Consumer Reports reviews for Mach-E & Polestar 2

[cargo]

The door handles are great, it takes about 3 times until it is completely natural and works in one motion.

Reminds me of the criticism Honda took for the push-button shifting in their cars. All the reviewers hated it. When you drive a car for a day or two, of course it will be different than what you are used to, but when you own one, those little things become second nature very quickly. It's a freakin' button to push, how hard is it?

Same thing with the Mach-E doors. They're great.

Just got an MDX love the push to shift, Wish they did that for the Mach E so it was out of the way near the screen more instead of the dial

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[Davedough]

Huh. Polestar 2 is my backup plan in case Ford severely messes up my order like they did my reservation. It’s a shame to see it rated that low and listed as uninspired

 

[timbop]

You would think CR would actually do research here; in every road test the MME has beaten a comparable MY, but the lazy reporting of EPA continues. And as mentioned, the charging times weren't even discussed which is odd as that's one of their negative bullet points.

Overall a disappointing effort by CR

 

[timbop]

The door handles are great, it takes about 3 times until it is completely natural and works in one motion.

Reminds me of the criticism Honda took for the push-button shifting in their cars. All the reviewers hated it. When you drive a car for a day or two, of course it will be different than what you are used to, but when you own one, those little things become second nature very quickly. It's a freakin' button to push, how hard is it?

Same thing with the Mach-E doors. They're great.

Yes, it makes you wonder how long they actually drove the car.

 

[nhdave]

First, people have to remember that CR has always despised American car brands. A classic example: Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon/Plymouth Laser. The Eclipse was heralded as the pinnacle of superiority of Japanese engineering excellence and manufacturing process superiority, while the Talon and Laser were derided as just more examples of American engineering mediocrity produced by over-entitled UAW workers, more concerned with producing quality picket signs than quality products. Never mind the fact that all three were identical cars, designed by the same engineers, and manufactured on the same line by the same people.

So, first, you have to completely discount the CR “American manufacturers suck” bias. That’s where cracks about “fussy door handles” come from.

The rest of the review is pretty tepid and devoid of any substantive information or conclusions on which a informed consumer could make a purchase decision. You’d learn more from a Munro video.

Totally Agree

 

[Jimrpa]

You would think CR would actually do research here; in every road test the MME has beaten a comparable MY, but the lazy reporting of EPA continues. And as mentioned, the charging times weren't even discussed which is odd as that's one of their negative bullet points.

Overall a disappointing effort by CR

Correction: “Overall a typical effort by CR”
You’re welcome

 

[Jimrpa]

Just got an MDX love the push to shift, Wish they did that for the Mach E so it was out of the way near the screen more instead of the dial

Actually, they don’t use push-button shifters because that’s an exclusive to Lincoln as a brand differentiator. Rotary is Ford, push-button is Lincoln. By the way, for those who disparage the Ford rotary shifter, people were really wowed by the rotary shifter when Jaguar launched it in their XF. It’s interesting to note that the XF has reverted to a mini-gear selector handle now.

 

[Scott H]

I'm not concerned about the "Fussy door handles, controls, modest range". In fact, I think the range for the extended battery is plenty immodest.

I am concerned about the "long charging times" due to the weird charging curve that doesn't take good advantage of the maximum charge rate of 150kw.

And I'm definitely very concerned about reliability, mostly with the software...so much so, that I'm considering delaying my purchase until the next model year. When the software updates brick the car, then that's something to worry about.

 

[oadesign]

It's funny. If you go to the website it still says the Mach E is "in test". These must be preliminary results. I don't know how 270 can be "modest range" and I did not even see a discussion on charging times. I agree with the seat - needs seat tilt for sure.

“Fussy” door handles? [eyeroll]

I used to be a subscriber, and thus filled out their surveys every year. But there was alway a disconnect with my answers and the data they would publish.
I think the problem is that their sample size is so small, that their data would be laughed at by the scientific community. I canceled my subscription and take all of their reviews with an ample grain of salt.

 

[HOFMACHFE]

The August issue of Consumer Reports has their reviews of the Mach-E & the Polestar 2. The main takeaways:

Mach-E: Fun to Drive but Reliability Concerns
Overall Score: 62
Road-Test Score: 78
Highs: Acceleration, handling, quietness, no tailpipe emissions
Lows: Fussy door handles, controls, modest range, long charging times
"Its combination of style, practicality, and a fun-to-drive nature makes it one of the most enjoyable EVs on the market. It's less-than-stellar Overall Score is largely due to worse-than-average predicted reliability from the Ford brand."

Polestar 2: An Unimpressive First EV Effort
Overall Score: 57
Road-Test Score: 72
Highs: Acceleration, braking, handling, no tailpipe emissions
Lows: Ride, controls, cramped interior, modest range, long charging times
"... failed to impress with its bone-jarring ride, tight interior, and confusing controls..."

My Mustang Mach-E First Edition has 346hp which is same as the Premium AWD Extended battery. CR first error.

Opening the doors is easy and I now wonder why more car manufacturers have not changed to this method. Such a nice design.

Range is so important. That is why we changed from our Chevy Bolt with a real world range of 380 to 420km in spring summer and fall. 2017 model. Our MME FE gets real world range from 450 to 540km in spring and summer so far. Very impressive and easily beats the conservative EPA number Ford requested be lowered. The range is outstanding considering its a 4800lb car.

Reliability. To soon to make a statement such as CR concluded. Sandy Munro has taken apart the MME and he has given Ford mostly very positive feedback. I would agree. The car is very solid and build quality is almost perfect. Mine did need the rear hatch to be realigned which was done at no charge. I have owned brands that CR rates as quality reliable brands such as Honda and Volvo. With all of the cars I have owned, with good preventative maintenance, they all did very well. They each needed replacement parts once they reached high mileage but I would say, nothing unusual. Our Chevy Bolt after 3 years has been extremely reliable and no service costs other then tire rotation, lubricate brakes and 1 cabin air filter.

Charging times are faster then filling a car with gas. After owning an electric car for over 3 years and now upgrading to our MME, we will never be waiting for our car to charge 98% of the days we drive our MME. Why you might ask? Because 98% of our driving is less then 400km round trip from our home to our destination and back. The 2% of the time represents our holiday trips that average about 720 Km one way distance and need 1 x 40 min charging, rest/ eating stop where technically we are also not waiting for the charging to complete as it takes the same amount of time with our ICE cars. Having a BEV actually saves about 45 minutes per month compared to our ICE cars which need about 4 stops to fill the tank with gas, and check the oil. Our ICE cars need 3 oil changes a year and 2 visits to the dealer. Our Chevy Bolt has needed only tire rotation 2 times per year. A BEV reduces annual time waiting for car to be serviced on average from 4 hours per year to 1 hour. This is my experience after 3.5 years with a BEV and 37 years with ICE cars.

Seat comfort in my MME FE is 9 out of 10. My Volvo's are 10 out of 10.

A major factor in driving long distances in a car is how tired are you after a full day of driving. Our Volvo V70 is our best so far due to seat comfort and overall driving dynamics. The MME is almost as comfortable when it comes to seating as our Volvo and has an advantage with how quiet it is and easy to drive.

Something CR did not mention is how does it feel when you drive the MME? Does it make you happy to drive it? Do your passengers enjoy it? Does the MME create any reaction? So far, my experience is very positive with all these questions. It is an emotional car.

The infotainment system takes a few hours of training and getting used to. Nothing overly complicated and once you have setup the MME to your preferences. It really is set it and leave alone other then audio. Is there room for improvement? Yes. Will it improve with over the air updates? Ford says yes. I would give the MME an 8 out of 10.

Opening the trunk. I have never used the menu in the car. Only used my foot under the bumper, button under tailgate and key fob. Those three options are what I need and they work very well. Why does CR complain about a feature in the infotainment system that takes three steps? Seriously! Focus on glass half full and not half empty.

Way to go Ford! Loving our Mustang Mach-E.

 

[BMT1071]

I'm not concerned about the "Fussy door handles, controls, modest range". In fact, I think the range for the extended battery is plenty immodest.

I am concerned about the "long charging times" due to the weird charging curve that doesn't take good advantage of the maximum charge rate of 150kw.

And I'm definitely very concerned about reliability, mostly with the software...so much so, that I'm considering delaying my purchase until the next model year. When the software updates brick the car, then that's something to worry about.

Improperly applied updates may brick the car. There is the same risk with any ICE car, or other BEV.

 

[zhackwyatt]

Same thing with the Mach-E doors. They're great.

I think they are better than normal door handles. It's much easier with things in your hands.

 

[deadduck]

Their .com site is still not showing a review, for either car.

Has anyone besides the OP confirmed with a print copy?

 

[smp]

"predicted reliability"? wtf?

If anyone, especially CR, was to browse this web site, and see the *very* numerous complaints here, I can see exactly why one might predict reliability issues with the MME.

smp

 

[abr]

Their .com site is still not showing a review, for either car.

Has anyone besides the OP confirmed with a print copy?

Yes - in August print edition. Not on App or website yet.

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