Confused about models / features & options

[Don_23805]

I'm seriously looking at a mach-e and just read the entire (439 page, minus "warnings") owner manual. There were a couple dozen items marked "if equipped". If I go thru the Build My Car routine, there are not a lot of options, leading me to believe that many of the "if equipped" features are specific to one of the 3 currently available models: Select ($43000, std batt, AWD opt); Premium ($47000, ext batt, AWD opt); CA RT 1 ($50000, ext batt, RWD only). Forget about future GT model.
The hierarchy would seem to be by price, but if I want ext batt and AWD, it looks like the Premium. What features am I missing out on with this "middle model" vs the "top" CA RT 1 ?
I'm guessing there's a lot more expertise on this forum than I'd see visiting my local dealer.
TIA
Don

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[Mach-E VLOG]

I'm seriously looking at a mach-e and just read the entire (439 page, minus "warnings") owner manual. There were a couple dozen items marked "if equipped". If I go thru the Build My Car routine, there are not a lot of options, leading me to believe that many of the "if equipped" features are specific to one of the 3 currently available models: Select ($43000, std batt, AWD opt); Premium ($47000, ext batt, AWD opt); CA RT 1 ($50000, ext batt, RWD only). Forget about future GT model.
The hierarchy would seem to be by price, but if I want ext batt and AWD, it looks like the Premium. What features am I missing out on with this "middle model" vs the "top" CA RT 1 ?
I'm guessing there's a lot more expertise on this forum than I'd see visiting my local dealer.
TIA
Don

Check out the model summaries I put here: https://machevlog.com/mach-e-models-2/
And if you click on each model you can see what comes with that model and the options for it. I think it can still be a bit confusing, but I hope that helps.

 

[Jimrpa]

I don’t think the CA Rt 1 is the “top spec” model. I think it’s meant to be the ultimate longest range model. Hence, no second motor, etc. I suspect if they could have pulled more weight out they would have.

 

[JamieGeek]

I'm seriously looking at a mach-e and just read the entire (439 page, minus "warnings") owner manual. There were a couple dozen items marked "if equipped". If I go thru the Build My Car routine, there are not a lot of options, leading me to believe that many of the "if equipped" features are specific to one of the 3 currently available models: Select ($43000, std batt, AWD opt); Premium ($47000, ext batt, AWD opt); CA RT 1 ($50000, ext batt, RWD only). Forget about future GT model.
The hierarchy would seem to be by price, but if I want ext batt and AWD, it looks like the Premium. What features am I missing out on with this "middle model" vs the "top" CA RT 1 ?
I'm guessing there's a lot more expertise on this forum than I'd see visiting my local dealer.
TIA
Don

The Premium is the top model.

A California Route 1 is a Select with a big battery and RWD only.

If you want to pick and choose which options you get order a Premium.

 

[JamieGeek]

I don’t think the CA Rt 1 is the “top spec” model. I think it’s meant to be the ultimate longest range model. Hence, no second motor, etc. I suspect if they could have pulled more weight out they would have.

CA Rt 1 has a glass roof as I can see the sky every time I sit in mine--unless it has no roof at all then its pretty dark out.

 

[Dangerfish]

A comparison of all models is listed at the bottom of the page. I personally would not consider the Rt1 to be better equipped than the Premium. https://www.ford.com/suvs/mach-e/?bannerid=25050848|222148|292662929|145524165|488505487

 

[ARK]

Check out this specs comparison handout from Ford. The Premium is actually more feature rich than the RT1. The RT1 slots between the Select and Premium, but it’s starting price is higher because all RT1s are Extended Range RWD whereas you can get the Premium in Standard Range RWD, Extended Range RWD, Standard Range AWD, and Extended Range AWD.

I believe big differences between Premium and RT1 are Premium has the upgraded sound system (which makes for a different interior, e.g. that B&O soundbar you might have read about is a Premium thing), heated seats, larger wheels, maybe different lights, not sure on this last one.

 

[Don_23805]

Thanx for all the quick, expert answers. Looks like the Premium is the way to go.
Couple other issues . . .

Is the glass roof clear or heavily tinted? Hard to tell from the videos. The sunroof on my Ridgeline always seems to be ponted into the sun, but there is always the cover to slide in. Looks like no such thing on the mach-e. Problem?

Do folk tend to leave the charger cord permanently connected at home? Stashing it for every trip seems like a nuisance. If you stop at a charging station, it has its own cord. The only reason to bring you own seems to be if you're visiting friends and need to plug into their 120V outlet. Most people wouldn't have a 240v outlet of the right type near a parking area. Maybe you just get a 120v cord to carry from amazon. I have a spare 240v 60a circuit that I could relocate to the driveway and permanently leave the charging cord connected.

TIA
Don

 

[stroszek]

Another use case for the plug is RV Parks on road trips, L2 chargers of last resort.

 

[ARK]

Thanx for all the quick, expert answers. Looks like the Premium is the way to go.
Couple other issues . . .

Is the glass roof clear or heavily tinted? Hard to tell from the videos. The sunroof on my Ridgeline always seems to be ponted into the sun, but there is always the cover to slide in. Looks like no such thing on the mach-e. Problem?

Do folk tend to leave the charger cord permanently connected at home? Stashing it for every trip seems like a nuisance. If you stop at a charging station, it has its own cord. The only reason to bring you own seems to be if you're visiting friends and need to plug into their 120V outlet. Most people wouldn't have a 240v outlet of the right type near a parking area. Maybe you just get a 120v cord to carry from amazon. I have a spare 240v 60a circuit that I could relocate to the driveway and permanently leave the charging cord connected.

TIA
Don

I think most people plan to get a charger specifically for there home, and leave the one in the car for when they might be somewhere where they may need their own plug. There are some really long threads discussing the merits of various chargers (see here). This article also talks about some of the more well-known brands. Also, technically, you might see the 'charger' referred to an EVSE which refers to Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment - the charger itself on all EVs is actually located within the car, you can think of what people install outside of the car as fancy cables that do a lot to safely manage the substantial electricity involved.

Anyway, the long and short of it is, 'chargers' vary in price based on how feature rich they are. There are some 'dumb' chargers in the $400-$500 range that just supply electricity, and there are chargers in the $700-$800 range that have every bell and whistle in terms of a dedicated app to track how much you charged, a wifi connection so you can make adjustments from your phone as your car charges, charging schedules, etc. But you can do a lot of this directly from the car itself anyway, so don't necessarily need the fanciest charger out there, but some utilities give greater rebates on installing the more expensive varieties. It depends on how into it you want to get, specifically with how much tracking and customization ability you may want.

 

[Don_23805]

I don't see anything in the specs that tell how much the charger can draw at 240 volts.
Don

 

[macchiaz-o]

I don't see anything in the specs that tell how much the charger can draw at 240 volts.
Don

The car's built in charger supports up to 48 amps and roughly 11.5 kilowatts.

With the included EVSE, up to 32 amps.

 

[macchiaz-o]

Helpful packaging guide:

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/2021-mach-e-mustang-product-packaging-guide.887/

 

[Don_23805]

one more . . .
Does regenerative braking only come into effect in "one pedal" mode?
I'd guess that shifting into LOW would also do that, too.
Do you get enough back to notice in the instrumentation? Don't recall seeing a reference to a charge / discharge gauge like my Honda CR-Z has.

 

[JamieGeek]

one more . . .
Does regenerative braking only come into effect in "one pedal" mode?
I'd guess that shifting into LOW would also do that, too.
Do you get enough back to notice in the instrumentation? Don't recall seeing a reference to a charge / discharge gauge like my Honda CR-Z has.

The brake pedal is a blended brake. When you first hit the pedal you get regen down to a certain speed until the friction brakes kick in.

Sometimes you can tell and sometimes you can't (e.g. sometimes the friction brakes grab pretty hard).

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