MotorTrend: We’re Paying $650/Year to Subscribe to Our Ford F-150 Lightning

[kodiakng]

another trade press to chime in:

We’re Paying $650/Year to Subscribe to Our Ford F-150 Lightning
The era of the car as a subscription service is upon us.

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[Lord Polymath]

Subscriptions that support software development might be worth it, but subscribing to things like heated seats or unlocking extra HP is where I draw the line. (Ford doesn't offer subscriptions to frivolous things like heated seats right now, I'm just thinking out loud).
I pretty much agree with the article, most subscriptions offered in Ford vehicles right now aren't worth it IMO. Only one I use is SiriusXM.

 

[thumperr]

Interesting article. Wonder if Ford is making any money from AT&T related to the 4G service. My explorer had this as a free trial, we liked it enough to buy it. Our child likes to stream on trips, for about 20 a month for unl8mited data, the deal is not bad at all.

 

[spicy_taco]

Interesting article. Wonder if Ford is making any money from AT&T related to the 4G service. My explorer had this as a free trial, we liked it enough to buy it. Our child likes to stream on trips, for about 20 a month for unl8mited data, the deal is not bad at all.

Just curious, why not just set up a WIFI hotspot on your phone and have the car connect to it, instead of paying for the AT&T subscription?

 

[kodiakng]

Interesting article. Wonder if Ford is making any money from AT&T related to the 4G service. My explorer had this as a free trial, we liked it enough to buy it. Our child likes to stream on trips, for about 20 a month for unl8mited data, the deal is not bad at all.

agree on the utility for many folks. the hotspot pricing is likely straight AT&T but ford may get a slice. AT&T gets a bundle from ford for the other connected services from the car. i'd love to be able to add my car to my verizon plan but that isn't possible as it stands.

 

[Ravensfan1996]

BMW and other luxury brands have done this with lots of different car options. I read an article once that they could then build every car the same with all the options, then turn them as the consumer wants them with a subscription price or pay in full for it.

 

[mlhunt856]

Subscriptions that support software development might be worth it, but subscribing to things like heated seats or unlocking extra HP is where I draw the line. (Ford doesn't offer subscriptions to frivolous things like heated seats right now, I'm just thinking out loud).
I pretty much agree with the article, most subscriptions offered in Ford vehicles right now aren't worth it IMO. Only one I use is SiriusXM.

Just so. For things that require software development/maintenance and/or the maintenance of back-end infrastructure, ongoing service fees are justifiable. For things that the car's hardware are capable of providing by design, they are not.

I think the automotive press does disservice to consumers by talking about satellite radio and internet service fees, and fees to use heated seats and get extra torque/power firm the car's motors, as if they are the same thing.

 

[timbop]

Interesting article. Wonder if Ford is making any money from AT&T related to the 4G service. My explorer had this as a free trial, we liked it enough to buy it. Our child likes to stream on trips, for about 20 a month for unl8mited data, the deal is not bad at all.

except....

Just curious, why not just set up a WIFI hotspot on your phone and have the car connect to it, instead of paying for the AT&T subscription?

... this.

I already pay for an internet-enabled phone, and through it I can stream music & video, get realtime traffic aware nav, and much more. I use Waze and podcast addict over AA in my Mach-E. Before I got my Mach-E I had a phone bracket on my dash so I could see waze, and played music/podcasts over bluetooth. I will easily go back to that arrangement if Ford wants to get cute and eliminate AA or charge for it.

As consumers we have the option to say "no" to this new paradigm.

 

[mlhunt856]

As consumers we have the option to say "no" to this new paradigm.

Indeed. Which is why, I suspect, GM has announced it will remove AA and CarPlay from its vehicles.

 

[timbop]

Just so. For things that require software development/maintenance and/or the maintenance of back-end infrastructure, ongoing service fees are justifiable. For things that the car's hardware are capable of providing by design, they are not.

Exactly this. It is reasonable if they offer support or guaranteed updates for the fees, which then gives customers the option to pay for the updates or not to pay and continue to use their cars as they were. Removing functionality is BS

 

[timbop]

Indeed. Which is why, I suspect, GM has announced it will remove AA and CarPlay from its vehicles.

Absolutely. As I said, we all still have the option to go back to using phone brackets and playing music over bluetooth.

 

[MG101]

Click bait headline for the anti-ev crowd who won't read the article. "I heard you have to pay to drive that electric truck!"

 

[thumperr]

Just curious, why not just set up a WIFI hotspot on your phone and have the car connect to it, instead of paying for the AT&T subscription?

this is pretty simple, my child used a lot of data, the VErizon plan caps hotpost speed after I believe 10Gb.
my work phone is not unl8mited data.
and my wife really disliked my son killing her battery and making her phone hot.

I did find the car spot at highway speed worked better for my vpn work connection, than my Verizon iPhone. I think this has to do with the phone in a metal car versus, the antenna on the rear of the car for the car hotspot.

 

[thumperr]

Agree with using Verizon. it is interesting using att in the car with iHeart, it thinks I’m in Atlanta for ads.

agree on the utility for many folks. the hotspot pricing is likely straight AT&T but ford may get a slice. AT&T gets a bundle from ford for the other connected services from the car. i'd love to be able to add my car to my verizon plan but that isn't possible as it stands.

 

[SWO]

BMW and other luxury brands have done this with lots of different car options. I read an article once that they could then build every car the same with all the options, then turn them as the consumer wants them with a subscription price or pay in full for it.

This is the kind of stuff that half-smart MBAs think up and then piss off their customer base with. If a company thinks they can sell me a product and then have me pay a subscription to use (for example) the heating element under my rear end, they have another thing coming.

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