2021 v 2024?

[KennyCaphill]

My dealer wants my 2021 Mach E at an alleged generous price and put me in a 2024 due to the 0% for 72 months deal Ford has going on.

My lease is up in March 2025. Thoughts? Worth the trade?

I was planning on just paying off the balloon payment at the end of the lease and enjoying not having a car payment...any huge differences in the 2024 that would make me want to give up my 2021?

Sponsored

 

[Snakebitten]

Subjective

Some see the changes as huge.
Others, as traditional refinements.

Drive it! Because your perception is the one that matters.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

There have been a fair number of modest improvements in the 2024 models. Do a search here for posts about them to have a good idea of the differences. I recall @Mach-Lee did a post with lots of good info. But only you can decide if it would be worth it.

 

[AKgrampy]

It probably does not matter to you but one thing I look forward to when I upgrade is the bigger heater!

 

[jdpdx]

I went 21 premium extended AWD to '24 GT nonperformance pack. There's a lot of little changes that are hard to notice but add up.

Most of them are good.
- We test drove a '24 premium and the suspension is significantly better. Our '21 was awful. GT is fantastic.

-'24 AWD Extended get more power and more range. 300 vs 270. And almost 4 second flat 0-60.

- Dimple on charging door centers where you press and opens/closes easier.

- They don't even try to add organization to the frunk. No one used it anyway.

- The cover over the rear hatch actually stays attached now. They improved the hooks that it clicks into. I don't hate dealing with it now.

- software on big screen seems a little more crisp and polished

- TWO KEY FOBS!!!!

Negatives.... No kick to open

Stereo doesn't seem as good and won't hold values. Boo. That happened initially on our '21. It's back again. It won't remember bass/mid settings. And it just doesn't have the mid-range punch the '21 did.

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

I went 21 premium extended AWD to '24 GT nonperformance pack. There's a lot of little changes that are hard to notice but add up.

Most of them are good.
- We test drove a '24 premium and the suspension is significantly better. Our '21 was awful. GT is fantastic.

-'24 AWD Extended get more power and more range. 300 vs 270. And almost 4 second flat 0-60.

- Dimple on charging door centers where you press and opens/closes easier.

- They don't even try to add organization to the frunk. No one used it anyway.

- The cover over the rear hatch actually stays attached now. They improved the hooks that it clicks into. I don't hate dealing with it now.

- software on big screen seems a little more crisp and polished

- TWO KEY FOBS!!!!

Negatives.... No kick to open

Stereo doesn't seem as good and won't hold values. Boo. That happened initially on our '21. It's back again. It won't remember bass/mid settings. And it just doesn't have the mid-range punch the '21 did.

So, Outside of Blue Cruise 1.3; no, not really anything to make a whole new batch of car payments for. As for BC 1.3, the 2021's were included in the post from Ford that it is coming "Soon" ?

 

[MellowJohnny]

Also remember your dealer's motivation - move cars not make your life better. I have a 2022.5 so can't comment but I'd prioritize no more payments vs. incremental changes.

But that's just my bias.

 

[VaporTrails]

If you were in a GT before, I would suggest jumping. The 2021 was a version 1.0 product and it has 1.0 problems. If you are not having any problems and really like the car, you might consider holding out for NACS and better battery tech.

 

[SonicBlue]

So, Outside of Blue Cruise 1.3; no, not really anything to make a whole new batch of car payments for. As for BC 1.3, the 2021's were included in the post from Ford that it is coming "Soon" ?

Correct. “Dimple on the charge port door”? “No dividers in the frunk” which you probably already removed anyway? The misperception that the software is snappier? There has been no upgrade to the processor disclosed.

Unless significantly upgrading to a difference performance package, which the OP didn’t say, this choice is a no-brainer. Keep the 21, pay it off, no more car payments, and wait for an actual meaningful improvement to come along. Something with significantly better range or charging speed.

The dealer is trying to sell you something you don’t really need and that is only barely marginally better in a handful of ways. That’s a hell of a lot of money to basically just extend your warranty and get BC1.3 sooner.

 

[Triggerhappy007]

My dealer wants my 2021 Mach E at an alleged generous price and put me in a 2024 due to the 0% for 72 months deal Ford has going on.

My lease is up in March 2025. Thoughts? Worth the trade?

I was planning on just paying off the balloon payment at the end of the lease and enjoying not having a car payment...any huge differences in the 2024 that would make me want to give up my 2021?

What is their offer for your car and what's the residual value at the end of lease? What's the sale price of the 24?

If it's the same trim, you'll gain the LFP battery. The glass roof is optional now. You'll only have one trunk close button in the middle, that also sets the trunk height. The price to upgrade to an ER battery is less than in 2021.

 

[Triggerhappy007]

Stereo doesn't seem as good and won't hold values. Boo. That happened initially on our '21. It's back again. It won't remember bass/mid settings. And it just doesn't have the mid-range punch the '21 did.

I think someone last week said the sound was better on the 24s. Sorry to hear you have the opposite experience. Pun intended.

 

[zvez]

if the 21 hasn't had a problem and you're not upgrading to gt or rally I'd keep it depending on the payoff. In retrospect, I'd rather have kept my 21 premium rwd than the 23.5 gtpe I traded for.

 

[JeffGo]

I made that switch two weeks ago. Traded a paid-up '21 ext AWD premium for a GT lease. I miss the kick to open trunk most of all. But once the warranty expired (except power train/battery), I was not looking forward to getting hit up for every visit to the dealer. The '21 has behaved for the past 2.5 years, despite numerous recalls.

BC 1.3 - I rarely used BC 1.0 but did buy the 3 yr extension as it was "only" $600. Now I am on the 90-day trial of BC 1.3 and we just did a road trip over several days. It worked really well, even my wife was happy about it. I probably could have used it even more, but I'm still a little nervous in traffic. I won't subscribe but probably will pay the $75 when I go somewhere that warrants it.

Magneride - OP is correct, the '21 suspension sucks. This is a little better (have to remember to switch to Whisper for the smoothest ride, but hell, it's a GT)

Seats (GT) - takes some getting used to, they are VERY different.

2 Key FOBs - Ford made us whole again on that a while ago. I don't use the key fobs anyway.

"- The cover over the rear hatch actually stays attached now. They improved the hooks that it clicks into. I don't hate dealing with it now." I had the 3D printed clips that someone on this forum sold and they did the job, I was actually surprised to not need them with the '24 (they don't fit anyway).

Plus I really love the Eruption Green.

 

[Doobster6]

I wouldn’t overlook the suspension improvements. When I first test-drove a 2021 Premium 4X this past Spring the pogo-ing/porpoising effect almost made me nauseous, and I cut the drive short and returned to the dealership. I scratched the MME off my list but later decided to check out a 2024 a few months later just to see what improvements Ford may have made. I noticed the ride quality improvements right away and leased one a month later. My wife has declared that it rides “much better” than my old 2017 Infiniti QX50 ever did.

Also, in a very recent conversation with @Mach-Lee he confirmed that my car (mfig in May 2024) has software improvements that basically cure the 12V discharge problems, something your car may not have (although theoretically could get).

As for the B&O stereo, I am LOVING mine. I adjusted the front-rear balance to center (L2R), just behind front headrests, selected ‘surround-sound’, and bumped bass up 4 clicks. Awesome….at least to my tastes although yes, it ‘forgets’ the bass bump every time the car is turned off.

My last rationale, for leasing anyway, is the rapid pace of EV improvements. Battery packs especially are expected to improve dramatically and quickly in range and charging speeds and the older cars’ resale values will drop accordingly. Leasing will give you the opportunity to give the car back to the dealer and move on to the latest-greatest. I am, for example, expecting the magnaride susoensions to move down to the Premium models, at least as an option, when my lease ends in July 2027.

 

[eastern refugee]

I can talk from experience.
I owned both a 2021 MME first edition and a 2021 premium AWD EXTENDED RANGE.
Ford bought back my 2021 FE because it bricked twice. I got a 2023 MME GT.
I just traded in my 21 MME AWD PREMIUM EXTENDED RANGE for a 2024 MME RALLY

The 2023 MME GT is HUGELY better than my 2021 FA. It rides much better and is far more comfortable. However the 2021 gets VERY few updates compared to my 2023 and we kept getting all kinds of errors. I had at least 5 errors a day. None of them serious but super annoying. The 2024 MME RALLY is night and day better than my 2023 GT.

my GT is like driving a 1960s muscle car. It is super quick but has a stiff ride. You feel EVERY bump which to me is fine but it drives WAY BETTER than my 2021 FE. I get a countless number of updates ALL of the time. I HAVE zero errors and at 55,000 miles my original continental tires just now wore out. On both of my 2021 we were going through tires EVERY 35,000 miles.

now the 2024 MME RALLY drives like a Ferrari compared to my 2023 GT. It is faster with 450 HP and 700 ft lbs of torque. The seats are insanely better and you glide over potholes like flat ground. The magnesteer transmission and the new seats makes my 2023 MME GT feel less comfortable. I still love my GT but the RALLY is world class. Driving both cars in engaged mode we now get an average of 3.0 m/kwh from Bakersfield to LA which is 100 miles and going g from 300 ft above seas level to 4400 and back down to 300 which is a vast difference between 3.0 and 2.23/2,24. We charge to 100% all of the time and we had zero degradation.

in short trade it in and get a 2024. My wife and I drive an average of 5,000 per month total between both cars. I am glad to be out of the 2021 because now she gets updates plus the seating and overall feel of the car plus it has projector head lights and it is insanely fast in engage mode. The 2021 overall were great. However the newer ones ford fixed so many issue. Ford also on the 2024 has a 175,000 mile bumper to bumper extended warranty compared to the 125,000 one I have on my 2023. That alone tells me that ford has REALLY improved the car where they feel much more comfortable about the longevity.

also new on the 2024 ford now makes their own motors which are lighter and supposedly better. I am waiting until there is a cyber orange RALLY to trade mine in GT. People keep asking me if my car is a wrap. Now yes I customized it with black racing stripes and all black roto wheel wheels so that everything has this retro look. The stripes go from the front bumper all the way down th the bottom of the rear hatch.

trade you car in. You will be shocked at the difference.

Sponsored