Before I Buy...

[killcatfish]

TL;DR Convince me this is the EV for me, please!

OK. I've had 2 mustangs. I've dreamed of a 2015+ 6 sp manual 4 cyl turbo for a while now. For better or worse, insurance stopped me over the past couple of years. I have Carvana coming for my 2011 Tacoma on Wednesday for a good price (My truck is pretty beat up). We do have an odyssey for towing and family trips where we need the space (8/10 year old) and the captains seats have been good for my 8 year old the past 2 years with some car sickness.

My 05 Manual GT became a Prius in 07 as an engagement gift of sorts to my now wife of 12 years. This appeals to me because I love the pony and I want to start doing what I can for the world -- but I'd also find a bit of happiness having a fun talkable ride again

The goal would be for my wife to commute in it 40 miles a day, and then I'd use it for my sons hockey practices and games as often as possible + my own games and anytime its not being commuted in.

1. This is my next '10 year car'. After rebates and trade in I can sort of convince myself I spent under 30k (Select AWD Tech Package). Should I find a way to wait a couple years?

2. Cold and snowy weather: Do I need the AWD? I live in Massachusetts and do go north to mountains for skiing and hockey tournaments and just because its freakin great up there. I didnt use my 4 wheel drive very often on my taco (my first of 2 fenders was in 4 wheel going 20 mph!!).

3. Piggy Backing... What sort of range could I expect going up hill in the winter?

4. Charging times! I am very nervous that I will drive 120 miles and need to charge for 10 hours at an L2 station. What should I expect if I am not doing a single trip on one charge? I am hoping this becomes a family car for all things that don't require an entire minivan of gear or towing.

5. Is a 220V enough for home charging? 40 miles a day for commute, some days another 40 for hockey. Weekends will sometimes use the whole battery for games.

6. I want to Abide by the call in my head to dish out this cash to support what I want to see. But I'm not salary rich, I do have cash enough to buy this and not be too sad to see it go, but with that said, this is my once in a 10 year period new car purchase.

7. Are you ACTUALLY saving money on gas? I add about $750 to my insurance and we have excise tax in MA. Will I actually save some money to recoup that?

OK, thanks!

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[Garbone]

Yes we save money on Gas. With a 2wd Select we do not drive it on the beach. That said a AWD would probably sink just as easily as the car is heavy.

I really do not see AWD to be worth rthe money and loss of range, one the 3 or 4 days a year it would be handy it would probably be healthier to stay close to home anyway. Keep in mind that cold weather eats miles.

A level two charger, even the supplied Ford one would be optimal as in the winter you can warm the battery and cabin on shore power. Put in a 14-50 outlet at the least.

 

[ChasingCoral]

There is a wealth of information in this forum. Start reading the threads and you will learn a tremendous amount about the car. That's where you will find the background behind my brief answers.

1. This is my next '10 year car'. After rebates and trade in I can sort of convince myself I spent under 30k (Select AWD Tech Package). Should I find a way to wait a couple years?

No. Start enjoying driving electric now.

2. Cold and snowy weather: Do I need the AWD? I live in Massachusetts and do go north to mountains for skiing and hockey tournaments and just because its freakin great up there. I didnt use my 4 wheel drive very often on my taco (my first of 2 fenders was in 4 wheel going 20 mph!!).

3. Piggy Backing... What sort of range could I expect going up hill in the winter?

Cold reduces range, perhaps as much as 40%. Whether you feel the need for AWD or not is really personal. However, the RWD will be a good snow performer because of the low, heavy weight.
See threads on AWD vs RWD

4. Charging times! I am very nervous that I will drive 120 miles and need to charge for 10 hours at an L2 station. What should I expect if I am not doing a single trip on one charge? I am hoping this becomes a family car for all things that don't require an entire minivan of gear or towing.

Use tools like PlugShare and A Better Route Planner to check out DC fast chargers where you expect to travel. It takes about 30-40 minutes to charge. There are lots of chargers in the northeast.

5. Is a 220V enough for home charging? 40 miles a day for commute, some days another 40 for hockey. Weekends will sometimes use the whole battery for games.

A 50A 220 circuit with a NEMA 14-50 outlet will be fine. It doesn't sound like you will even need to charge every night. You may not even feel the need to install a separate charger beyond the one that comes with the car.

6. I want to Abide by the call in my head to dish out this cash to support what I want to see. But I'm not salary rich, I do have cash enough to buy this and not be too sad to see it go, but with that said, this is my once in a 10 year period new car purchase.

7. Are you ACTUALLY saving money on gas? I add about $750 to my insurance and we have excise tax in MA. Will I actually save some money to recoup that?

Most people have found the Mach E only slightly increases their insurance rates.

Most of your driving will be from charging the car at home (probably over 95%). Expect to spend about 1/3 in electricity what you spend on gas for the average car. Even DC fast charging is generally a bit cheaper than gas but not much.

 

[JamieGeek]

How far uphill do you need to go? (If you have one of those seriously steep driveways...then yeah AWD may be the way to go.)

I have an RWD (CA Route 1) and drive around in Michigan's winters (didn't have an issue last winter). If you are really concerned about range you may want to consider the Route 1 model: It is the least expensive large battery version (and longest ranged) model of the Mach-E.

As far as saving money on gas: My monthly bill for electricity since I've started driving plugins has hovered around $50/month for 1000 miles (in the winter its a bit higher and in the summer its a bit lower but averages around $50). When driving ICE cars that was usually something like $150 (and when I drove a F-350 it was $350/month) so yeah saving $ on gas.

As far as charging: If you're only driving it 40 miles/day you'll be able to go a few days without having to charge (at least in the summer). In the winter you'll likely be charging every night (another plug for the CA Route 1 as that gives you a bit more freedom here).

 

[Shayne]

No. Start enjoying driving electric now.

Also if you hang onto your vehicles for awhile like some of us what do you think the demand for an ice will be compared to electric 10 years down the road. What do you forecast the market demand on the two different techs be at that time. Once people understand that there is less maintenance and cheaper fuel for electric vehicles will they want a good used EV or ice vehicle? 10 years is a long time to think of futureproofing and almost impossible to do.

I have started enjoying EV driving now.

 

[Carsinmyblood]

TL;DR Convince me this is the EV for me, please!

OK. I've had 2 mustangs. I've dreamed of a 2015+ 6 sp manual 4 cyl turbo for a while now. For better or worse, insurance stopped me over the past couple of years. I have Carvana coming for my 2011 Tacoma on Wednesday for a good price (My truck is pretty beat up). We do have an odyssey for towing and family trips where we need the space (8/10 year old) and the captains seats have been good for my 8 year old the past 2 years with some car sickness.

My 05 Manual GT became a Prius in 07 as an engagement gift of sorts to my now wife of 12 years. This appeals to me because I love the pony and I want to start doing what I can for the world -- but I'd also find a bit of happiness having a fun talkable ride again

The goal would be for my wife to commute in it 40 miles a day, and then I'd use it for my sons hockey practices and games as often as possible + my own games and anytime its not being commuted in.

1. This is my next '10 year car'. After rebates and trade in I can sort of convince myself I spent under 30k (Select AWD Tech Package). Should I find a way to wait a couple years?

2. Cold and snowy weather: Do I need the AWD? I live in Massachusetts and do go north to mountains for skiing and hockey tournaments and just because its freakin great up there. I didnt use my 4 wheel drive very often on my taco (my first of 2 fenders was in 4 wheel going 20 mph!!).

3. Piggy Backing... What sort of range could I expect going up hill in the winter?

4. Charging times! I am very nervous that I will drive 120 miles and need to charge for 10 hours at an L2 station. What should I expect if I am not doing a single trip on one charge? I am hoping this becomes a family car for all things that don't require an entire minivan of gear or towing.

5. Is a 220V enough for home charging? 40 miles a day for commute, some days another 40 for hockey. Weekends will sometimes use the whole battery for games.

6. I want to Abide by the call in my head to dish out this cash to support what I want to see. But I'm not salary rich, I do have cash enough to buy this and not be too sad to see it go, but with that said, this is my once in a 10 year period new car purchase.

7. Are you ACTUALLY saving money on gas? I add about $750 to my insurance and we have excise tax in MA. Will I actually save some money to recoup that?

OK, thanks!

It's good to ask questions. I suggest you spend a week or two using the search function to get general answers to general questions. This site is a monstrously large FAQ.

No, you will not ever need to spend 10 hours at a far away J17 station unless you plug in at a hotel so you can charge over night.

You will not ever be stranded if you plan a long trip.

 

[jlauro]

Unless you drive on a lot of back roads (ie: not well paved and plowed), then RWD should be fine, because of weight probably slightly better than average RWD vehicle. IMHO, the biggest reason for AWD is the acceleration boost, and that alone can make it worth it.

The nice thing about going up hill, is what comes up goes down... and you will gain back a lot of range going down hill. That a concern if you don't make it to the top, but it does mean if you have the range to make a round trip if it was flat, then you should have enough range to make a round trip with a hill in the middle.

 

[Pushrods&Capacitors]

TL;DR Convince me this is the EV for me, please!

OK. I've had 2 mustangs. I've dreamed of a 2015+ 6 sp manual 4 cyl turbo for a while now. For better or worse, insurance stopped me over the past couple of years. I have Carvana coming for my 2011 Tacoma on Wednesday for a good price (My truck is pretty beat up). We do have an odyssey for towing and family trips where we need the space (8/10 year old) and the captains seats have been good for my 8 year old the past 2 years with some car sickness.

My 05 Manual GT became a Prius in 07 as an engagement gift of sorts to my now wife of 12 years. This appeals to me because I love the pony and I want to start doing what I can for the world -- but I'd also find a bit of happiness having a fun talkable ride again

The goal would be for my wife to commute in it 40 miles a day, and then I'd use it for my sons hockey practices and games as often as possible + my own games and anytime its not being commuted in.

1. This is my next '10 year car'. After rebates and trade in I can sort of convince myself I spent under 30k (Select AWD Tech Package). Should I find a way to wait a couple years?

2. Cold and snowy weather: Do I need the AWD? I live in Massachusetts and do go north to mountains for skiing and hockey tournaments and just because its freakin great up there. I didnt use my 4 wheel drive very often on my taco (my first of 2 fenders was in 4 wheel going 20 mph!!).

3. Piggy Backing... What sort of range could I expect going up hill in the winter?

4. Charging times! I am very nervous that I will drive 120 miles and need to charge for 10 hours at an L2 station. What should I expect if I am not doing a single trip on one charge? I am hoping this becomes a family car for all things that don't require an entire minivan of gear or towing.

5. Is a 220V enough for home charging? 40 miles a day for commute, some days another 40 for hockey. Weekends will sometimes use the whole battery for games.

6. I want to Abide by the call in my head to dish out this cash to support what I want to see. But I'm not salary rich, I do have cash enough to buy this and not be too sad to see it go, but with that said, this is my once in a 10 year period new car purchase.

7. Are you ACTUALLY saving money on gas? I add about $750 to my insurance and we have excise tax in MA. Will I actually save some money to recoup that?

OK, thanks!

As others have stated, search the forums and you’ll figure out your answers pretty quickly.

That said, I’d go for it now. However, if you lusted after a 6-sp Ecoboost coupe recently I assume you place a fairly high value on acceleration. If this is the case, then the AWD MMEs are what you’ll likely prefer. The Select AWD is rated at 5.2 to 60, the Premium 4X is 4.8 and the RWD models are 5.8-6.1 depending on battery size. The AWDs are both rated at 428lb ft of torque, whereas the RWDs are 317. It makes a big difference in the initial shove you feel. Plus, you’re in MA so AWD is obviously a benefit in some situations.

The range hit is not enough to worry about if you can charge at home and have a commuting schedule that you describe. Plus, you’ll find the MME has been exceeding its EPA range ratings by a fair amount, unlike Teslas, which can’t seem to ever meet theirs. Check out the Edmunds EV range test to alay your range anxieties.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-range-and-consumption-epa-vs-edmunds.html

Good luck, you really can’t go wrong no matter what you choose.

 

[jaycake]

TL;DR Convince me this is the EV for me, please!

OK. I've had 2 mustangs. I've dreamed of a 2015+ 6 sp manual 4 cyl turbo for a while now. For better or worse, insurance stopped me over the past couple of years. I have Carvana coming for my 2011 Tacoma on Wednesday for a good price (My truck is pretty beat up). We do have an odyssey for towing and family trips where we need the space (8/10 year old) and the captains seats have been good for my 8 year old the past 2 years with some car sickness.

My 05 Manual GT became a Prius in 07 as an engagement gift of sorts to my now wife of 12 years. This appeals to me because I love the pony and I want to start doing what I can for the world -- but I'd also find a bit of happiness having a fun talkable ride again

The goal would be for my wife to commute in it 40 miles a day, and then I'd use it for my sons hockey practices and games as often as possible + my own games and anytime its not being commuted in.

1. This is my next '10 year car'. After rebates and trade in I can sort of convince myself I spent under 30k (Select AWD Tech Package). Should I find a way to wait a couple years?

2. Cold and snowy weather: Do I need the AWD? I live in Massachusetts and do go north to mountains for skiing and hockey tournaments and just because its freakin great up there. I didnt use my 4 wheel drive very often on my taco (my first of 2 fenders was in 4 wheel going 20 mph!!).

3. Piggy Backing... What sort of range could I expect going up hill in the winter?

4. Charging times! I am very nervous that I will drive 120 miles and need to charge for 10 hours at an L2 station. What should I expect if I am not doing a single trip on one charge? I am hoping this becomes a family car for all things that don't require an entire minivan of gear or towing.

5. Is a 220V enough for home charging? 40 miles a day for commute, some days another 40 for hockey. Weekends will sometimes use the whole battery for games.

6. I want to Abide by the call in my head to dish out this cash to support what I want to see. But I'm not salary rich, I do have cash enough to buy this and not be too sad to see it go, but with that said, this is my once in a 10 year period new car purchase.

7. Are you ACTUALLY saving money on gas? I add about $750 to my insurance and we have excise tax in MA. Will I actually save some money to recoup that?

OK, thanks!

I will address point 4 (along with others..) We live on the Cape and the wife's mom lives in Lee. I specifically went with the AWD extended range just so we can visit her and have range in the bank. the EPA says 270 miles for our version of the MachE. google says it's 180 miles to mom's house and there are 2 DC fast chargers "near her house" 1 in Springfield and one at the rest area after the exit for her house. If we start visiting more i've offered to pay for an electrician to add the outlet for the charger that came with the car but that bridge has not been crossed yet.

 

[jaycake]

I'm adding this separately...Do you own or rent?, don't get offended it's a viable question...if you rent a house the owner may not care if you add a charger, apartments and condos bring their own pitfalls. If you own, then do as you will.

 

[killcatfish]

then RWD should be fine

Only AWD has All wheel braking, yea?

 

[jlauro]

Only AWD has All wheel braking, yea?

Only AWD has all wheel regenerative braking. If you push hard enough on the brake pedal all wheels should engage friction brakes even on RWD.

(At least that is my assumption, I don't have RWD so I can't verify by looking at my vehicle...)

 

[timbop]

I debated responding because, well, it's not my job to convince the OP of anything.

Just because I love my car and am thoroughly happy with it doesn't mean someone else will feel the same. Take the time to do some indepth research from folks like @Mach-E VLOG , alex on autos, edmunds.com, etc. Those folks have spent a lot of time with the cars, and have plenty of videos and information about the Model Y and Mach E.

Spending $60k on a car because a bunch of strangers said they loved their cars is probably not a good move

 

[killcatfish]

I will address point 4 (along with others..) We live on the Cape and the wife's mom lives in Lee. I specifically went with the AWD extended range just so we can visit her and have range in the bank. the EPA says 270 miles for our version of the MachE. google says it's 180 miles to mom's house and there are 2 DC fast chargers "near her house" 1 in Springfield and one at the rest area after the exit for her house. If we start visiting more i've offered to pay for an electrician to add the outlet for the charger that came with the car but that bridge has not been crossed yet.

I am trying real hard to stay under the 50k MSRP for the $2500 rebate from the state to do some electrical.

Have you driven in the snow yet?

longer range or awd if you had to choose?

I’m probably ending up with the select awd either way ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[killcatfish]

I'm adding this separately...Do you own or rent?, don't get offended it's a viable question...if you rent a house the owner may not care if you add a charger, apartments and condos bring their own pitfalls. If you own, then do as you will.

We do own. Suggestions on what I install? I have a 110 outlet currently up front.

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