Applecross
Member
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2021
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 17
- Reaction score
- 23
- Location
- UK
- Vehicles
- Mustang Mach E, SR RWD
- Thread starter
- #1
Last week I purchased a Mach E SR RWD from Think Ford in Guildford and I wanted to share my thoughts. I’d be interested to hear other people’s thoughts.
For background, in our household we also have a Honda E and a Touraeg.
So here goes and here are some of my random thoughts;
Parking Sensors
The front parking sensors seem slow witted and kick in too late. Often they start beeping by the time I’m part way into my parking manoeuvre.
Park Pilot Button
Does this button do anything? I’ve got the based standard range RWD model (select in US) and it doesn’t seem that the button does anything. Am I missing anything?
Rear Windscreen Wiper
Living up a single track country lane and often having to reverse was one of the reasons I choose the Mach E over the Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 or waiting for the Tesla MY. The rear wiper works fine but I find it too short. When it sweeps, it misses the top couple of inches of the rear screen. So when it’s wet, part of the top rear view is obscured with road spray. Possibly fitting a longer wiper blade will solve the problem.
Interior
For a £42k car, I’m really impressed with the interior compared to other cars in the same price range. Ford have done a great job. The car seems really well built. My only gripe (and this is verging on OCD) is that when I run my finger over the end of the left hand stalk, the plastic is rough. Now I have felt it, I can’t “Unsee” it
Ride
When test drove an extended range AWD, I found it too bouncy. However I don’t seem to have the same issue. I’m coming from a car with air suspension so the Mach E is a bit harsher but overall the ride is fine.
Range
The cold weather and wet roads seems to harshly affect the range. I do wonder if a heat pump would improve its efficiency.
Software
This is my biggest gripe but hopefully the bugs will get ironed out in time. The screen tells me I’m on the latest version but reading this forum, it looks like some of the issues have been resolved by a software update I’m lacking. Issues I’ve had include (apologies if I am rehashing what others have already said);
- Radio. I set all my favourite stations on Thursday when I collected the car. I then drove 400+ miles, getting home of Saturday. Car entered deep sleep and when I got back in,all the presets had gone.
- Drive modes. Would prefer the ability to customise the regen settings and dashboard screen rather than being stuck with the 3 stock options.
- Apple Car Play. It works well and so glad it’s wireless (this was a major drawback with the Ioniq5 / EV6). However would be nice to get directions shown on the dashboard
- Heatebuttons. Annoying. Why can’t they be toggle buttons rather than sliders?
- Heating controls. I can’t understand why I manually set the E-heat and AC as on, but then the car decides to turn off the AC and the car starts misting up
- Charging location map. Could do with updates to better reflect what exists and availability.
- OTA updates. As a tech guy it’s frustrating not knowing what software version I’m on and updating it.
- other than the above points, I’d score Ford with a B. With time hopefully they can improve the experience and raise the score to an A.
Car Performance and Drive Experience
The car is easy to live with. It drives a bit like a boat but I don’t mind that. After coming from a larger Touraeg, I was nervous about making the jump but this has been unfounded. It’s an easy car to live with.
Steering paddles
I’ve got used to using the steering wheel paddles on the Honda E to modulate my braking speed going down hills or coming off motorways. I wish the Mach E had them as using the L button or diving into the menu system to change from whisper mode to untamed isn’t as easy or intuitive.
Tow Bar
Surprised to see that they had to hack part of the boot lining to fit the control module for the tow bar. However, conversely I like it that when you remove the tow bar, there are no cut external panels showing.
Windscreen
I was pleasantly surprised that an acoustic windscreen is fitted on the base model.
Cruse Control and Lane Keep Assist
I’ve spent the last decade driving cars with adaptive cruise control and I couldn’t go back to non adaptive. Ford have done a great job and I like their ACC system. I drive it with the lane assist active and it makes for a relaxing motorway cruiser. However the lane assist is a pain on narrow country roads but thankfully is easy to deactivate.
Comparison with higher spec Mach Es
I had originally ordered the AWD extended range version which comes with the tech pack. However I decided to go with the cheapest option on the basis that if I don’t like it, I can easily sell it on and replace it with a higher spec version or the Model Y. I found a cancelled order on the Ford website on Monday and collected the car 3 days later so hence taking the gamble on the lower spec car.
From the higher spec cars, probably the key feature I miss is the 360 parking cameras. For the seats, I was expecting to miss the lack of lumbar support or the lack of electric seats. However I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the drivers seat was on a long distance drive. Another item missing on the base spec is the lack of adaptive lights. However I’ve found the reflector lights to be good and a step up from the Xenons on the Touraeg. The only thing I’m missing with the front lights is the lack of a turning function.
Probably the sweet point in the UK range is the RWD version with the extended battery and tech pack. However that was only an option if I waited 32 weeks.
Charging Infrastructure
My wife drives a Honda E. it’s such a sweet car but man, do you suffer range anxiety if you try and stray from home. The Mach E is fine as a daily driver. However on a long cross country drive, it really showed up how patchy UK charging coverage is. Most fast chargers seem to be 50kw which is too slow. Where I found chargers of >100kw, they were full, ie Ionity at Cobham services. So if I had to regularity drive big distances, I’d probably avoid using an EV or buy a Tesla as we don’t have enough charging capacity in the UK when it’s busy. Also some parts of the country are a charging desert (especially Cornwall). Another bugbear is the lack of 7kw chargers at hotels. Every hotel car park needs a bank of 7kw chargers so you can charge your car overnight to 100%. Hopefully this will get resolved in the years to come as driving the Mach E is so relaxing and it’s a good long distance cruiser. Thankfully most of my driving is 50-80 miles let day so the Mach E is fine. However I’m keeping the Touareg as back up in case I need to do 600 mile round trip to see one of my kids at their Uni.
80% charging Cliff
It was frustrating to hit the 80% fast charger cliff. It limits the usability of the SR model on long drives. Ive heard on the future it will be lifted to 90% which would make life easier.
Warranty
The unknown with these cars is how reliable the electric sensors will be. I’ve been hit with costs totalling over £10k on the Touareg to replace electrical items outside of warranty, eg adaptive cruise control sensors, cameras, keyless entry, brake sensors etc. So I purchased the extended 5 year / 100k Mike warranty for £560. I don’t know if the warranty can be passed on if I sell the car but it was a no brainer to buy it in case the car is a long term keeper.
Overall
The Mach E is a brilliant car and Ford have done a good job launching the base car at £42k. The base Tesla model 3 is at the same price point in the UK and I far prefer the convenience and looks of the Mach E. Now Ford, you need to keep polishing the software and mobile app.
For background, in our household we also have a Honda E and a Touraeg.
So here goes and here are some of my random thoughts;
Parking Sensors
The front parking sensors seem slow witted and kick in too late. Often they start beeping by the time I’m part way into my parking manoeuvre.
Park Pilot Button
Does this button do anything? I’ve got the based standard range RWD model (select in US) and it doesn’t seem that the button does anything. Am I missing anything?
Rear Windscreen Wiper
Living up a single track country lane and often having to reverse was one of the reasons I choose the Mach E over the Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 or waiting for the Tesla MY. The rear wiper works fine but I find it too short. When it sweeps, it misses the top couple of inches of the rear screen. So when it’s wet, part of the top rear view is obscured with road spray. Possibly fitting a longer wiper blade will solve the problem.
Interior
For a £42k car, I’m really impressed with the interior compared to other cars in the same price range. Ford have done a great job. The car seems really well built. My only gripe (and this is verging on OCD) is that when I run my finger over the end of the left hand stalk, the plastic is rough. Now I have felt it, I can’t “Unsee” it
Ride
When test drove an extended range AWD, I found it too bouncy. However I don’t seem to have the same issue. I’m coming from a car with air suspension so the Mach E is a bit harsher but overall the ride is fine.
Range
The cold weather and wet roads seems to harshly affect the range. I do wonder if a heat pump would improve its efficiency.
Software
This is my biggest gripe but hopefully the bugs will get ironed out in time. The screen tells me I’m on the latest version but reading this forum, it looks like some of the issues have been resolved by a software update I’m lacking. Issues I’ve had include (apologies if I am rehashing what others have already said);
- Radio. I set all my favourite stations on Thursday when I collected the car. I then drove 400+ miles, getting home of Saturday. Car entered deep sleep and when I got back in,all the presets had gone.
- Drive modes. Would prefer the ability to customise the regen settings and dashboard screen rather than being stuck with the 3 stock options.
- Apple Car Play. It works well and so glad it’s wireless (this was a major drawback with the Ioniq5 / EV6). However would be nice to get directions shown on the dashboard
- Heatebuttons. Annoying. Why can’t they be toggle buttons rather than sliders?
- Heating controls. I can’t understand why I manually set the E-heat and AC as on, but then the car decides to turn off the AC and the car starts misting up
- Charging location map. Could do with updates to better reflect what exists and availability.
- OTA updates. As a tech guy it’s frustrating not knowing what software version I’m on and updating it.
- other than the above points, I’d score Ford with a B. With time hopefully they can improve the experience and raise the score to an A.
Car Performance and Drive Experience
The car is easy to live with. It drives a bit like a boat but I don’t mind that. After coming from a larger Touraeg, I was nervous about making the jump but this has been unfounded. It’s an easy car to live with.
Steering paddles
I’ve got used to using the steering wheel paddles on the Honda E to modulate my braking speed going down hills or coming off motorways. I wish the Mach E had them as using the L button or diving into the menu system to change from whisper mode to untamed isn’t as easy or intuitive.
Tow Bar
Surprised to see that they had to hack part of the boot lining to fit the control module for the tow bar. However, conversely I like it that when you remove the tow bar, there are no cut external panels showing.
Windscreen
I was pleasantly surprised that an acoustic windscreen is fitted on the base model.
Cruse Control and Lane Keep Assist
I’ve spent the last decade driving cars with adaptive cruise control and I couldn’t go back to non adaptive. Ford have done a great job and I like their ACC system. I drive it with the lane assist active and it makes for a relaxing motorway cruiser. However the lane assist is a pain on narrow country roads but thankfully is easy to deactivate.
Comparison with higher spec Mach Es
I had originally ordered the AWD extended range version which comes with the tech pack. However I decided to go with the cheapest option on the basis that if I don’t like it, I can easily sell it on and replace it with a higher spec version or the Model Y. I found a cancelled order on the Ford website on Monday and collected the car 3 days later so hence taking the gamble on the lower spec car.
From the higher spec cars, probably the key feature I miss is the 360 parking cameras. For the seats, I was expecting to miss the lack of lumbar support or the lack of electric seats. However I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the drivers seat was on a long distance drive. Another item missing on the base spec is the lack of adaptive lights. However I’ve found the reflector lights to be good and a step up from the Xenons on the Touraeg. The only thing I’m missing with the front lights is the lack of a turning function.
Probably the sweet point in the UK range is the RWD version with the extended battery and tech pack. However that was only an option if I waited 32 weeks.
Charging Infrastructure
My wife drives a Honda E. it’s such a sweet car but man, do you suffer range anxiety if you try and stray from home. The Mach E is fine as a daily driver. However on a long cross country drive, it really showed up how patchy UK charging coverage is. Most fast chargers seem to be 50kw which is too slow. Where I found chargers of >100kw, they were full, ie Ionity at Cobham services. So if I had to regularity drive big distances, I’d probably avoid using an EV or buy a Tesla as we don’t have enough charging capacity in the UK when it’s busy. Also some parts of the country are a charging desert (especially Cornwall). Another bugbear is the lack of 7kw chargers at hotels. Every hotel car park needs a bank of 7kw chargers so you can charge your car overnight to 100%. Hopefully this will get resolved in the years to come as driving the Mach E is so relaxing and it’s a good long distance cruiser. Thankfully most of my driving is 50-80 miles let day so the Mach E is fine. However I’m keeping the Touareg as back up in case I need to do 600 mile round trip to see one of my kids at their Uni.
80% charging Cliff
It was frustrating to hit the 80% fast charger cliff. It limits the usability of the SR model on long drives. Ive heard on the future it will be lifted to 90% which would make life easier.
Warranty
The unknown with these cars is how reliable the electric sensors will be. I’ve been hit with costs totalling over £10k on the Touareg to replace electrical items outside of warranty, eg adaptive cruise control sensors, cameras, keyless entry, brake sensors etc. So I purchased the extended 5 year / 100k Mike warranty for £560. I don’t know if the warranty can be passed on if I sell the car but it was a no brainer to buy it in case the car is a long term keeper.
Overall
The Mach E is a brilliant car and Ford have done a good job launching the base car at £42k. The base Tesla model 3 is at the same price point in the UK and I far prefer the convenience and looks of the Mach E. Now Ford, you need to keep polishing the software and mobile app.
Sponsored
Last edited:
