All hail the frunk 😀 "Electric Cars’ Most Divisive Feature"

[MisterSofa]

It seems like you're trying to frame the presence of a frunk, or maybe easy access to open the frunk, as THE buy or don't buy decision, when no one ever claimed it so.

I bought a car. It's main purpose is to get me to and from work and errands and home.

I could have achieved this goal with the car I already owned. So my decision to fork over lots of money was made while considering many other factors besides basic transportation.

The frunk, its size, location, and convenience of access, were amongst the many deciding factors.

I paid for the frunk. If it weren't available, the vehicle would be less competitive and not able to command the same buyer interest, so it should be priced lower without it.

Oh please. Would you have bought the Mach E if it didn't have a frunk. Simple question.

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[MisterSofa]

It’s a great place to chill with. Bowl of kibble.

A great dog. Lucky man

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

How many owners needed a frunk before buying their Mach E? Was that the main reason you purchased it? Why can't you just put your crap in the rear hatch? Never had a frunk yet and I'm sure I won't be using it.

Items in the rear area of the Mach-e may be visible to those nosy types outside the car. You might not want them seeing what’s just a couple of feet from them. Items in the Frunk are not visible except to former residents of Krypton.

Frunks serve a useful purpose. And it was a factor in deciding whether to buy the MME or not. And as some one who is taller than most, and long legged I can say that having a frunk isn’t the slightest inconvenience or pain.

 

[MisterSofa]

Items in the rear area of the Mach-e may be visible to those nosy types outside the car. You might not want them seeing what’s just a couple of feet from them. Items in the Frunk are not visible except to former residents of Krypton.

Frunks serve a useful purpose. And it was a factor in deciding whether to buy the MME or not. And as some one who is taller than most, and long legged I can say that having a frunk isn’t the slightest inconvenience or pain.

So you are saying if it didn't have a frunk, you wouldn't have purchased it?

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

So you are saying if it didn't have a frunk, you wouldn't have purchased it?

Probably not, I’d likely have passed. Everything is a compromise in a car purchase. Not having a place to hide things out of sight is a bad thing imo. There are too many EVs with the features I wanted to pass on having a frunk. If the MME had been designed without one I’d have either bought something else (unlikely as I did not need this car), or I’d have waited until something came along that had a frunk that I wanted, such as s Lightning.

 

[MisterSofa]

Probably not, I’d likely have passed. Everything is a compromise in a car purchase. Not having a place to hide things out of sight is a bad thing imo. There are too many EVs with the features I wanted to pass on having a frunk. If the MME had been designed without one I’d have either bought something else (unlikely as I did not need this car), or I’d have waited until something came along that had a frunk that I wanted, such as s Lightning.

Wow. I guess I do not appreciate it since I never had a frunk. To me it's meaningless. But when I get my delivery, Ill see for sure.

 

[RicoSuave1911]

My frunk was a hit at the college football tailgate this weekend. It created many looks, conversations and pictures (this one was taken by a friend later in the tailgate after the ice melted down a bit). I probably ended up selling at least a solid five MMEs for @Ford Motor Company on Saturday. LOL

There was even a "they shouldn't have called it a Mustang" guy that by the end of the tailgate was talking about going to his dealership to test drive one after some education and saw how much the ladies (and others) were attracted to it. He even said, "I know Karma is a (expletive), but can I put a couple of drinks in your cooler to help keep them cold? LOL"

 

[sotek2345]

I hope you end up enjoying it. Two uses I found that I wasn't anticipating were:

Temperature control (season): Keep items you need to keep hot in the summer or cold in the winter in the Frunk to keep them out of the cars climate control.

Takeout in general: Keep the smells, and potential leaks, of takeout food out of your car. If anything leaks in the frunk, just wash it out with a hose!

 

[ripperAZ]

Meh. Click bait. There’s nothing divisive about Frunks at all. Your ev either has one, in which case it’s a leading edge automobile design with the consumer in mind and a step above the rest of the market, or it doesn’t have a Frunk. In the latter case the Frunkless EV is sign of poor engineering, thoughtless design and indicates everything associated with the car is inferior and is the equivalent of a 1991 Yugo.

LOL. I can see it now the 2024 Mercedes Benz, Maybach, EQSYugo Hatchback. $299K.
Jes sayin. Frunk on.

 

[timbop]

Did you buy your EV because of the frunk?

Your argument is clearly an attempt at reductio ad absurdum. No, I did not choose the Mach-E simply because it had a frunk. Nor did I buy it specifically for PaaK, wireless AA, voice commands, memory seats, mood lighting, youtube, built-in nav, etc. Having those things, I use many of them. Going forward, potential customers compare the lists of features each car has, weigh the value of those features, and the sum is what makes a customer choose a particular car. The presence of a frunk that takes advantage of the extra space is a feature that can contribute to the desirability of a car for some people. I find mine very handy, as do others.

What you want, like, and use is not the same thing as everyone else. The fact that you cannot imagine something being useful doesn't mean that others don't find that it is.

And a Selectric is a very popular model of device that could put words onto piece of paper. IBM sold millions of units a year for a long time until something better came along.

 

[Nemy]

Your argument is clearly an attempt at reductio ad absurdum.

I think we just call it trolling now. But I agree with everything else you said .

And I would not buy another EV without a frunk. But if @MisterSofa is already "sure I won't be using it" before they get their car, there's no arguing with that logic. Good thing PAAK and BlueCruise can be deactivated too.

Seems like wasted cargo space, though. And people certainly do make car purchases based on cargo space.

 

[Secret Sauce]

An interesting and somewhat strange discussion. I've had my MME since July and have opened the frunk only a few times, and though I've tried, have never found any purpose for which it is suitable or convenient. Maybe I will some day, but not yet.

Overlooked in this conversation is why the frunk exists. In a way it isn't a feature at all, it's the leftover space created by Ford's marketing of the car. They wanted it to look more Mustang-like and that required the aggressive muscle-car look of a long hood where the engine used to be. So in terms of form following function It's really the product of a backwards-looking design concept. Having owned an EV without one previously I appreciated that car (a Bolt) was about a foot and half shorter than the MME because GM didn't create space up front just to figure out later why.

I find it kind of humorous that some say wouldn't buy an EV without a frunk. Seems to me what they're really saying is they like the look of the car. So do I, but that's hardly the point of the frunk.

 

[Darauk]

So you are saying if it didn't have a frunk, you wouldn't have purchased it?

Frunk did not factor into my purchase decision. I wanted an EV. I didn't like the look of Tesla. I didn't like the look or features of Nissan, Chevy, and other lower price-point EVs. I didn't like the price of the (arguably awesome looking) German EV options.

So, no, I would have still purchased my Mach-E even if it didn't have a frunk.

That said, I use the frunk. I use it every day. It's where I keep a heavy winter blanket and my roadside "emergency kit" (flashlight, rain poncho, tire gauge, multitool, etc., etc., etc.). And it still has space for quick grocery runs. I don't want the blanket or kit sliding about in the cargo area.

Based on some of the fun comments in this thread, I now could see using it as a drink cooler. And I will definitely use it to store takeout food to keep the interior food smell free.

 

[hprose]

A whimsical, fun read…

The frunk

The Front Trunk Is Electric Cars’ Most Divisive Feature
The “frunk” that comes standard with most electric vehicles is proving the best kind of marketing engine: one that runs on its own.

Link: https://stocks.apple.com/AHviL1aSRQU2VP0PJZgJrlg

My 74 Pantera had a frunk and a trunk.

 

[MisterSofa]

How many owners needed a frunk before buying their Mach E? Was that the main reason you purchased it? Why can't you just put your crap in the rear hatch? Never had a frunk yet and I'm sure I won't be using it.

First of all I want to apologize to all the frunk people. I feel like an idiot. I love it. I didn’t know you can open it on Ford Pass. Great for groceries and take out food. My wife is 4’ 10”. I think she could fit in there.

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