How is a GTPE at 5% SOC?

[xxiii]

Test drove a GTPE the other day and it was... not good.

It had 5% / 15 miles GOM at the start of the test drive. 0-60 was somewhere around 6 secs as a guess. It was also very bumpy.

I'm assuming the 5% was making it behave very consservatively. On the plus side, the test drive was probably around 15 miles and we made it back. I wish I could remember what the GOM said. the "low battery" warning appeared around the mid point.

Then test drove a non GT (I think it was a premium, but not sure). It was much better, and smoother. I think it was at 39% when we started. it definately felt faster, and if I were guessing it was the one with magnaride (and also the PE).

So, the performance throttling I get (assuming thats what it was), but I woudn't think the SOC would affect magaride? (I tried all three drive modes).

Just in case anyone thinks i'm confusing them, the GTPE said "performance package" on the window sticker, and had a GT logo. The other one had a much lower price, and way less "options" in the window sticker, and a pony logo.

I mentioned to the dealer that I thought the GT did'nt do well and that I thought the 5% was probably why.

Also, they only have a single L2 charger (labeled "hybrids only"). (unless there's something in the shop area. they said it was their only EVSE though). I saw the GTPE i drove plugged into it a little later on.

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[CompilerBreak]

Letting it sit at 5% is not only bad for battery health, but as you noted, significantly worse for performance, anything below ~70% even and you'll start to notice it. I'd be concerned about a dealer not following the recommendation to keep it around 50% charge at least.

 

[GuliblGuy]

Striker knows

 

[Vulnox]

As noted, the performance was definitely down with it at 5%. Someone can correct me, but I believe as you get lower in battery charge the overall pack voltage drops, lower voltage is going to be lower performance. Trying to 0-60 a vehicle at 5% is bad for the battery as well. This would be bad for ICE vehicles that have been around for a while also as you are more likely to pick up junk that settled to the bottom of the gas tank and into the fuel filter. Nobody should be "performance" driving a vehicle at low fuel level, regardless of that fuel type. This is on the dealer not the test driver of course.

Also, the GTPE would have Magneride, no other trim level has it. I think I have read on here that the ride stiffness can vary depending on drive mode, so if they put it in Unbridled, that may explain the stiffer ride. That can also be down to tire compound differences or even just perception from seats or whatever.

I haven't driven a GTPE, so can't compare, but I am plenty happy with our Premium when it comes to ride comfort. But a GTPE would obviously beat us in 0-60, you also have less range in like for like driving with the GTPE. So maybe good to have the dealer charge the poor GTPE and give it another go, but if you aren't worried about being slightly faster than the Premium (if that is what you had), and liked the drive feel, may as well save the money and go Premium.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

Battery level shouldn't have any effect on the ride quality. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference between the 3 drive mode in term of comfort. All feel pretty much the same to me.

 

[HuntingPudel]

I’m guessing that you are possibly coming from a luxury or at least a “comfortable“ street car. The GT-PE was probably in Unbridled drive mode, which changes the shock damping profile to a more performance-oriented mapping (as well as reducing the steering power assist). My personal opinion is that it could be rougher and I wouldn’t really care, but the more important thing to me is that it keeps the tires planted on the pavement so I can have some fun with it. Anyhow, the next time you try a GT-PE, try it in Whisper or Engage drive mode. Those are both significantly softer than Unbridled and one of them might be more to your tastes. ??

 

[HuntingPudel]

Battery level shouldn't have any effect on the ride quality. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference between the 3 drive mode in term of comfort. All feel pretty much the same to me.

Huh, I hate the steering in Engage or Whisper and they both feel too soft for me in the suspension department (“Drive Mode Not Available” drives me nuts). Then again, Unbridled is kind of soft for me, so maybe I just am more sensitive to that? ?‍?

 

[clsmooths]

Test drove a GTPE the other day and it was... not good.

It had 5% / 15 miles GOM at the start of the test drive. 0-60 was somewhere around 6 secs

Yes at 5% you loss a whole bunch of power, torgue, and performance. Do us all a favor and test drive a GTPE with proper charge and let us know what think about it then. Crazy to think a dealer let that out for a test drive at 5%?

 

[Ghost Ryder]

Huh, I hate the steering in Engage or Whisper and they both feel too soft for me in the suspension department (“Drive Mode Not Available” drives me nuts). Then again, Unbridled is kind of soft for me, so maybe I just am more sensitive to that? ?‍?

The steering is different for sure, but the ride comfort/harshness/control feels about the same. I even asked my kids and other passengers if they felt a difference, and none did.

 

[MachEMaster]

Better plug that thing in!

 

[Mark Hassa]

Doesn't surprise me at all. I had my first test drive in a Chevrolet Volt with only about 3-5% battery as well.
The GM dealer I went to first denied having any. (They had one in the showroom)
We then had to look all over the lot for one to try. I eventually found one covered with leaves in the far corner of the lot.
I see things haven't changed much.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

I recently test drove a used M3 performance at a Nissan dealer and felt it was no faster than my premium MME. I later found out that the battery was at 9% SoC.

 

[kltye]

Only the GTPE has Magneride. It's not available as an option on any other trim, either.

 

[Benny’66]

I’ve only had my GTPE down less than 10% a few times and it becomes gutless. When the car is capable of eating 1% SOC in a hard launching 1/4 mile, I can see why the Ford programmers do that. I bet the car had full bars (of death) at that 5% SOC. I don’t remember the exact number, cuz I’m not down there very often, but I know the grey bars go full below a certain SOC. Take it for a drive above 90% and give us that feedback.

Also, I do notice a suspension difference switching between unbridled and whiaper modes, but magna ride is adaptive, which reacts to driver/road inputs. So if you are just taking a leisurely highway drive, the suspension will loosen up as you progress along, until it senses the need for a stiffer ride. Then the electrons do their magnetic thing and excite the particles in the fluid, etc, etc.

 

[xxiii]

I tried all 3 drive modes, I think we started off in whisper but I don't remember for sure. I was of course also trying to evaulate everyting, and not get in a wreck, I did manage to turn off "propulsion noise" or whatever its called at some point. (although it actually wasn't that bad, but I'll still probably leave it off most of the time).

I didn't think to look for the "bars of death" until the end, when I did look there was a grey line in the lower left (which I think is whats being referred to here?) wish I'd noticed at the beginning, before I'd moved at all, if it was there and how long it was. (and it just looked like a line, rather than several boxes, but I didn't look closely). (I think I was still reeling from the "5%?" observation to think of anything else. at least it gave me confidence that you can still go a fair distance at that point (if you have to).

The car had around 380ish miles on it, so I bet its been 0-60'd at least 20 times (and possibly only charged once). I assume *everyone* who test drives one of these is going to 0-60 it the first chance they get.

Makes me think dealers should be required to have a "test drive" car that they are not allowed to sell as new when they do get rid of it.

I know magnaride is supposedly rough by luxury car standards, but I also thought it was supposed to be smoother than the non-magnaride mach-es. Given the way magnaride works, I would think it does consume some power, but I wouldn't think it would be very much. Or maybe I drove over the curb getting out of the lot (I don't think I did though).

Another problem is I couldn't get either car to go hands-free. it was enabled in the settings, and I got them to the point of a green icon and "READY" appearing under the car in the bubble. It would do automated lane changes. I wasn't sure if I had to do something else at this point to actually get it to go hands-free. the sales guy in the passenger seat started desperately trying to google it.
(yes, we were in a blue-cruise zone. wouldn't surprise me if the trial period expired though, or however this stuff works before the car is actually sold).

Near the end (of the first car), I finally remembered to check out the sound system (almost forgot to do that. did forget to verify it can receive digital FM radio, but I think I saw evidence of that elsewhere in my research, so hopefully, it is 2023 after all).

Tried to try the parking stuff on the second one when we got back, but didn't realise it has to be in neutral (and, is this feature back then? it had a |P| button and it wanted me to do something on the screen when I pressed it (it didn't ask what kind of parking I wanted though, and I don't know what all prerequisites I needed to fuffill first (other than (later) finding out its supposed to be in N).
no foot-kick lift gate (I can live without that, but it would be nice). At least one of the two did seem to have the mobile charger in the back (I didn't actually unzip the bag to look if thats what it was. the sales guy said it was).

Loved that the phone charger area was super grippy. was wondering if your phone(s) would go flying off when you floor it.

I didn't notice steering differences between the modes, but I didn't spend much time on it or have much opportunity to test it. It did seem like it required more force than I'm used to. I have literally not driven a car of any kind for 2 months before the test drive though, so everything is probably out of whack memory wise. and at 5% I've decided everything is suspect. (unfortunately on the second one (with the 39%ish SOC), I didn't notice the steering specifically, I was busy noticing how much more performant it was.)

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