About to pull the trigger...a few questions on space, reliability, and trim

[sean7512]

Hello all, first time poster here and I hope to be joining the family soon! I am looking at purchasing a 2023 in Grabber Blue next week, trading in my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I have just a few last minute questions before I am confident about giving up the Jeep (which I love, except for the V8 gas engine).

1. From reading the dimensions on Edmunds, it appears that I am only giving up 2 cubic ft of space in the hatch/cargo area with the seats in place. From looking at the outside, this seems insane to me. For those that have one, is there decent cargo space for real?
2. Regarding space in the back, I think the biggest limiting factor is the height with the sloping roof. We often take our dog with us. She is a 70 pound black lab/boxer mix. She is extremely comfortable in the back of the Jeep and has plenty of room to lay down and get up and reposition herself and lay again. This may be my biggest concern. With the kids, putting her in the backset isn't an option, so she'd have to be in the hatch area. I have seen many pictures on this forum regarding dogs and it looks maybe promising that this would be ok if the floor is on the lowest setting. Anyone here with a large dog that can chime in here?
3. How has the reliability been for the 2023s? Do we think most of the *major* issues have been resolved for the 2023 year? Is there anything more or less reliable between a 2023 and a 2023.5?
4. For the trim, I am leaning towards the GT because it is actually cheaper than the Premium ER AWD because of the current $3,000 rebate and plus he dealer has taken $1,000 off the sticker. It seems crazy to me to spend $240 more for a Premium, but the HVBJB issue concerns me (but again is that a 2023 issue?). The other thing I am thinking of is the Premium's seats should be easier to clean than the GT (re: kids) and the range is 20 miles more. I do like the GT's black grill a lot better though. Are there any other meaningful differences that I didn't mention yet? Any suggestions on which one?

Thanks in advance, I am super excited to go electric, just a little anxious giving up a car that I love that has never once been in the shop.

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[thekat03]

I can fit a 40 lb beagle and 70 lb lanky hound mix (probably with Doberman) in the back, on a 600 mile road trip. Only have had my California Route 1 for almost a month now, so cannot attest to reliability, other than it is doing great so far.

 

[AngryMan]

I may be able to shed some light on the dog/hatch issue. I traded in my 2006 Laredo for the Mach. I had a rubber floor mat in the Jeeps hatch area for my 68 pound Husky/Chow mix. It fits perfectly front to back in the Mach but side to side it is about 5 inches larger than the Machs hatch area .
Is putting down the seat an option thereby creating more front to back space or will the kids be there and pooch in hatch ?
My pooch never saw the Mach so I can only speculate on how well he would've fit in the Mach

 

[HuntingPudel]

See the Pets in Mach-E thread for some pix of large dogs in the MME and you can decide for yourself. ??

 

[AngryMan]

Ive had my car since March of 2021 and it's the best ride Ive ever owned . Had 1 issue so far . Wasn't getting OTAs . Dealer reset some modules and it's been perfect ever since .
Couple hints/suggestions...
*get a good wall charger and keep Fords in the car for road trips
* IF it doesn't come with a Ford charger ...Get one OR maybe a Tesla j1772 .
*****DO NOT skimp on the charger thinking you'll save a few bucks . You're connecting that charger to your car and you don't want nor can you afford for it to short and fuse to your brand new baby .
* have a PROFESSIONAL install the wall plug or charger. This is another area where you don't wanna cheap out .
*be prepared for lower range in the winter BUT more range in the summer . Its just how it goes right now

 

[Fremont Kid]

Addressing your points:
Dog: I have an 85 lb. labradoodle with a 32" thoracic/chest circumference, and stands 24" at shoulder. He fits quite easily with plenty of space.

Hauling space: I have hauled lumber up to 8' long with the front passenger seat fully forward, back seats lowered, and the lumber angled. Plus plenty of 6' long lumber, dog food and water softener salt bags, etc. Will not be able to haul 4'X8' plywood. Plenty of room for multiple sets of golf clubs and walking carts.

Reliability: I have a 2022 Premium w/light color heated seats, extended range battery, AWD. No performance issues. Very reliable so far and have driven round trip from central Illinois to Colorado front range. Departure time settings prepared the cabin and battery reliably last winter, although you can find discussion on this site about how to monitor the departure-time settings. Ford replaced the mobile charger plug-in dongle after about 6 months because it over heated, but it is warranted for 2 years. No problems since.

Performance: I need to advise caution about when and where you decide to accelerate quickly - I tend to emphasize safety. When at the front of a lane of cars with open road ahead, I can accelerate from zero to 55 mph speed limit REALLY FAST, leaving behind other high-performance muscle cars by 40-50 yards. Used to live in country where I tested acceleration over @ 60-70 meters - car was going 90 mph. I coasted the remaining 3/4 mile. Will push you into the seat back.

AWD drove on snow, ice and through standing water with full control and no slipping. The usual drive safe and know conditions always apply.

 

[sean7512]

Dog: I have an 85 lb. labradoodle with a 32" thoracic/chest circumference, and stands 24" at shoulder. He fits quite easily with plenty of space.

Just to clarify, that is plenty of space with the hatch closed and the rear seats up? Do you move put the floor on the lowest setting?

Thanks everyone for such great feedback so far, this is making me feel better.

 

[Fremont Kid]

Just to clarify, that is plenty of space with the hatch closed and the rear seats up? Do you move put the floor on the lowest setting?

Thanks everyone for such great feedback so far, this is making me feel better.

Rear seats up, yes for dog and bags. Rear seats down for hauling longer lumber.
I lowered the cargo floor just to ensure that it will support whatever I haul. I can always add an old comforter, etc. if I need to level from front to back.

 

[Teslaeata]

Hello all, first time poster here and I hope to be joining the family soon! I am looking at purchasing a 2023 in Grabber Blue next week, trading in my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I have just a few last minute questions before I am confident about giving up the Jeep (which I love, except for the V8 gas engine).

1. From reading the dimensions on Edmunds, it appears that I am only giving up 2 cubic ft of space in the hatch/cargo area with the seats in place. From looking at the outside, this seems insane to me. For those that have one, is there decent cargo space for real?
2. Regarding space in the back, I think the biggest limiting factor is the height with the sloping roof. We often take our dog with us. She is a 70 pound black lab/boxer mix. She is extremely comfortable in the back of the Jeep and has plenty of room to lay down and get up and reposition herself and lay again. This may be my biggest concern. With the kids, putting her in the backset isn't an option, so she'd have to be in the hatch area. I have seen many pictures on this forum regarding dogs and it looks maybe promising that this would be ok if the floor is on the lowest setting. Anyone here with a large dog that can chime in here?
3. How has the reliability been for the 2023s? Do we think most of the *major* issues have been resolved for the 2023 year? Is there anything more or less reliable between a 2023 and a 2023.5?
4. For the trim, I am leaning towards the GT because it is actually cheaper than the Premium ER AWD because of the current $3,000 rebate and plus he dealer has taken $1,000 off the sticker. It seems crazy to me to spend $240 more for a Premium, but the HVBJB issue concerns me (but again is that a 2023 issue?). The other thing I am thinking of is the Premium's seats should be easier to clean than the GT (re: kids) and the range is 20 miles more. I do like the GT's black grill a lot better though. Are there any other meaningful differences that I didn't mention yet? Any suggestions on which one?

Thanks in advance, I am super excited to go electric, just a little anxious giving up a car that I love that has never once been in the shop.

Cargo space?

All this goes in……..

 

[Maquis]

Just to clarify, that is plenty of space with the hatch closed and the rear seats up? Do you move put the floor on the lowest setting?

Thanks everyone for such great feedback so far, this is making me feel better.

I suggest always keeping the floor in the low position unless you absolutely need to have it level with the rear seats folded (that’s why there’s an upper position). The tabs that support the floor in the upper position can’t carry much weight. There are a couple threads about the topic.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Just to clarify, that is plenty of space with the hatch closed and the rear seats up? Do you move put the floor on the lowest setting?

Thanks everyone for such great feedback so far, this is making me feel better.

I keep the floor in its lowest position since that works with my crate height. ??

 

[sean7512]

Thanks everyone...any thoughts on the GT vs Premium?

Here are a few more follow-up questions I have.

1. Bike racks -- best option for a bike rack that holds 3 bikes without getting an aftermarket hitch? I could do an aftermarket hitch, but I am not a huge fan of that, does it impact the frame integrity at all, does ti void the warranty?
2. Winter range -- As brought up here, the range will be less in winter and since I am up in Pittsburgh, PA, it's always cold here. Our farthest drive is 66 miles to the in-laws house. Would the GT (270 range) make it there AND back in winter? The trip would include an overnight where the car is sitting out in the cold (single digits). We'd obviously want to keep the car warm while driving and not turn heat off to make it.
3. Remote options -- I believe you can remotely start the car so that if we were at an amusement park in the summer we could cool the cabin about 10 min before we leave and heat in the winter, etc. I assume this means the MachE has a subscription service for the cell tower to do this, how much does that cost?.

 

[RickMachE]

Just to clarify, that is plenty of space with the hatch closed and the rear seats up? Do you move put the floor on the lowest setting?

Thanks everyone for such great feedback so far, this is making me feel better.

You should keep the floor in the LOWER position, unless you are laying down the seats and need the "same height", which is the purpose of the upper position.

Or, you can complain like others when the plastic mounts rip out because of too much weight. There is no reason to have it up otherwise.

 

[RickMachE]

Thanks everyone...any thoughts on the GT vs Premium?

Here are a few more follow-up questions I have.

1. Bike racks -- best option for a bike rack that holds 3 bikes without getting an aftermarket hitch? I could do an aftermarket hitch, but I am not a huge fan of that, does it impact the frame integrity at all, does ti void the warranty?
2. Winter range -- As brought up here, the range will be less in winter and since I am up in Pittsburgh, PA, it's always cold here. Our farthest drive is 66 miles to the in-laws house. Would the GT (270 range) make it there AND back in winter? The trip would include an overnight where the car is sitting out in the cold (single digits). We'd obviously want to keep the car warm while driving and not turn heat off to make it.
3. Remote options -- I believe you can remotely start the car so that if we were at an amusement park in the summer we could cool the cabin about 10 min before we leave and heat in the winter, etc. I assume this means the MachE has a subscription service for the cell tower to do this, how much does that cost?.

1) No idea. Hitch doesn't void warranty unless Ford proves it caused a covered failure.

2) 132 miles roundtrip? Sure. Just judicious use the heater, run the seat heaters and steering wheel heater, and dress properly. If you blast the heat, it will still make it but be much tighter. Ideally, you plug in on both ends and set a departure time to prewarm battery. If you don't have 220v at the in-law's, you cannot do that.

3) It's part of FordPass, and included.

 

[DevSecOps]

1. Winter range -- As brought up here, the range will be less in winter and since I am up in Pittsburgh, PA, it's always cold here. Our farthest drive is 66 miles to the in-laws house. Would the GT (270 range) make it there AND back in winter? The trip would include an overnight where the car is sitting out in the cold (single digits). We'd obviously want to keep the car warm while driving and not turn heat off to make it.
2. Remote options -- I believe you can remotely start the car so that if we were at an amusement park in the summer we could cool the cabin about 10 min before we leave and heat in the winter, etc. I assume this means the MachE has a subscription service for the cell tower to do this, how much does that cost?.

Winter range in a GT on the highway is about 160-180. (I commute 185 miles each way, every week for work and been doing so for 2 years with this car. In the winter, which is mild here, I have to stop to charge otherwise I will not make it. Many people will try to say range is higher. Take it from someone who does it every week, not grandpa who calculates his range at 10 under the limit going to the post office to buy stamps 2x a week).

Remote start is free and yes it has that.

Bike rack I can't comment on.

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