A few thoughts a couple months in...

[ack154]

Hey everyone,

Fairly new owner here (November delivery) and just wanted to share some thoughts on my Mach-E. Most of which have probably already been shared by someone at some point, somewhere on this forum. But always curious to hear other people's thoughts/feedback.... and I'm sure I'll learn something new from your responses. Forgive the length here but I'm just going to spit all of this out at once.

Without going into too much detail, my last car was a 4Runner (and I had a WRX before that), so I was kind of looking for something a little fun again. I ended up with a vapor blue metallic 2023 GT PE. Hoping to autocross it when summer comes back around. I've added the Tuxmat floor mat set to it, a couple AOSK organizers, the cargo mat and rear seat back covers, and just had it ceramic coated. Had a ChargePoint Home Flex installed in the garage and pretty much only charge at home (my commute is 20 miles one way but up and down hills).

Anyway, here are a few things that I either like or don't like for various reasons... None of these are really dealbreakers, and I obviously knew of most of them before buying the car - but these are still perplexing.

1. The rear wiper arm/blade is honestly ridiculous. It's like someone left that on there as a joke. I know this one has been beaten to death here so I'll just add that I've already ordered a longer arm that I found mentioned somewhere here and will be comparing blade options when the arm gets here. I know the standard option is usually to go for the 15" Trico, but I wanted to try a different route. Will see how it goes and maybe post more detail when that gets here.
2. No frunk button on the fob. Yes, I've seen we can just get the Lightning fob and go that direction, but why should I have an icon of a pickup truck on my key when our keys should have had it by default? This is an annoying miss. One of my next things is to actually set up the door PIN code so I can use the 7/8 button to open the frunk from there. I'd probably use the frunk more if I could open it from outside the car (I don't use PAAK, so the app doesn't have it, which is also stupid).
3. Lack of performance settings customization. Of all models, this should have been an option for the GT, and especially the PE. Just let me tweak the magnaride, steering, regen, etc. No real reason that I can think of to not make a custom drive mode option for my own settings. Switching to Unbridled should unlock this, if anything.
4. Speaking of drive modes... no steering wheel button/shortcut for changing drive modes is mildly annoying. I don't do it often, but it seems to be pretty common on a LOT of other EVs, so why not the Mach-E?
5. Drive modes continued. I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be any actual efficiency difference between the drive modes. Based on what I've read here and other places, it sounds like as long as you drive like a normal human, your efficiency doesn't really change much between modes. It would be nice if Whisper were in some way slightly more efficient - like I could switch to that if I knew range was going to be tight to save a few miles.
6. I kind of wish there was a display for the amount of power generated by the regen system. My wife's Subaru has a pretty basic stop/start function and it even has a screen that shows the amount of fuel "saved" when the car turns off. It's just an interesting statistic that I'd like to know. And a lot of people seem to gamify their efficiency already anyway, so that would be another fun stat to track on various trips. It could just be displayed on the trip screens or something.
7. The turn signal sound, while pleasant, is a bit too quiet. When I have something playing I almost never hear it. And with the icons so close together on the dash, I sometimes even miss the blinking. I find myself looking for it sometimes when I'm waiting to turn.
8. The infotainment is wayyy too laggy. Spotify via wireless Android Auto should NOT be skipping just because I clicked on a different screen. It's still on my list to see if this behaves the same way when wired in via the USB-C port vs wireless AA - but that's still no excuse.

Like I said, none of these are dealbreakers (most of them are actually pretty nitpicky, if I'm honest) but I feel like some of them would go a long ways to make it an overall better experience.

But how about a few things I do like... It's really comfortable. I'd even be OK with a little more bolstering in the seats for the GT/PE model. I haven't pushed it real hard yet but so far there is tons and tons of grip and it's just stupidly fast. I have to be careful not to break 100 when passing someone even on a normal road. I'm looking forward to the end of winter. Lots of cargo space with the seats down (one of the reasons I went with the Mach-E). Can just roll in a few medium/large pelicans without issue.

Range, for me, is good. I'm in upstate NY, so winter is actually winter most of the time. I charge to 90% every night and regularly pre-condition before I leave for work. Range in the morning right now typically starts anywhere from 205-225 with these temperatures.

I guess that's more than enough for an "introduction"... but looking forward to any of your thoughts/suggestions.

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[ack154]

Oh... here she is after getting ceramic coated last week (great timing on the coating, I know).

 

[Homestead]

We are a couple months in too with our standard range premium. We ordered the longer wiper also. Would be nice if the wireless charging worked but I think Ford is working on it.
Just started using PAAK , had some trouble getting it setup but seems to be working fine now.
No deal breaker issues for us.
I don't drive any faster but I sure do get up to speed a lot quicker.
Your car looks great, do you have a before picture for comparison?

 

[ack154]

Your car looks great, do you have a before picture for comparison?

Honestly not too much of a before/after difference from the coating. It's meant to be mostly a "super" wax, so the visual isn't that different at first glance. I've definitely already noticed water beads a LOT better now than ever did new - and it should stay that way for 5+ years. They also did some basic paint correction (mostly just buffing out some small scratches and left over adhesives and such from transport/delivery). Being only a couple months old at the time, it's not like it was in bad shape, but even "new" cars aren't perfect. I just wanted a good base for the coating to start with.

I can say I generally drive a little slower now also. But it is definitely still fun to floor it every now and then, range be damned. I don't think the acceleration will ever get old.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy your car. Most of your list are common issues people have with the car. So far, I don't think anyone's found a way to increase that turn signal volume. I swapped my rear blade to the 15" Trico before I even test drove my car. I swapped to a 16" Bosch a few months back. The Trico actually wipes a little wider than the Bosch, but the Bosch wipes a little higher. It's because the Bosch is a little stiffer and doesn't wipe the convex sides of the rear glass as well, but being longer it wipes the top of the rear glass higher. ??

Those look like the original Summer Performance tires. They're not supposed to be used under 45°F. The summer formulations are really better suited to high temperatures and turn into slipery-slidy things when cold. ??

 

[ack154]

Mine actually came with all-seasons (apparently an option on the window sticker)... not ideal still, but good enough for now. Still debating a second set of wheels with snow tires like I used to do with my WRX. May get a set for next winter.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Mine actually came with all-seasons (apparently an option on the window sticker)... not ideal still, but good enough for now. Still debating a second set of wheels with snow tires like I used to do with my WRX. May get a set for next winter.

I’d highly recommend that. Drives like a dream with x-ice Michelins and 1pd. Not sure if they come in your size (mine are 19” on oem wheels).

 

[CompilerBreak]

On the keyfob, you can use an escape fob blank and swap the button onto the lightning one (what I did), or just buy from this outfit who did that already https://www.ebay.com/itm/354543983990?epid=24055486141&hash=item528c77dd76:g:1XsAAOSwW89lN~58 Yes, it's kind of ridiculous that the Mach E still doesn't come with a frunk button on the fob, but at least this is solvable.

 

[ack154]

On the keyfob, you can use an escape fob blank and swap the button onto the lightning one (what I did), or just buy from this outfit who did that already https://www.ebay.com/itm/354543983990?epid=24055486141&hash=item528c77dd76:g:1XsAAOSwW89lN~58 Yes, it's kind of ridiculous that the Mach E still doesn't come with a frunk button on the fob, but at least this is solvable.

Interesting. Don't think I had seen that as an option yet (swapping in buttons from other fobs) - at least does simplify it a bit. Will have to give that some thought.

 

[VindictivePantz]

1. The rear wiper arm/blade is honestly ridiculous. It's like someone left that on there as a joke. I know this one has been beaten to death here so I'll just add that I've already ordered a longer arm that I found mentioned somewhere here and will be comparing blade options when the arm gets here. I know the standard option is usually to go for the 15" Trico, but I wanted to try a different route. Will see how it goes and maybe post more detail when that gets here.

I've thought its rear wiper was okay, but another couple of inches would help reduce the dirt under the "shooting break" overhang.

Mine's at the shop for its recall, and I got a Bronco Sport for a loaner. The rear wiper blade is too short and off-center, so I'd say 1/3 of the rear window does not get cleaned on the right side. It's really odd that it's off-center, and so short. Maybe the design department for these needs to get a new measuring tape.

 

[ack154]

I've thought its rear wiper was okay, but another couple of inches would help reduce the dirt under the "shooting break" overhang.

Ya, my biggest issue is probably the angle. I'd be it works fine for most people - but I'm tall and guessing that the angle that I end up looking out the rear window is higher than most based on my seating position. And another couple inches upward beneath that overhang would go a long ways to improving visibility.

I also have a 2 cam dash cam to install at some point from my last car. And I want to be sure there's a spot high enough up with good visibility.

 

[ack154]

I do actually have my first problem to report... been trying to troubleshoot it and gather some data for a couple days. But my driver's door open button no longer lights up or works correctly. All of the other door buttons work fine. But the driver's button won't light up and won't open the door the first time (also doesn't unlock and unfold the mirrors). Even if I unlock with the fob, it still won't open the door the first time.

If I press it one time, the lights flash on the car but the door does nothing. If I press it a second time, it will open the door after a second or so (but the ring light on the button never actually turns on).

I think my one step before calling the dealer is going to be to try to disconnect the negative on the battery for a minute and see if that wakes it up. When looking up this problem, I saw a lot of reports of issues from 2021 and maybe some 2022 models that seemed like one of the modules needed an update. Being a 2023, I'd like to believe my car already has whatever that update/fix was, so this could be something different. But one of the (at least temporary) possible solutions seemed to be disconnecting the battery, so I'm going to give it a shot (and it will give me a chance to take off the front covers for the first time in case I need to get at it again later on).

 

[CompilerBreak]

Interesting. Don't think I had seen that as an option yet (swapping in buttons from other fobs) - at least does simplify it a bit. Will have to give that some thought.

The escape blank button I used was a little snug, used a file to shave down the sides and now it's great. That ebay option looks a bit cheaper now, might be worth the time savings.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Oh... here she is after getting ceramic coated last week (great timing on the coating, I know).

That's a stunning Mach-E, Allan! Welcome to the Ford Family!

 

[ack154]

The escape blank button I used was a little snug, used a file to shave down the sides and now it's great. That ebay option looks a bit cheaper now, might be worth the time savings.

I also found this linked buried in some thread here or Reddit... $10 for an "aftermarket" fob shell with the button instead of buying the Escape fob and swapping (still probably easier to do the eBay one, but this is another option). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Q6CW3YR/

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