Impressions and Photos From DC Area Mach-E Tour, 11-21 November

[VegStang]

Our Mercedes also has different settings for Level 1 or 2 up to 10 kWh (very few Level 2s will do 10/9.6 or so.)

You can set a Tesla to charge between 5A to 48A.

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[zhackwyatt]

More complex than I was able to try. The navigation ability on the stationary demo cars was limited. While I could ask for directions to some places close by, it couldn't compute something like navigating to Norfolk or Atlanta. Not sure why. That certainly won't be the case in a real car.

It doesn't seem to do find anything that far away. I think I only got Disneyland to work (from Phoenix) by telling it that I'm explicitly looking for something in California. Maybe it only goes out like 300 miles or something?

 

[VegStang]

Must be nice to have an attractive woman drive you around Mark in that fancy car we don't get to drive.

I see they switched up the driver...my favorite line was when Alex said, "you probably know more about this than me"

 

[JellyBelly]

@ChasingCoral - thanks for the drive videos and details - great info

 

[ChasingCoral]

More cool stuff I photographed and asked about:

Ride Height, Sill Height, and Egress
Lots of questions about ride height brought up the thick battery pack and deep sill. Here are shots of the height added by the pack in the front and back. As for the deep sill, I have yet to hit my foot on it or through it was an issue. Others have talked about the ingress and egress (getting in and out) and apparently the egress is something JD Powers dinged Ford on. I'm 5'11" and found the car really easy to get in and out of every door. I've also watched quite a few people get in and out of the demo cars over the last two days and only spotted one older gentleman using his hand to hold the roof to guide himself in.

Also, note the reflection in the polished black wheel lip molding -- nice!

Rearview Mirror View and Headrests
Yes, they come out if you want an unobstructed view out the back.

Groceries in the Frunk? Use Small Bags or Lose the Dividers
I forgot to make sure there was a standard-sized reusable grocery bag in the Leaf before I drove over. There are usually several but not today. I did have a slightly over-sized freezer bag that I stuffed with a bag of plastic grocery bags. With the Frunk divider in, a standard paper bag won't fit in any of those compartments. Without the divider I'm betting at least three full bags would fit fine.

Front License Option
Another view of the lip to which I think Craig's license holder will fit perfectly -- so does Craig. See the other thread for details.

Flat Black Plastic Looks Gray on the Shiny Black Car
The black accents are suddenly lighter. A very nice touch.

Wiper Control
Sorry, my photo from yesterday was blurry. Here's a better one along with one from the back. It's really convenient that the dial is accessible from both sides. Yes, there is an automatic (rain sensing) option.

I also tried the washers. They are indeed below the hood, right at the back edge:

Planning on an After-Market Hitch?
This panel underneath the car in back, just forward of the rear bumper panel, is flexible, soft plastic with a couple of access ports. Mounting a hit will require removing this panel, installing the hitch to the frame above it, cutting a small hole for the descending portion of the hitch to pass through, and reinstalling the panel. If you watch installation videos for EcoHitch and Hidden Hitch, this is a standard practice.

Moisture in Headlight
Not only did I find it in the car being driven around by the regional Ford reps two weeks ago (same one as yesterday and today's ride alongs) but I also see it in this IB Mach E that was one of the two stationary cars for the Tour. Not so much, but still there. I guess this one has been driven in the rain a bit. No surprise as it's rained much of the last 2 days.

Next post -- Sync4a screens.

 

[Mopey]

It appears the wipers aren't rain sensing. That's unfortunate. I'll miss them from my GTI

According to the Mach E 2021 Quick Reference Guide (purchased from Helm):
"AutoWipers -
The autowiper system turns on and controls the speed and frequency of the windshield wipers when water is present on the windshield. Use the rotary control to set the sensitivity of the rain sensor.
When you select high sensitivity, the wipers operate when the sensor detects a small amount of water on the windshield."

 

[ChasingCoral]

According to the Mach E 2021 Quick Reference Guide (purchased from Helm):
"AutoWipers -
The autowiper system turns on and controls the speed and frequency of the windshield wipers when water is present on the windshield. Use the rotary control to set the sensitivity of the rain sensor.
When you select high sensitivity, the wipers operate when the sensor detects a small amount of water on the windshield."

So, how are the Helm manual and quick reference guide? Worth the purchase? If so, please post a review in a new thread so everyone can see it.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Notice the two dimples on the front bumper for the license plate screws.

Very visible in this picture:

I'm not letting my dealer drill those puppies!

 

[ChasingCoral]

I still say bring a golf bag!

Don't play golf any more. However, I'm sure they won't fit in the Frunk!

 

[ChasingCoral]

Yeah I assume the same - Carplay/Android Auto has it's screen/interface, but switching to the native navigation app would replace what you see.

Yes but with the card system it may learn to make such switches easily.

 

[Mopey]

So, how are the Helm manual and quick reference guide? Worth the purchase? If so, please post a review in a new thread so everyone can see it.

I posted my "review " of the Helm manual in another thread. It is not the whole owner's manual. It consists of a Quick Reference Guide, an 80 page owner's manual supplement, and the tire guide. Not worth the $35-45 price. Mostly just obvious stuff in the three pamphlets

 

[DaveRuns]

To follow up on what @mattsaradan said, it was great to go for a ride. Rainy days and suburban streets aren't the best place to make it shine. However, Zach provided good examples of the acceleration three times: standing stop, from about 10 mph or so, and up a hill. He demonstrated the one-pedal driving and a few other features. I'm hoping to get a ride-along at a future Tour stop when it won't be raining and can listen to the Unbridled sounds.

For real...probably the BEST in car video I've seen of the MME to date! Very well done.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Screen Time
Apparently showing up an hour after the start today was good. There was a real afternoon lull that gave me time to play with Sync 4a. Don't miss the post above with what I learned about the available voice commands (https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...ea-mach-e-tour-11-21-november.1985/post-57653).

Sound System
The fade screen is awesome! It really is amazing to listen to the balance point move around as you move that dot with your finger. You have choices of sound modes and you can adjust how much speed (noise) compensation the system uses. The balance is a set of standard treble, mid-range, and bass sliders.

I don't know what @mattsaradan's trick was. I saved some music to a jump drive, tested it in my Leaf and took it with me. For some reason the Mach E (black one) couldn't read the stick. I did find the instructions for choosing such media in the on-screen manual but that just convinced me the Mach E didn't like the format of my stick.

I tried to play with Sirius a bit but it was too much trouble to find just the music I wanted.

So, I connected my iPhone (all by myself, no help from the guides today!) using wireless connection and Apple Car Play and pulled up the Forum's collaborative Mach E Spotify playlist (
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/what-will-be-your-first-song-playlist.1455/).

The B&O sound system is awesome for an audio sound system. The subwoofer is clearly doing a great job with the low range without it feeling like you're going to shake the windows off the car dealership -- and I didn't have it cranked. After adjusting fade and balance it was clear the channel separation was excellent, the sound was crisp and the lows rumbled.

Spotify is one of the Apple Car Play apps that runs native already.

With my music fix on, I checked out some navigation. As I state above, it had trouble navigating to spots far away for some reason (the Guides wrote it off to being a Prototype), but was able o try other things.

I certainly have more confidence in the range bubble on the Mach E than the perfectly concentric circles the Leaf has. At least it knew the Mach E can't swim! I'll hold final judgement until I can do better navigating.

I really like the integration of key parts of navigation between screens. The driver display showed

when the main map showed

The little 4 arrow icon in the upper right minimizes the distraction of the lower spread of "cards" giving you more room for navigation.

And, of course, any screen is available in light or dark mode. I actually liked the dark mode best. I didn't notice the reflections much when using the screen. However, I could tell the light screens photographed better.

You can choose three screen modes: light, dark, and automatic. Not sure if automatic is just time based or if it uses light sensors.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Finally, I realize I haven't given my assessment of the rides in retrospect. Someone already pointed out you could hear our smiles in yesterday's ride video. Today was just as good but different. I am truly impressed with the ride and comfort of the Mach E.

The acceleration is a blast. The GT may be painfully powerful! It really pushes you back to punch the go pedal. It feels rock-steady in curves, although I haven't been able to experience real twisties so I'll reserve judgement for that. Moderate curves didn't put any sway into the passenger. I was also quite pleased with the turning radius in the U-turn we made today (see 9:00 into video). It seemed to keep to the second lane just fine and Alex wasn't noosing the wheel. Unfortunately the roads we were on for both test rides were very smooth so I can't say how bumps or potholes feel.

The seats are just plain comfortable. Well, except for the middle of the back seat. What they gained with no hump and a soft seat to sit on they lost with the really hard feel of the armrest cum back rest. It's a better arm rest. Don't try to stick a third adult in the back for a long trip. A kid will take it but not an adult. The other two back seats will put you to sleep (at least in Whisper mode).

I have to say that I like the propulsion sounds. Engage is very gentle, Unbridled is definitely there but not in your face.

I think Ford has a real winner here. I can't wait to actually drive one!

 

[KAustin]

That's because the ride-along was in the third car operated by a Ford employee. They'll be doing them at many of the DC area events.

I hope they are there tomorrow.

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