11K mile update

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The Mustang is my second all battery car, the first being the Chevy Bolt which I owned from 2019 until July 11th when I traded it in on my current car, the Mustang Mach-E. The Bolt was a very reliable car for me and provided 46,000 trouble free miles. Looks like I traded it in right at the perfect time given the recent battery issues. However, when I owned it it was flawless, but basically practical and the 50KW charge rate made it not the greatest for long trips. That is the main reason I made the switch.

So, I have owned the car since the 12th of July and already have over 11k miles on it. I have taken every single opportunity to take long trips with it and here are my thoughts.

I live in Raleigh NC and bought the car from a dealership in Alabama. This was my first opportunity to take the car on a nice long return trip from Alabama. We drove the Bolt from Raleigh to Alabama for the trade in and this is where I was reminded of the 80% rule and the sloooow charge rate of the Bolt. We had to make several stops on the trip to Alabama and after the first full charge run the 80% range of the Bolt was not the best. However, we did make it and had only one leg where we ran the Bolt to the point where it started to warn about shutting down. lol. First and only time in the 46K mile history of having the Bolt where I got a little range anxiety.

OK, so I hear you, get on with it man, tell me about the Mustang.

I opted for a RWD, extended range premium. I wanted range and also the enjoyment of a RWD car. I missed the sensation of power delivered to the rear wheels and also getting it to be a little loose in the caboose. lol. I grew up on RWD cars before FWD was a thing and this car fit that bill.

We picked the car up early in the morning and got through all the paperwork in a very short time. We routed a trip that took us north to Nashville TN, then to Knoxville, then to Asheville NC and finally back home to Raleigh NC. We stayed in Nashville and Asheville so we had time to drive around and play. I did not setup plug and charge on this trip and while I was able to charge with no issues it was not the greatest and I did have a few occasions where the initiation of charge was not smooth and I had to move to different charge stations. That being said, the charge rate was very fast and far better than the Bolt. It always started at 150+KW with a reduction to close to 112KW on average and remained there until the 80% mark. Made charging stops much shorter and less frequent. All in all over the entire trip I had no issues with charging and the main issue with charging was broken or non-function stations but always had a successful charge at each station. I also only used EA charging stations as most charge points are only 50KW.

So, in the end the pickup trip was flawless and charging was not an issue for me. After this trip I setup plug and charge and planned my next journey which would take me from Raleigh NC through Louisville and then to Chicago and back. This was a 4 day trip with home base being downtown Louisville. This time I used plug and charge the entire trip. Charging was much better this time around and we only had one station that just refused to deliver more than 50KW but moving down the road to another location resulted in perfect and fast charging. We completed the entire trip on plug and charge at only EA charge stations and it never failed me and each stop resulted in the same charge profile. Initial charge rate at 150+ with a change to 112KW sustained until 80% when I charged that far.

My last and most recent rip was to the mountains of GA. This trip was the most isolated trip to date and there were no EA chargers past Asheville NC. The closest one was a 50KW in Elijay GA. We stayed in Cherry Log GA and this is where I found the perfect item to keep in your car for remote travel. I bought a 50 foot camper extension cord. This was a 40A extension cord used by RV's to connect to the camp site power. The cabin/house we rented for the week had a washer and dryer and I was able to plug into the dryer outlet, run the extension cord out the window by where I parked the car and charge every night so I had a full charge each day. We made trip to Chattanooga TN and Atlanta GA with no need to charge at either location. This was super convenient and its now a part of our long road trip kit.

So, what been the good and the bad? Here is the list.

The car is a solid car and my wife loves it. It is far more comfortable than the bolt and is definitely a step up in both comfort and has a definite luxury feel to it on long road trips. It has been great for long trips and the comfort level is right for me.

Charging has been perfect with no issues with plug and charge so far on the many trips I have made and even when using the charge point in GA, plug and charge worked as expected. I have no concerns so far with charging and my wife loves the stops to stretch and take a breather on long trips.

All my issues so far are with Android auto. When it works it works great, but wireless connection sucks and randomly starts skipping music even when I have strong cell signal. I believe this is an android auto issue and hope it will be resolved at some point in the future.

The approach light, AKA, puddle lights, with the super cool mustang sometimes work and sometimes don't. I don't know why. Even at home it works most of the time but some mornings it just doesn't seem to realize I am approaching the car.

The main issue and to me the most important one that I think Ford missed the ball on is naming this car a Mustang. They really missed the mark on this. I get it, they made a statement. However, in doing so they put all the hate, vitriol, rude comments, and justification on the new owners. In the miles i have put on it and the numerous interactions I have had I keep getting the hate from the purist of the mustang family. While some have been positive it is still unfair and very annoying that I have to continue to hear and deal with the hate for the fact that they called this a Mustang. I can handle and take the need for updates and random issues that come with being the owner of a first generation car. What I am growing very tired of is people yelling at me, giving me the finger and telling me that the car I bought and love "aint no mustang"

The fact that Ford chose to name it a Mustang and then let us, as customers, fans and drivers go out in the world and take the heat for that decision was out right poor decision making. I have never in all my years of driving all electric cars had to take and deal with the hate and outright rude comments solely based on the name of the car I am driving. Its a great car and its a joy to drive but the fact that I am having to deal with and pay for the decision of someone at Ford to name it with such and iconic name was something I was not prepared for. Ford missed the mark here on such a basic level and its such a shame. I cant get some past the simple name to understand what it means and what it is capable of. I cant get past the name debate to get people to see the joy, the design and the capability of the car. To put that on me, the consumer, owner is not fair and not right. This car will be replaced as soon as I find a comparable car from anyone else. Its such a shame that a name is the main issue with a car but Ford really underestimated the Mustang love and I really do not blame them, I put it entirely on Ford.

Its awesome when a non-purist approaches you to talk about the car but then someone yells at you or gives you the bird just because of the decision Ford made and it gets old very quickly. I want to love the car but it is impossible to do so with so many Mustang drivers and lovers out there that feel the need to punish me and not Ford for the simple name and badge my car wears.
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AZBill

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I also have a Bolt, yes still have mine in addition to the Mach E, and hope to get a new battery soon. I agree that comfort, range and charging speeds are all way better and make it a better car for road trips. But I do have to give GM credit for one thing, their software is much more stable than Ford's. In my Bolt I never have any settings randomly reset, especially not my radio favorites. And the trip odometers do not work randomly, starting with my last trip miles, for example. I also think GM provided better EV driver displays, i.e. actual power usage, including current charging rate, and best of all the trend vector for range. I too have seen the puddle lights work intermittently, another software glitch on the Mach E. I also sometimes get in the car after my wife drives, and even though the profile picture is me, the seat is at her setting and I have to push the button to get mine. Hopefully the next OTA (1.7.1) will fix some of this intermittent software.

These glitches do not prevent me from driving the car and enjoying it, but they do get irritating.
 

Old Guy

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BDEjong:

My last and most recent rip was to the mountains of GA. This trip was the most isolated trip to date and there were no EA chargers past Asheville NC. The closest one was a 50KW in Elijay GA. We stayed in Cherry Log GA and this is where I found the perfect item to keep in your car for remote travel. I bought a 50 foot camper extension cord. This was a 40A extension cord used by RV's to connect to the camp site power. The cabin/house we rented for the week had a washer and dryer and I was able to plug into the dryer outlet, run the extension cord out the window by where I parked the car and charge every night so I had a full charge each day.

We often travel to Blue Ridge from our home on Hilton Head Island. I don't have a Mach-E yet but the trip with an electric car does give me some pause. I noticed that there are some Tesla chargers in Blue Ridge that are of the type that you can use with an adapter. I like your idea of using the extension cord.
 

Mickey the T

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Nice review and I always like to read what owners of previous EVs think of the Mach-E. I'm coming from a BMW i3 and similar to your Bolt comparison, the MME is a step-up in comfort and luxury. The i3 was a city car (which I sort of miss since I live in the city) and the MME is made for the open road. It begs to be driven.

You're really getting that much hate about the name of the car? That is absolutely crazy. I expect some good natured ribbing--which I haven't gotten yet--but hate? Sorry you've experienced that.
 


OP
OP

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Nice review and I always like to read what owners of previous EVs think of the Mach-E. I'm coming from a BMW i3 and similar to your Bolt comparison, the MME is a step-up in comfort and luxury. The i3 was a city car (which I sort of miss since I live in the city) and the MME is made for the open road. It begs to be driven.

You're really getting that much hate about the name of the car? That is absolutely crazy. I expect some good natured ribbing--which I haven't gotten yet--but hate? Sorry you've experienced that.
Yes, I have yet too take a trip where some Mustang purist doesn't make a statement about it not being a true mustang. It's every single time. I for one am tired of it. My next car will not be this one. I will enjoy it for now but Ford really made a big mistake in the name. It should not be my job to justify their choice. This is not just me being overly sensitive. I have actually had mustang driver flip me this bird and several make the statement, "that's not a mustang" it's all they say but it's getting old and takes away from the enjoyment of the car. I should not have to be the brand ambassador and justify it to so many people. Ford screwed this one simple thing up.
 

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Yes, I have yet too take a trip where some Mustang purist doesn't make a statement about it not being a true mustang. It's every single time. I for one am tired of it. My next car will not be this one. I will enjoy it for now but Ford really made a big mistake in the name. It should not be my job to justify their choice. This is not just me being overly sensitive. I have actually had mustang driver flip me this bird and several make the statement, "that's not a mustang" it's all they say but it's getting old and takes away from the enjoyment of the car. I should not have to be the brand ambassador and justify it to so many people. Ford screwed this one simple thing up.
As an ICE mustang lover (on my 4th Mustang and 2nd Shelby right now), let me apologize for my brethren who obviously have no better way to feel good about themselves than putting others down. I am sorry they have diminished your enjoyment of your car.
 

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Yes, I have yet too take a trip where some Mustang purist doesn't make a statement about it not being a true mustang. It's every single time. I for one am tired of it. My next car will not be this one. I will enjoy it for now but Ford really made a big mistake in the name. It should not be my job to justify their choice. This is not just me being overly sensitive. I have actually had mustang driver flip me this bird and several make the statement, "that's not a mustang" it's all they say but it's getting old and takes away from the enjoyment of the car. I should not have to be the brand ambassador and justify it to so many people. Ford screwed this one simple thing up.
It's not your job to justify anything. Ignore the haters and enjoy your car.
 

TwinRice

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Yes, I have yet too take a trip where some Mustang purist doesn't make a statement about it not being a true mustang. It's every single time. I for one am tired of it. My next car will not be this one. I will enjoy it for now but Ford really made a big mistake in the name. It should not be my job to justify their choice. This is not just me being overly sensitive. I have actually had mustang driver flip me this bird and several make the statement, "that's not a mustang" it's all they say but it's getting old and takes away from the enjoyment of the car. I should not have to be the brand ambassador and justify it to so many people. Ford screwed this one simple thing up.
Mind if I ask why that matters at all? Who cares what others think? What matters is what you and your wife think. If someone is being a jerk about a car that YOU OWN, who gives a [insert appropriate word here]. ?

As a 3 time owner of ICE Mustangs, I can hardly wait until I get to pickup my GTPE…I honestly wouldn‘t even waste a second worrying about what somebody else thinks of my car lol ???
 

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If anyone gives you a hard time just show them a picture of this and ask if this is really a mustang. I mean technically, yes, but really? People need to get over themselves. Things change. Sad to hear you're dealing with that, though.

*no offense to anyone who owned a mid-'80s base model coupe. ;)

Ford Mustang Mach-E 11K mile update 1633012145165
 

EELinneman

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If anyone gives you a hard time just show them a picture of this and ask if this is really a mustang. I mean technically, yes, but really? People need to get over themselves. Things change. Sad to hear you're dealing with that, though.

*no offense to anyone who owned a mid-'80s base model coupe. ;)

1633012145165.png
120 HP, but it's a "real" mustang!

Ford Mustang (third generation) - Wikipedia

I wonder what the 0 to 60 was let alone the quarter mile. And, I'll bet that pony handled real well on those skinny shitty tires too. Got to love the hubcaps. But, a "real" mustang. 2 barrel carb by the way. Good times!
 

Lord Polymath

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As a Mustang fan and 2020 GT owner, I was not crazy about it at first either. But I've come to realize that it was actually a smart move and one that Ford needed to make in order to be competitive. All the haters can go to hell. Can't wait to trade my ICE GT and drive a Mach-E!
 
OP
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Trust me, I don't pay much mind to other people's un solicited opinions but man, it wears on you when it's as constant as it's been lately. I mean, yeah, I love the car and dont "care" that someone doesn't like it but hearing it all the time is just getting old. O have used the 80s Mustang, 4cyl, can't beat its own shadow down the road comparison and it doesn't change a thing. And, yes, I owned and drove one of those for years back in the day. When I got it's bigger brother I never pointed at and berated the people who owned and lived theirs.

The new "Pony" club is very different and a lot, not all, have taken serious offense to the new version. It's even apparent in the latest Vlog from the Mach-Vlog channel where they had "Blucifer" at an event for people to see and talk about and numerous purists stated flat out they would rather buy and drive a tesla than this not a mustang.

It's just a miss on Fords part and I think they underestimated the reaction. I know I did. I read all about it and saw many reviews that mentioned it but shrugged it off at the time. However, after owning it for the past 2 months it's a larger reality than even I counted on and I do not see it ending. So for me, I don't think I will keep the car due to having to continually hear it over and over and over again.
 

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120 HP, but it's a "real" mustang!

Ford Mustang (third generation) - Wikipedia

I wonder what the 0 to 60 was let alone the quarter mile. And, I'll bet that pony handled real well on those skinny shitty tires too. Got to love the hubcaps. But, a "real" mustang. 2 barrel carb by the way. Good times!
I'm checking now, but there was an 88 HP I4 that may have made it in "real" Mustangs in foreign markets, but need to verify. Again, a "real" mustang and not like the 460 HP, 634 lb/ft not a mustang GT PE.
 
 




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