GTPE or Premium...

[audiograce]

UPDATE:
Went with the Premium... Just took delivery yesterday ... am VERY happy with the decision.


First:
I truly appreciate this community of sarcastic, helpful, and (often) truly funny humans.

with that..

I have a Premium AWD ER on order from a small dealership near me... ordered in OCT... still no build date.
I also JUST ordered a GTPE from another local dealer... who is the largest (by volume) Ford dealership in the U.S. The larger dealership is noncommittally predicting a 5 month delivery window. (which may be about the same for the now 5 month old Premium order)

I've had the opportunity to drive the GTPE... Loved it. Have NOT been able to drive an AWD Premium, as they are really hard to find out here... and the dealers who DO have them will generally not allow test drives.

So my question is for those of you who have knowledge of both ... (and I know you're out there)
Is the nearly $13K price difference reflected in the driving / ownership experience?

I'm not planning to race the thing ... it WILL be my daily driver ...
If I end up with the Premium, I WILL be replacing the tires and wheels.

Thanks in advance.

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[breeves002]

After having both the GT PE really has 3 advantages...power, suspension, seats. Otherwise its a wash. If you care about those 3 things then its an easy decision. I'm happy with my choice but it is a large price increase.

 

[Supertayt]

I had the same dilemma. I located a GTPE and an AWD ER Premium about a month ago. Drove the GT and loved the GTness of it. Wanted it really badly but it had five things going against it. No panoramic roof. Hated the flower power rims. It was black. It would have cost me roughly $8 K more than the premium. The biggest factor was the range. My sister lives about 230 miles from me. I might make it in a premium but the GT… No way.
The premium AWD ER had everything going for it. Infinite blue. Panoramic roof. Regular rims. Better range with the larger battery.. And little bit cheaper.
I chose the premium. It’s plenty quick and super comfy to drive. I did love that GT acceleration but not enough to override the downsides. If the two cars were identical as far as features and the only difference was the range aspect, it would have made the decision a lot tougher. I like my car but this failed at 1.7.1 bullshit has to end. That’s the only thing making me second guess my purchase.
Good luck with your choice!

 

[BalsaDust]

When I ordered my MME, I looked into all aspects of the different versions available. I broke it down to a few simple needs.
1. Good Sound system
2. All wheel drive
3. Comfortable driving position (expecting long trips)
4. Comparable insurance costs to my current car
Then I looked at all the available models and my pros and cons.
Select- NO decent sound system (and yes I had test driven most models)
CA-Rt1- Again std sound system and only rear wheel drive-but best mileage
Premium- Best bang for MY bucks! and comparable insurance costs. I have a need for the heated seats, AWD, and extended battery.
GT- yes I wanted it, but higher cost for vehicle AND insurance
GT-PE-I would have spent the money if I wanted a toy, suspension is awesome but insurance was way too high!

As you can see, I have a Premium AWD Ext due to be delivered early next month. Best option for my needs.

Tony

 

[audiograce]

When I ordered my MME, I looked into all aspects of the different versions available. I broke it down to a few simple needs.
1. Good Sound system
2. All wheel drive
3. Comfortable driving position (expecting long trips)
4. Comparable insurance costs to my current car
Then I looked at all the available models and my pros and cons.
Select- NO decent sound system (and yes I had test driven most models)
CA-Rt1- Again std sound system and only rear wheel drive-but best mileage
Premium- Best bang for MY bucks! and comparable insurance costs. I have a need for the heated seats, AWD, and extended battery.
GT- yes I wanted it, but higher cost for vehicle AND insurance
GT-PE-I would have spent the money if I wanted a toy, suspension is awesome but insurance was way too high!

As you can see, I have a Premium AWD Ext due to be delivered early next month. Best option for my needs.

Tony

Thanks you all for the input.

 

[Mach1E]

After having both the GT PE really has 3 advantages...power, suspension, seats. Otherwise its a wash. If you care about those 3 things then its an easy decision. I'm happy with my choice but it is a large price increase.

And brakes and it looks better.

So 5 things?

But yes, only the OP can decide if it’s worth the price difference.

That said, in my whole life, I’ve never regretted spending a little more to get what I wanted vs the “better bargain” for less.

I have definitely regretted NOT getting the better more expensive thing I originally wanted though. Many times.

 

[Vulnox]

Appreciate you bringing up this topic. We have had our Premium on order for a while, and considered seeing if it would speed things up to convert the order to a GTPE, mainly thinking it might be the case since the only MMEs you can pick on Ford's site any more are the Select and GT/GTPE.

The suspension would be the only real draw to the GTPE though, and that is mainly just based on people complaining about the suspension on this car. We test drove a Premium but it was a short test drive, but it was on Michigan roads and we didn't notice anything unusual. The range loss and that is rough for how much more expensive it is. So even if we could get it sooner I don't know that we would be happier with it.

All the extra 0-60 speed in the world gets washed away when you have to make an extra DC fast charger stop on a trip.

I don't have an issue spending more to get what I want, but it has to be for a good reason. My F-150 Lariat for example is about MSRP equal to a Limited after I added all the options, but I don't like the look of a Limited. The only advantage it would have over my Lariat would be the massaging seats, which would be nice, just like the GTPE suspension would be nice.

But I would be paying probably more in the end since rebates are usually lower on Limited trucks, just to have a vehicle I don't like the look of (all that Limited badging, yuck), but to get one nice thing, the massaging seats. I see the same basic thing with the Premium vs GTPE, you give up range and pay more with the only day to day advantage being the suspension. While the suspension I am sure is great, I don't think it's extra $10k great. We will see though!

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Sold my Premium AWD ER last week and bought a GT-PE. Because of the swap the upgrade was only about $4K. So… worth it though I’m not happy with the “performance” of it. The suspension and interior IS nice. The launch is fun, but for total drive, I believe the premium AWD ER had a better total feel without the “grey bar” limitations.
So as I’ve told others. Run your own numbers. Try them if you can find them.

 

[Cm12]

If you’re keeping it and 4.8 0-60 vs 3.8 makes a difference to you, go for the PE. I wanted a light interior and full (synthetic) leather seats so I had to get the premium regardless. If the GT was well-within my budget, it would have been tempting, but it was actually a bit of a downgrade in that respect for me. Maybe it’s best to simply wait and see which one arrives first. Can’t go wrong with either, but if the 3.8 matters, then your decision is made.

 

[Cherie]

First:
I truly appreciate this communicating of sarcastic, helpful, and (often) truly funny humans.

with that..

I have a Premium AWD ER on order from a small dealership near me... ordered in OCT... still no build date.
I also JUST ordered a GTPE from another local dealer... who is the largest (by volume) Ford dealership in the U.S. The larger dealership is noncommittally predicting a 5 month delivery window. (which may be about the same for the now 5 month old Premium order)

I've had the opportunity to drive the GTPE... Loved it. Have NOT been able to drive an AWD Premium, as they are really hard to find out here... and the dealers who DO have them will generally not allow test drives.

So my question is for those of you who have knowledge of both ... (and I know you're out there)
Is the nearly $13K price difference reflected in the driving / ownership experience?

I'm not planning to race the thing ... it WILL be my daily driver ...
If I end up with the Premium, I WILL be replacing the tires and wheels.

Thanks in advance.

I have a RWD ER Premium, AND have driven a GTPE. The torque in the GTPE will give you whiplash, LOL. But my RWD ER (premium trim) has plenty of torque as well. I went for range, so got the RWD. Friend ordered GTPE, but instead received GT with a $5k refund, and is quite happy. GT has wicked torque as well. Do you want range, or just the fastest car on the planet for 5 seconds?.
?

 

[SirLamerok]

All the extra 0-60 speed in the world gets washed away when you have to make an extra DC fast charger stop on a trip.

Things like that are owner specific. I want the extra power for fun driving the 99% of the time I'm driving. An extra stop on the very occasional road trip are not too much of a concern for me. For others owners that go on weekend trips all the time may feel differently. I have a ICE vehicle for long trips in any case.

 

[revmatchtv]

I did a real-life comparison video on this exact topic. I bought the GTPE because I wanted the Mageride suspension. It's very, very good and worth the extra $5K if you value handling and ride quality. I did a video comparing the two trim levels:

 

[audiograce]

I did a real-life comparison video on this exact topic. I bought the GTPE because I wanted the Mageride suspension. It's very, very good and worth the extra $5K if you value handling and ride quality. I did a video comparing the two trim levels:

This is awesome. Thank you.

 

[jonkMACHE]

I went with a premium for two reasons

-GT lowers the car. I drive on a lot of bad roads and the GT scraping bottom is a serious concern of mine.
-For my purposes the slightly higher range is better for me than the extra power.

the only thing the GT PE has that I really want is the suspension.

Am extremely happy with the Premium. Zero regrets I didn’t go with the GT PE.

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