I was able to get a GB FE off the dealer lot

[TheStig]

It sounds like you're pretty disappointed with the car. I'll buy it from you!!

I don’t want it to sound like that! I love the car! Just trying to balance all the praise with some negatives. The only thing that competes with it right now is the Model Y. Even though the Model Y is more American that the Mach-E, it looks like a catfish balloon that has been overinflated.

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[timbop]

As somebody from Michigan, it is very disappointing that it is made in Mexico with 70% Mexican parts.

I wholeheartedly agree with that.

 

[jhalkias]

As somebody from Michigan, it is very disappointing that it is made in Mexico with 70% Mexican parts.

I’ll buy a car made by an American company in Mexico before I buy a car made by a foreign company even if it is assembled in the US. The American car profits the American company and the union jobs here in the states. The foreign car profits don’t and their factories are non-union.

 

[timbop]

I’ll buy a car made by an American company in Mexico before I buy a car made by a foreign company even if it is assembled in the US. The American car profits the American company and the union jobs here in the states. The foreign car profits don’t and their factories are non-union.

Absolutely agree with that, too

 

[Blinkin]

As somebody from Michigan, it is very disappointing that it is made in Mexico with 70% Mexican parts.

That's one reason I'm excited about the F-150 BEV and Transit BEV (Dearborn and Kansas City respectively). I'm glad Ford is also making America a center of BEV manufacturing. That said, the MME is the vehicle that most suits my needs and preferences, so that's what I'll get. I'm just not a truck guy.

 

[jhalkias]

Absolutely agree with that, too

Yeah, my dad was a Ford retiree. Pretty loyal to Ford and since he and mom passed I don’t get the A/Z plan but we are still a Ford family.

 

[kikibop]

The Model Y ... looks like a catfish balloon that has been overinflated.

accurate

 

[VegStang]

I don't expect the build quality to be the same as a Mercedes/Jag/Porsche/Lincoln but I do expect it to be better than the Tesla (and more reliable than the luxury brands if past experience is any guide.) The MME is considerably less expensive than the iPace or the MB EQ (whenever it finally arrives.) Over $50k should be considered "luxury car" status, but with longer range BEVs the scale has to be moved upwards, at least for now. The iPace I looked at was recently had a sticker of $90k, whereas the MME is $56k.

Most auto plants in Europe that I am aware of are unionized, the only non-union Mercedes plant is in the US where the $200k Maybach SUV will be produced. Tesla, like much of silicon valley, is very anti-worker organizing. Lots of issues to consider with products made in a global economy, regardless of where the headquarters are, or factory location.

Anyway, congrats on the FE! My expectation is that Ford balanced price and quality about right, although they should have added the full seat adjustments and dimming side mirrors, and not deleted the rear ambient lighting from the premiums...

 

[ChasingCoral]

Any sign of a whine from the driver display (instrument cluster)?

 

[TheStig]

Any sign of a whine from the driver display (instrument cluster)?

I haven’t noticed anything like that. I’ll keep an ear out for it next time I drive.

 

[TheStig]

I drove around some more and have some more observation.

• Steering is good, but not great. It feels kind of a force feeback video game wheel. On “unbridled”, steering is too stiff at medium/high speed and not stiff enough at low speed. Makes taking slower corners kind of numb. But given the weight of this thing, steering is overall good.
• I also drove on snow in an empty parking lot to see how good the feedback was from the steering wheel when losing traction. It communicates it well, but again, kind of like a video game.
• I played with the adaptive cruise and lane centering a bit. It was neat in city traffic with a car in front of you. I just let the car brake and accelerate at stop lights. It is also really nice that it remembers that you set it at 5 over when the speed changes. It does a good job at reading the speed signs.
• I believe the 0-60 times, but it doesn’t “feel” fast. It just delivers the power in such a linear way. Other electric cars I have driven feel more “peaky”. Like they are fast for 2 seconds and then taper off.
• The feature that reminds you if you put a child in the backseat is nice
• CarPlay looks great at such a big size, but I couldn’t find a background that made it look like it matched the theme of sync4.
• The steering wheel gets warm fast, even on cold days. Seats take a bit longer.
• I like that auto climate has 3 intensities. It’s not as nice as the 5 that BMW gives you, but it is better than no settings for it like my Porsche.
• I still have to get used to pressing in the switch for cancelling/resuming cruise control. You can also hold the switch up/down to increment by 5mph, but I accidentally moved it by 10mph on accident twice.
• The stereo sounds pretty good. No crazy bass, but nice and balanced. Only has a 3 band equalizer though. Haven’t played with “surround” vs “stereo” a lot. Just left in on surround.
• The rear windows and roof are way more tinted than I was expecting.
• I’m not a fan of the trunk setup. The way you lift and change the floor height feels cheap. The cargo cover is also weird and flimsy. I know it is so it will stretch over your cargo, but it still looks cheap. Luckily the windows are tinted so you probably don’t need to use it.
• I find myself reaching for the big volume knob on the screen instead of using the one on the steering wheel. I’m not sure why, just an observation.
• I HATE that the seat bottom doesn’t tilt independently. It is a combination tilt and lift. So you can’t have the seat above the lowest setting and be tilted back. So if your thighs don’t touch the front of the seat, your only options are to go rearward and/or sit on the floor.
• Other than the tilting, the seats are great. I’m not angry that they aren’t highly bolstered, as that is what the GT seats should be.
• Just today noticed that the 3 modes change how the regenerative brakes are applied in 1-pedal mode. Whisper doesn’t brake as hard.
• The cool animations for the 3 modes go away when you have cruise control on ? . Maybe they don’t go away completely, but they get really small and aren’t nearly as cool.
• PaaK is buggy. I walked up to the car with my phone in my pocket, pressed the button and it unlocked. But then when I got it, it said “no key”. So I pressed it again and it started. But when I started moving it again said “no key”, even though I was moving!! Then when I stopped it to get out, it told me I wouldn’t be able to re-start it because, “no key detected”. At least it worked at all.

I’ll report back if I notice anything else. When it gets warmer I want to see how it handles. Even thinking about taking it to an autocross once instead of my Porsche.

 

[SnBGC]

I don't expect the build quality to be the same as a Mercedes/Jag/Porsche/Lincoln but I do expect it to be better than the Tesla .......

Agree. I expect build quality to be.......well, about as good as a Mustang. The Jag is a piece of jewelry but comes at a price. The MME has good value for the price.

 

[VegStang]

From my short time inside one months ago I'm expecting a little bit better finish than the last "real" mustang I looked at, might have been the design, but just seemed like better plastics in the places you notice, the fabric on the speakers probably helps.

Agree. I expect build quality to be.......well, about as good as a Mustang. The Jag is a piece of jewelry but comes at a price. The MME has good value for the price.

 

[JDRGolfer1]

I drove around some more and have some more observation.

• Steering is good, but not great. It feels kind of a force feeback video game wheel. On “unbridled”, steering is too stiff at medium/high speed and not stiff enough at low speed. Makes taking slower corners kind of numb. But given the weight of this thing, steering is overall good.
• I also drove on snow in an empty parking lot to see how good the feedback was from the steering wheel when losing traction. It communicates it well, but again, kind of like a video game.
• I played with the adaptive cruise and lane centering a bit. It was neat in city traffic with a car in front of you. I just let the car brake and accelerate at stop lights. It is also really nice that it remembers that you set it at 5 over when the speed changes. It does a good job at reading the speed signs.
• I believe the 0-60 times, but it doesn’t “feel” fast. It just delivers the power in such a linear way. Other electric cars I have driven feel more “peaky”. Like they are fast for 2 seconds and then taper off.
• The feature that reminds you if you put a child in the backseat is nice
• CarPlay looks great at such a big size, but I couldn’t find a background that made it look like it matched the theme of sync4.
• The steering wheel gets warm fast, even on cold days. Seats take a bit longer.
• I like that auto climate has 3 intensities. It’s not as nice as the 5 that BMW gives you, but it is better than no settings for it like my Porsche.
• I still have to get used to pressing in the switch for cancelling/resuming cruise control. You can also hold the switch up/down to increment by 5mph, but I accidentally moved it by 10mph on accident twice.
• The stereo sounds pretty good. No crazy bass, but nice and balanced. Only has a 3 band equalizer though. Haven’t played with “surround” vs “stereo” a lot. Just left in on surround.
• The rear windows and roof are way more tinted than I was expecting.
• I’m not a fan of the trunk setup. The way you lift and change the floor height feels cheap. The cargo cover is also weird and flimsy. I know it is so it will stretch over your cargo, but it still looks cheap. Luckily the windows are tinted so you probably don’t need to use it.
• I find myself reaching for the big volume knob on the screen instead of using the one on the steering wheel. I’m not sure why, just an observation.
• I HATE that the seat bottom doesn’t tilt independently. It is a combination tilt and lift. So you can’t have the seat above the lowest setting and be tilted back. So if your thighs don’t touch the front of the seat, your only options are to go rearward and/or sit on the floor.
• Other than the tilting, the seats are great. I’m not angry that they aren’t highly bolstered, as that is what the GT seats should be.
• Just today noticed that the 3 modes change how the regenerative brakes are applied in 1-pedal mode. Whisper doesn’t brake as hard.
• The cool animations for the 3 modes go away when you have cruise control on ? . Maybe they don’t go away completely, but they get really small and aren’t nearly as cool.
• PaaK is buggy. I walked up to the car with my phone in my pocket, pressed the button and it unlocked. But then when I got it, it said “no key”. So I pressed it again and it started. But when I started moving it again said “no key”, even though I was moving!! Then when I stopped it to get out, it told me I wouldn’t be able to re-start it because, “no key detected”. At least it worked at all.

I’ll report back if I notice anything else. When it gets warmer I want to see how it handles. Even thinking about taking it to an autocross once instead of my Porsche.

I finally drove mine today, it seems pretty fast but doesn't seem like my GT Mustang fast was. I didn't do a complete stop n go but did a couple rolling stop n go's. I thought it would throw me back in the seat a bit more than it did. Maybe they can make it a bit quicker down the road OTA (fingers crossed).

 

[TheStig]

Another small update. I really enjoy driving this car, which is something I never thought I would say about a crossover/suv. I'm starting to get used to the quirks and they are bothering me less and less everyday.

New observations:

• There is a physical defrost button to the left of the headlight control! When pressed, it turns on both the front and rear window defogger/defrost. I bet they put this in because you might be wearing gloves when you first get into your car.
• You can increase the size of the large portion of the infotainment. It looks great in the larger version for everything but CarPlay, where it just leaves blank space. Built in nav looks great and there are so many radio preset buttons!
• PaaK is not perfect, but it does work. Sometimes I have to press the unlock button twice to get in, but it hasn't left me stranded or anything.
• I kind of like the auto braking feature with the parking sensors. It probably isn't the intended use-case, but I just pull the car into my garage until it stops itself.
• I can't figure out how to manually switch cameras. I found the 3 settings for the different modes, but it seems to only show me either the front camera(s) or the rear when I try the non-360 camera settings, and I can't switch manually.
• There is too much plastic. The pillars are all plastic instead of cloth. The sun visors are plastic! Close to $60k and the sun visors are plastic! C'mon Ford. I'm not expecting Alcantara, but some cheap black cloth at the least.

The only thing that still super bothers me, and is my lest favorite thing about the car, is the fact that the seat bottom doesn't have a tilt adjustment. To get my legs comfortable, I have to be slid down and back so far that when I look to my left I am looking at the (plastic) B-pillar. I'm only 5'10".

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