After Two Years and 30,000 Miles... Long Term Owner Review

[Ashlander]

Two years ago today, I flew to Denver to pick up Sonic - my Grabber Blue FE - and drive him home to Wichita. That odyssey is detailed here. Sonic is Blucifer's twin and I was only able to get him due to a cancelled pre-order by @Mach-E VLOG. 29,900 miles later, here is my two-year review....

Much of this is copied from my 1yr review, with updates. I have no regrets. I would absolutely buy it again. My timing was fortuitous because I was able to locate a cancelled pre-order Grabber Blue First Edition at X-Plan pricing just before the global markets went to hell and car prices went through the roof (and have you seen the price at the pump now LOL?!)

Pros:

• The exterior styling is gorgeous. Way better than the frumpy androgynous people-mover lump of a Model Y, or the Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ionic 5. The Grabber Blue is not only the fastest color - it is gorgeous. It pops in the day and practically glows at night. Fit and finish are flawless. I think it is still the best looking EV on the road in this price class.
• Mechanically the car is nearly flawless, aside from a couple of issues I'll detail below.
• My 4X has plenty of giddy up. Not quite as quick as a comparable MY, but not a big enough difference to care.
• The interior is very comfortable and refined. Nice little touches like blue contrast stitching and soft touch materials give the cabin a very refined feel. Front and rear passenger space is perfectly adequate, and the cabin is quiet - much quieter than the MY.
• The infotainment screen gives the car a suitably futuristic air while maintaining most of the comforts of a more traditional vehicle. Unlike the MY, I get a driver instrument cluster. Unlike the MY, I don't have to tap into the menu to activate my wipers or open the freaking glove box. And I get that glorious KNOB that is so easy to use (and now multifunction!) The latest 4.1.2 refresh made several nice enhancements, but see one big con below.
• Trunk and frunk capacity are quite good for a car of this size. The floor lays perfectly flat. Don't believe any numbers that suggest the MY has more cargo capacity - the capacity is basically the same and comes down to the specific dimension of your luggage (or banana boxes).
• The infotainment screen is generally quite easy to use and responsive, with only a few negatives addressed below.
• Ford's suite of driver assistance features generally works quite well. Blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alerts, adaptive cruise control, and lane centering all work well. BlueCruise Hands Free is nice on long highway drives, but there are cons listed below.
• PAAK generally works well, at least once I'm in the car, but see cons below.

Cons:

• Public charging remains my biggest complaint. Two years later, the network has not meaningfully improved in Kansas. Midwest road trips require careful planning and if the charging station doesn't work, you're in for a major headache. Not having 800v architecture is becoming a more evident deficiency when it comes to charging speed.
• OTA updates are still painfully slow to deploy. An update typically takes months to be pushed to all cars. Even in Early Access, I had to wait over a month to receive 4.1.2 and I ultimately had to make a trip to the service center to get "unstuck."
• TWO YEARS LATER, I still cannot turn off the Alarm Interior Motion Sensors.
• TWO YEARS LATER, my car still reverts to Guest Profile every time I remote start.
• TWO YEARS LATER, I still don't have one-tap access to open my trunk.
• Ford's latest UI refresh whiffed on some softballs, detailed here.
• The "sport tuned" suspension is stiffer than I would like.
• BlueCruise Hands Free cuts out sometimes, and not just on curves. Ford wants me to pay $600 (plus tax) by end of this month to subscribe for another three years, but has not committed to giving me BC1.2. I'm not going to subscribe to software unless Ford commits to keep it updated with the latest version.
• PAAK frequently makes me wait several seconds before allowing me to open the doors from the outside. Once I'm in the car, it almost always detects the key.
• The driver screen buzzes. Ford replaced my screen and the new one buzzes less, but it's still there. Weird that Ford can't source a driver screen that is silent like the much larger infotainment screen.
• Communication from Ford is generally poor. Don't get me wrong, as an early adopter and vociferous forum participant, Ford has interacted with me several times at a fairly high level, and I appreciate that. But Ford could clear up a lot of confusion if it would provide more detail as to what various updates do. There's a ton that we just don't know, and it makes things like tracking down bug resolutions quite difficult.
• FordPass could be cleaner, and put essential charge management on the home page.

Some of these gripes are fairly minor, some are not, but overall I love the car and I would do it again. The only reason I'd recommend anyone buy a Tesla at this point is if they (1) take so many road trips that they need the greater DCFC reliability, or (2) if they plan to drop the $12,500 extra on Full Self Driving.

Great job @Ford Motor Company!! But seriously, read the Super Poll and get us more of these software enhancements!

I just turned off the driver profile feature because it often reverted to Guest. Since I'm the only one driving my car anyway all my presets remain in place and I no longer have the profile issue.

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[eastern refugee]

I have two 2021.
1. FE
2. Premium AWD extended battery

1. Being bought out by Ford-lemon law
2. Cannot get updates past 2.7. Mine is at 4.2 and my wife is at 2.7. Not sure why there is such a disparity. Had we not had the FE she would not even know about ALL of the updates that she is missing. Dealer says time and again that she is up to date.

Am I the only one with this update issue on a 2021 that is NOT an FE???

 

[kellstd]

Thank you for the informative and well-written review. I am also coming up on 2 years and would echo some of your concerns. I have not had the update issues and the buzzing complaint, however. I have had the HVBJB replaced and recently noticed that charging speed has degraded at my home level 2 charger. The dealer replaced the charging port and it appears that the issue has been resolved. However, I haven't yet tried DCFC since the replacement- previously the car would not charge faster than 47 kW at EA 150 or 250 kW chargers. Will keep you posted. Overall, I love the car and would purchase again. As an early adopter with a first generation car, I expected issues. So far, I have been very happy with the way both Ford customer service and my Ford dealer (Fullerton Ford in Somerville, NJ) have handled these issues.

 

[Chris D]

Greatly informative as always.
Getting a bit concerned though, reading all this.
I got seduced by the Mach-E after a test drive and ordered it as company car.
My previous ones were Audi's and BMW 5 series (yep, I live in Europe).
I actually love American cars (my dad had a Monte Carlo '77). Hope I'm not going to be sorry to have switched the Germans out for the Americans
So looking forward to my new pony!

 

[eastern refugee]

Greatly informative as always.
Getting a bit concerned though, reading all this.
I got seduced by the Mach-E after a test drive and ordered it as company car.
My previous ones were Audi's and BMW 5 series (yep, I live in Europe).
I actually love American cars (my dad had a Monte Carlo '77). Hope I'm not going to be sorry to have switched the Germans out for the Americans
So looking forward to my new pony!

When i found out that my 2021 FE was being bought out by Ford, I IMMEDIATELY ordered a 2023 Mach E GT. I ordered it in December and it goes into production next Monday in Cyber Orange.

In short, the first generation like any car has issues. I LOVE my FE because it was an FE> I cannot blame Ford because my car has ever increasing electrical issues. My Wife's 2021 has update issues but that is all. CHILL/RELAX....The ONLY real issue with these cars and ALL BEV are the infrastructure issues of not enough charging stations. Now Tesla is using ours as well since theirs jumped to $0.51 per KWH.

Actually the BIGGEST issue with charging is that Hyundai and I think VW have 3 years of FREE electrical charging so as such they will sit there charging until 100 %. I watched a lady getting 7$ charging on her fracking Hyundai while there was a line of BEV waiting to charge. Electrify America needs to just turn the charging off automatically at 80% or charge $1.00 for every minute over 80% whether it is free charging or not. Now that would make the infrastructure a LOT better immediately.

 

[Chris D]

When i found out that my 2021 FE was being bought out by Ford, I IMMEDIATELY ordered a 2023 Mach E GT. I ordered it in December and it goes into production next Monday in Cyber Orange.

In short, the first generation like any car has issues. I LOVE my FE because it was an FE> I cannot blame Ford because my car has ever increasing electrical issues. My Wife's 2021 has update issues but that is all. CHILL/RELAX....The ONLY real issue with these cars and ALL BEV are the infrastructure issues of not enough charging stations. Now Tesla is using ours as well since theirs jumped to $0.51 per KWH.

Actually the BIGGEST issue with charging is that Hyundai and I think VW have 3 years of FREE electrical charging so as such they will sit there charging until 100 %. I watched a lady getting 7$ charging on her fracking Hyundai while there was a line of BEV waiting to charge. Electrify America needs to just turn the charging off automatically at 80% or charge $1.00 for every minute over 80% whether it is free charging or not. Now that would make the infrastructure a LOT better immediately.

You're right, I'm not going to start worrying about it. I loved the Mach-E from the very first minute I got into it. The looks, the interior, so much more emotion than the electric competition.
I'll just enjoy waiting to get it. And I honestly don't care about the PAAK, etc. A keyfob is fine for me as long as the car drives comfortably and has some decent horse power.
Luckily, while I do long commutes abroad for work, there's enough charging stations on all highways I use to go to visit my customers.

 

[lweisenthal]

Once again, how the bar has lowered to almost the ground.

Your list of cons is quite extensive.

I purchased a 2022 Prius in March of last year and it now has 27,000 miles (close to what you have).

Nice post though and have fun with your ride for the years to come.

Prius has been around since 1997. Mach E since 2020. I kind of think that, come 2046, the Mach E will have ironed out all the bugs, despite being a vastly more complex machine than the initial Prius.

I've owned my own Mach E for 2 full years now. It's in all respects an utterly brilliant car; absolutely no non-trivial complaints - I just got back from a trip wherein I rented a Tesla 3. The only thing I found more cool was the cute little vehicle icons all around me, on the screen. But Tesla has also had a massive head start.

Like I said, Mach E is a brilliant car. I'm recommending it to both of my kids - both young professional moms.

- Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach CA

 

[eastern refugee]

I rented a Tesla 3 while my MME was in the shop. What a TOTAL crap car

1.NOT ONE USB port in the entire car. For an electric car to NOT have a USB plug is insane

2. I get in and out if my MME very easily. In the Tesla you literally fall into the car and have to climb out of it. I guess the SUV aspect I find more comfortable

3. the cute screen which really is cute does NOT tell you how close the car is next to you. I like looking at my side view mirror and when it stops blinking I can easily move over

4. I HATE not having a speedometer directly in front of me blinking when I sort of exceed the speed limit.

 

[Nathan R Jessep]

I'm past my 1 year anniversary with my GT and I agree with the OP on most positive points why I like the Car

On the cons do, my main one (and its a big one) is reliability, I had the infamous HVBJB Problem that took quite some time resolve, have had a door component replaced and now a front camera issue that was not fixed with TSB 23-2040 so back at the shop.

I was prepared to have some first - EV issues, but I think Ford (and its Dealers) were not prepared to service these EV's and they are still not there yet.

Same goes for the charging infrastructure as stated by OP, its not where it needs to be and TESLA is much better in this regard

To be fair, both these issues are not only a problem Ford is having, as most first generation EV's are having similar issues, but I was naively expecting Ford to be better prepared.

If I had none of these reliability issues I would say I'm very happy with the Car.

I don't have issues withe the usual complaints:
PaaK works, No Screen Buzz, Have Frunk btn, Car is up to date with 4.1.3 (and I'm not in early access)

BUT, until I get the car to be out of service with issues for at least 6 months I'm not a Happy Camper.

I've only had mine since mid-December and when it runs, I love it!! That being said, I've already had the SVS and SSN messages. When I got the last one the car was bricked and wouldn't start at all. Had to have it towed and it's been nearly two weeks at the dealer (first they said the tech who they needed to work on it was swapping an engine and then they couldn't get the part from Detroit). I didn't buy it from my local dealer, so I can't even throw a fit about how long they've had it or about them not offering a rental/loaner.

Anyway, I am praying that this issue is my last. My wife has a 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited which we bought used and she's put 60k + on it since we got it and it has had no where near the problems my car with less than 18k has had in 3 months......

Beautiful car. Head turner. And a blast to drive, but the dependibility is starting to make me real nervous.......

I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Terence Murphy]

My 2021 job 2 premium 4x is turning 1 year old this week, with a mere 5500 miles. I’d kinda like to drive it more, but not enough to trade in my telework schedule! Previous car was a 2006 Prius with 280k miles. Truly a remarkable piece of engineering to last so well for so long. Those miles were from the BC days, if you didn’t guess.

My MME is in the no problems camp, I think. No buzzing screen - I’m sure I’d notice that. Some of the other complaints I just never bother with, so I wouldn’t know.

One item I do wonder about is Blue Cruise. Whenever I read a post about someone who loves it, I wonder if I should take mine in because I find it wanders way too much to be safe. I try to squash my fear and let it bounce around a bit but can’t stand it more than 30 seconds before my sanity takes over. Is there a way to test if all the cameras are working right? The 360 view and I think all the proximity sensors work.

Would I buy again? Probably not at this price, given how little I’m driving. But I’m glad to have made the EV plunge, and look forward to a real charging infrastructure and lower price points.

 

[eastern refugee]

I've only had mine since mid-December and when it runs, I love it!! That being said, I've already had the SVS and SSN messages. When I got the last one the car was bricked and wouldn't start at all. Had to have it towed and it's been nearly two weeks at the dealer (first they said the tech who they needed to work on it was swapping an engine and then they couldn't get the part from Detroit). I didn't buy it from my local dealer, so I can't even throw a fit about how long they've had it or about them not offering a rental/loaner.

Anyway, I am praying that this issue is my last. My wife has a 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited which we bought used and she's put 60k + on it since we got it and it has had no where near the problems my car with less than 18k has had in 3 months......

Beautiful car. Head turner. And a blast to drive, but the dependibility is starting to make me real nervous.......

I hope I'm wrong.

my 2021 FE is being bought back by ford for the bricking aspect. I ordered a Mach e GT. Keep your paperwork. You might need it.

 

[Jim_I]

My Premium R/W Drive X/Range battery MME will be two years old on March 30th. I am at 10K miles.

All in all, I am very happy with the interior and exterior looks, how the car drives, and the EV range. I guess I am lucky in that we do not have a buzzing screen.

I have had a few hardware problems, which have all been fixed. Brake pads seized to the rotors, the roof and windshield resealing debacles, replacing the charge port cable, and a blown tire. My only hardware concern is the HVBJB issue which hangs over all our heads, which makes me nervous about a long range trip.

I believe that my dealership issues all relate to the fact that they do not have enough techs with enough experience on these vehicles. Being told that "the tech is not available" (does that mean they only have 1??) is a real concern when this is our only vehicle. If Ford is truly intent on going all-in on EV's and they intend to keep the dealership model, this needs to be corrected. Every time I have brought the car in for service I get told they have to call the Ford techs for support. This is not good. Now I do admit that the dealership has paid for a loaner vehicle in most cases. But driving a POS Toyota Corolla for two weeks while they try to figure out why they can't update the software or to re-glue the roof and windshield is not the "Ford Experience" I expected.

But it is the minor software problems that are the most irritating! Like I said, this is our only vehicle, so I have set up profiles for myself and my wife. We use the fobs, and they are correctly linked to the profiles. But for some reason, more than 60% of the time, when I get into the car and power it up, it sets to my wife's settings. Same for her, she gets in and it puts up my profile - she REALLY hates this about the car! Now pressing the number on the door to correct it is not that big of a deal, but why is this not fixed? Ford HAS to know about it There are several other software issues that have been discussed here over the last two years, so there is no reason to list them all again. Same with not having the rear liftgate button on the main screen. I have pretty much given up that Ford is going to fix this, so I am going to add a hardwired button as shown in this thread.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/adding-an-inside-liftgate-power-switch.6560/

And what is the big deal about the frunk electric release? Some people have it, most job-1 cars like mine don't. If it is a problem that the car is missing some hardware component that was not installed when these cars were built, just tell me! Come up with a solution and a price, and if I think it is worth it, I will pay to have it installed. But that makes it my decision. Ford just ignoring this does not make me to be inclined to buy another vehicle from them when it is time to update to a new vehicle.

Honesty is the best policy. Be honest and I will be a loyal customer. Hide and deflect from valid complaints, and I will look elsewhere next time. It really is that simple.

Jim

 

[Mirak]

And what is the big deal about the frunk electric release? Some people have it, most job-1 cars like mine don't. If it is a problem that the car is missing some hardware component that was not installed when these cars were built, just tell me!

Your car has all the necessary hardware. Try using you passcode + the 7/8 button on the door keypad and see what happens… Ford just hasn’t updated the software to enable frunk button in SYNC or FordPass yet for the 2021 J1s and they have never explained why. See your lack of communication.

 

[kdonnel]

1.NOT ONE USB port in the entire car. For an electric car to NOT have a USB plug is insane

The Tesla M3 actually has one more USB port than the MME.

There are 2 inside the center console, 2 on the back side of the center console, and 1 in the glove box for a total of 5 compared to the MME count of 4.

 

[Msnwcpa]

Once again, how the bar has lowered to almost the ground.

Your list of cons is quite extensive.

I purchased a 2022 Prius in March of last year and it now has 27,000 miles (close to what you have).

Now while I realize that I own a car that is in it's last year before the new revision came out this year, I have zero issues with this car. If you look at almost any review of this car, it comes out squeaky clean.

There are zero mechanical and electronic issues. None.

Now with that being said, when I compare the quality of both interior and exterior parts with my MME, there is no comparison. The Prius is so much better.

The thing I like the most about the MME is the looks and the "fun to drive" part of it. After that, it reminds me of my Pontiac Grand Am and Chrysler LeBaron that I used to own.

Those too were a good looking car (IMHO) and were fun to drive. After a few months into driving these cars the "funness" was starting to wear thin with the little issues that I was having. The "con" list was getting lenghty.

I would love to say to people that ask about my MME how great it is but I honestly can't bring myself to do so. If they ask about my Prius I tell them it may quite be the ugliest car that I have ever owned but it is the best car that I have ever owned quality wise.

Ford has some of the most loyal customers on the planet. I want them to succeed with the MME (because I own one mainly) but I want them to get their act together so I can purchase another one without anxiety. If Japan can make a car that starts out at around 26k and has very few problems, why in the heck can't Ford with a car that starts at the 40k mark?

I am truly glad that you enjoy your car and would do it again but I am one that is not there yet. I will shop around when purchasing another EV.

Nice post though and have fun with your ride for the years to come.

Have a 2008 Prius with over 200k miles, it has barely cost me a $79/- service every 5k miles. I replaced the starter battery once, water pump once and brake pads once at 110k miles. Cv boots replaced. Still gets me 42Miles/gallon and has spent not a single full day at the service center.

My Nov 2022 MME premium has been in the shop entire May 2023. I was just looking where to test drive the new Prius Prime

Funny thing is I still love the quiet interior and beauty of the MACH E. I go every 3 days to the dealership to see my car lying in the Bay dead

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