Help me decide: Mach-E or Model Y

[pepper]

I don't think those timelines work for the Mach-E. 12-16 week wait seems really optimistic... almost delusional to be honest. You will need to skip the line by paying $5K or $10K markup at a dealer.

If you want three months then the ID.4 Pro S AWD w/ Gradient is one of the fastest. They prioritize that build and you get it within two months.

Fortunately, my dealer is not adding any ADM or unreasonable document fees, though the downside is that I have to wait. They do have a few MMEs on their lot with a $10K markup. I'll take a pass on that.

Currently, Ford is predicting 20+ weeks for the Route 1, and 28+ weeks for the Premium. I've been dithering between these two for a few weeks now, and had settled on the Premium mostly because of the better perforated seats in the Premium and the ugly wheels on the Route 1. However, I think I'm going to call my dealer today and switch to the Route 1, and upgrade to the AWD based on feedback from many of you. Hopefully that 20 weeks starts from my order date, not today. From today, delivery date would be early March which is a whole lot better for my needs than late April/early May.

I do have to ask... for those who waited 6 months for their car, was the prediction 6 months when you first ordered or did your delivery date get pushed back. I can handle 20 weeks, but it is that "+" they tag on after that which has me concerned.

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[EVTRAVEL]

Advantage Tesla Model Y

• Known reliability. Tesla has been making EVs for a while now, and has straightened out a lot of early production issues. Ford is just getting started, so there are likely to be a lot more issues for the first few years. Will a 2022 Mach-E be as reliable as a 2022 Model Y? What will the difference in cost of ownership be in 10 years?
• Polished UI. The touchscreen is really snappy, whereas the Mach-E touchscreen is sluggish. The Tesla software seems a little more refined too.
• Supercharger network. I have a lot more confidence that I won’t get stranded on long trips.
• Joy of driving. I’ve seen plenty of YouTube videos of people testing these two cars side by side and stating they enjoy driving the Tesla more, especially comparing the one pedal driving. Granted most of these people are Tesla owners, but not all. I have taken a test drive in both, and Tesla even gave me an overnight test drive. I will admit, the Tesla did feel a bit more responsive on the pedal, though it wasn't a huge difference.
• Performance. The Model Y base model does 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds, and comes with AWD standard. The Mach-E RWD model I ordered does it in 6.1. Yes, I could upgrade to the AWD model and achieve 4.8, but this is an extra $2.7K. (Aside, I actually prefer the longer range and cheaper price which is why I’m not upgrading the Mach-E.)
• Cargo capacity. 68 cu ft vs 60 doesn’t seem like much, but it could make the difference. I am choosing a hatchback for a reason: I want to carry things.
• Autopilot. As of today, Tesla’s autopilot is more capable than Ford’s version. Ford is still developing theirs, so this could change. I have no interest in FSD.

A plus to Model Y is lockable glove box and security cameras.

 

[voxel]

If you order there should be no ADM but you will wait 6-8 months.

I am currently taking over an order made in late Feb with an expected delivery of late Dec. That will tell you something about timelines. Ford had a bunch of cars sitting around on chip hold for 2+ months.

 

[pepper]

<snip>
I suggest putting a $$$ value on some of the pro/cons. For example, I considered the no dashboard on the Model Y to be $1000 (ie: add $1000 to the price of the Model Y to no longer count it as a con).
<snip>

Excellent suggestion. As a starting point, I've priced the Mach-E and Model Y equivalently in part to give me a fair comparison that wasn't about price. But your suggestion takes it to the next step. I've had this trade going on in my head about AWD vs $2.7K (and extra range) for a while now and had convinced myself that I preferred the extra cash in my pocket. Now, leaning the other way... (Aside: Now if I could get the Grabber Blue on the Tesla, what would that be worth? An extra several $K for sure. How is it that Ford isn't charging extra for that color?)

 

[Scrannel]

I like the Mach e but am a model 3 Tesla owner. My wife was very interested in the Mach e until she saw it had about the same ground clearance as my Model 3. So, way too low for a supposed cross-over. Now she's looking at the Y but also interested in the F150. Tesla has the best charging network in the world. Tesla has no dealers. The Y is transitioning to LFP batteries.

 

[voxel]

In the end does value matter? I have an ID.4 and it’s fantastic value with the tax credit and its probably a smoother, more comfortable ride than either the Mach-E or Model Y but I feel dead with it. Zero attachment.

The Mach-e is a more aggressive and fun ride from my test drives. I would probably hate driving in heavy traffic but I avoid that (still work from home).

I do think you need to drive both cars to see what suits you.

 

[Mach1E]

In the end does value matter? I have an ID.4 and it’s fantastic value with the tax credit and its probably a smoother, more comfortable ride than either the Mach-E or Model Y but I feel dead with it. Zero attachment.

The Mach-e is a more aggressive and fun ride from my test drives. I would probably hate driving in heavy traffic but I avoid that (still work from home).

I do think you need to drive both cars to see what suits you.

^^^

Drive both.

Things you won’t figure out from reading:

Seat comfort, steering/brake feel, blind spots, ride comfort, fun to drive, ease of getting in and out, control interface and layout…… etc.

Pretty much the whole point of a test drive. It’s like trying on a new pair of pants.

When I bought my SS sedan, I also drove about 8 other “super sedans.” And they ALL look great on paper. But it’s the little things that I only found out by driving:

Audi S4- best transmission but was too small
Cadillac CTSV- worst seats and unusable first gear
M3- rode too rough
Jaguar XF supercharged- crazy fast and comfortable
550i- strange hesitation/delay from low speeds. Best seats
SS- most fun to drive and was the same price as the used above vehicles, but brand new, so I bought it.

You get the idea.

 

[pepper]

I do think you need to drive both cars to see what suits you.

Totally agree, and I have driven both with more time behind the wheel of the Model Y. I need to go back to the Ford dealer to see if I can get a more extended test drive. I really liked the Mach E, but driving up and down El Camino Real was not the most exhilarating way to test a car. The Model Y felt like a bullet on wheels, a lot of fun to drive.

 

[fightinag]

When I bought and ordered I was told 4 months
Now Im going on 6 months
I finally got a build date in a month and a half but have it changed (delayed twice)
Realistically, Im looking at 8 to 9 months since ordering !

UNACCEPTABLE !

 

[Scrannel]

O yeah, almost forgot -- one HUGE (in my mind) plus for the Mach e is you can get it (not sure which trim) with Magnetic Suspension. Had it on my C6 and it lives up to the hype.

 

[RockwallRick]

Our local Ford dealer has probably sold more Tesla’s than Mach-E’s! They allowed us to put 1500 miles on their demo Mach-E but would not let us take a Tesla out for even a short test drive!!

 

[pepper]

When I bought and ordered I was told 4 months
Now Im going on 6 months
I finally got a build date in a month and a half but have it changed (delayed tice)
Realistically, Im looking at 8 to 9 months since ordering !

UNACCEPTABLE !

Yikes! I’m hoping to get something in early spring or sooner, so my daughter has something to drive to school. Not the EV, that’s mine!

 

[JohnnyForensic]

Reading your posts, I feel a kinship. I'm a hugely data-driven person too, even if the "data" points turn out to be more emotional feelings on particular items. I get you, and I resonate on a lot of your points for both cars. As a way of introduction, this is my first Ford and I've had about 15 cars in my life. I'm not a die-hard by any means.

Regarding the charging network, which is a constant point from Tesla fans, the importance lies in what you do with the car. I work a ton of hours, and the last vacation we had was in 2009. I don't "road trip," because I don't "trip" in general. As a result, my daily driving never takes me out of range of returning home to charge. Therefore, the existence of ANY charging network out in the world--to ME--is completely irrelevant. Your mileage on this topic will ABSOLUTELY vary depending on how much long-drive road-tripping you do. Is it yearly? You might find the charging network is fine for Ford even though it may (or may not, depending on where you're going) be better for Tesla, but going once a year, is it really an inconvenience? No. Do you road-trip once a week? If so, Tesla's network might be the better fit for now, but with the money being poured into the EV infrastructure from the Federal Government, you'll probably find those numbers of chargers start looking pretty similar very soon. Also, the ability to charge an MME out in the world is NOT non-existent, as the Tesla crowd might want you to believe. You just need to spend an extra couple of minutes with PlugShare or ABRP before you head out on your long journey.

Regarding the interfaces, Tesla's is absolutely more beautiful, more thorough, and snappier to respond (because legacy auto ALWAYS uses underpowered microprocessors, damnit). HOWEVER, to me, Tesla's interface belongs on a laptop that you're using at a desk, not as an integral component to a car you're hurtling down an interstate at 80 mph. Small text is pretty on a laptop screen when you can sit and look at it, but it's NOT great to find your way through menus when you're weaving in and out of traffic and suddenly need to turn on your wipers. Small tap targets are great on your iPad where you want to have as much real estate available as possible for your different options, but Ford's big, chunky buttons on screen are MUCH easier to stab quickly with a bouncing finger as you're bobbing up and down like a galloping stallion over bridge expansion joints. Plus, CarPlay actually IS an important part of a decision like this to some people. While I actually do like Ford's technology stack just fine, I'm an Apple guy through-and-through, and it's nice to have all of my music, driving direction locations, podcasts, etc. with me and equally available in any car I'm in. I won't buy a car without CarPlay anymore, period. I still use the Ford tech stack on occasion, but I need to have the OPTION of using CarPlay or it's a no-go.

Tesla will have it on the electric drive components, for sure, but you'll see a number of reviewers say that the Mach-E has a better feeling RIDE than the Tesla does. This is a very subjective point, but you need to drive a Mach-E to compare. The Tesla may handle a little better, but the Mach-E might feel smoother. It just depends on your roads and what they're like. If you drive on pristinely smooth roads, the Tesla might have an advantage here, but if your roads are anything less than that, I've read from many reviewers that the Mach-E wins out overall. If the 0-60 speed difference does end-up bothering you, as you pointed out, that's an upgrade you can make happen. The 0-60 in 4.8 seconds on my MME 4X feels fast enough for anything I'd need, I can assure you.

Paint quality is definitely better on the Mach-E, but problems aren't nonexistent. The front of the car is plastic like the Tesla, and paint over plastic isn't as resistant to chips as paint over metal. However, the overall paint job on the MMEs I've seen, mine included, have been flawless. I've also read stories from even Tesla stans who have rejected one or even two deliveries because the paint from the factory was so flawed.

Regarding controls, I have to be on the MME side on this. People have developed muscle memory over years of driving for having physical controls and where they're placed (turn signal on the left side of the stalk, etc.). Tesla's cost-cutting or innovation (depending on how you look at it) tries to defeat that muscle memory in lieu of the pretty interface. Having to think a few moments more about taking some kind of action while driving 70 mph isn't the better option to me. Ford gave us just enough physical controls that anyone can get into it and drive it without having to worry about all of the UI components. Tesla didn't. Can people learn? Yes. Does everyone want to? Resounding no. I don't mind learning and tinkering and playing with interfaces, but my wife has zero tolerance for that and if she can't immediately see how to drive it when she sits down, she's not going to do so at all. I even feel that Ford could have given us a couple of additional hard buttons, like a button at the end of the wiper stalk to turn on the cameras instantly or a button to open/close the trunk, so Tesla's cost-cutting "minimalism" goes a little too far for a whole lot of people.

In the end, I think you're really going to need to test drive both. I knocked Tesla out from 1) sitting in the seat and just finding it really uncomfortable 2) their constant fluctuation of pricing, sometimes by the day 3) the $10,000 FSD charge that they've been making people pay for years without actually delivering it, 4) no tax credit (now, anyway) and 5) their CEO who I do think is a genius, but he's definitely the type to shrug his shoulders when it comes to people dying in his cars while he's putting out bleeding-edge tech and saying "Well, to make an omelette, you have to break a few eggs."

Good luck. I hope the right car for you is where you end up.

 

[alexgorod]

Yikes! I’m hoping to get something in early spring or sooner, so my daughter has something to drive to school. Not the EV, that’s mine!

You can hope, but you will be very disappointed when your hopes will not materialize. I'm one of the lucky ones (hope not to jinx it) - ordered in mid-June with promised time of 24+ weeks, so really hoped to get it before the end of the year. But it was built in September and shipped two weeks ago. The standard battery that I ordered might be a factor due to most orders are with extended one, but most likely I pulled a lucky number.

Some small group results are here https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/order-waiting-time.10146/

Hope for better, prepare for worse.

 

[GABAR]

In late September, I placed a deposit on the Mach-E ($53,100 for Premium, Extended Range, RWD, Grabber Blue) and the Model Y ($53,990 for Long Range, Pearl White, 19" Gemini, Black Interior). Both were originally scheduled to be delivered in April, though the MY is now showing a Feb 19 - March 19 delivery. I can only buy one. There are still many months before I need to decide. As of today, I am exactly 50/50 on which I will pick. Some of this decision will depend on the available tax credit at the time of purchase. Hopefully congress gets its s*$@ together and both get a credit next year. If one is substantially cheaper due to a tax credit I will likely go that way (though hard to say if the MY shows up without a credit and the Mach-E still has one but is still months away from delivery).

Anyway, I need your help! I've put together a list of pros and cons in the fine tradition of Benjamin Franklin and Walter White. These lists are specific to my own decision, as I see it. Please let me know if any of these considerations are off base, or if there is anything else I should be considering. I will post the two lists in subsequent posts.

Just buy what you want because the bias on either forum will lean heavily on said forum.

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