

Except at $800/yr. They can take a walk with that nonsense. As was noted there isn't enough expense on Ford's end to justify it, the hardware in the car is there no matter what. The mapping itself and having to survey the roads is an expense, but it isn't in the order of the tens of millions per year they would get if all MME and Lightning owners subscribed to this at even $100/yr.

Ford just wants so bad to be like Tesla and throw these large dollar autonomous driving features out there. They apparently aren't paying attention to how many even Tesla diehards say that Tesla is out of their mind with their FSD price.

If this is the pricing at renewal on BC, they can just turn ours off. I am actually a bit annoyed now that Ford extended our trial on our F-150 through the end of the year. If this new pricing is the same for F-150 I would have rather locked in three years at the $600 price.

 

[bshaw]

I like to drive my cars myself and only have BC for resale value. $10 a month is the most I would pay if I did use it.

Same. $10/month seems like a sweet spot, with a $100 annual option and I would be in.

3yr subscription seems fine at new car purchase, but I won't likely have the car for 6-yrs, so making a 3yr renewal term is also a no-go for me.

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