Mach-E Impressions from a Tesla owner

[Forensic]

Edit: Since this post received more responses than I expected, I just want to preface by saying that both of the cars are really great. I’d truly be more than happy driving either one every day. For Ford’s first real entry into the EV market they did an outstanding job and I’m looking forward to them continuing to improve via OTA software updates. Any critiques are merely my own opinion and open to debate and all of them are nitpicks and don’t take away from how much I enjoy both vehicles.



Hi everyone. Someone in my family recently purchased a Mach-E Premium and I got to drive it for a few days and get a good feel for the vehicle overall. I wanted to share some opinions I have about it compared to my Tesla and discuss some things that aren’t normally talked in reviews and YouTube videos but may be of interest to somebody cross-shopping each. I’m not going to discuss the charging network, range, Elon Musk, etc etc .. as it’s been talked about over and over.

In my opinion…

Mach-E Pros over Tesla:

• Fit and finish is much better. The Tesla paint job is awful with overspray in multiple areas and the paint itself is very fragile and prone to rock chips and scratches. Panel gaps and trim pieces not fitting properly is still a very real issue. I have a rattle and a squeak in my Tesla that they could not fix even after 2 visits to service. This is not an issue on the Ford.
• Screen on dash is really nice to have
• Style is great and super sleek. Style is subjective but I think most people would agree the Mach-E is a better looking vehicle than the Y.
• BLISS, 360 camera, and cross traffic alert are all welcome safety features
• BlueCruise compatibility in the future for hands-free highway driving
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is great to have and really missed on the Tesla.

Negatives about the Mach-E over the Tesla:

• Why is there a start button? There’s no engine to start. This is an extra unnecessary step.
• The infotainment system on the Mach-E is terrible at worst and annoying at best. It’s slow to respond, laggy, and confusing to navigate through menus to find a simple setting. Tesla’s software is by far and away better in every regard.
• Phone key works about 70% of the time. It’s not perfect on the Tesla either but the Tesla works maybe 95% of the time.
• The acceleration on the Tesla is better, smoother, and doesn’t let up as quick as on the Mach-E. The Mach-E throws you into your seat off the line but it quickly loses the oomph. Floor the Tesla at 60 and you’re thrown back into your seat again, not so much on the Ford.
• 1 pedal driving is smoother and less jerky on the Tesla at low speeds.
• The seats are more comfortable on the Tesla, but the Mach-E’s are very nice too. I just find the Tesla seats exceptionally comfortable.
• Steering wheel controls are overly complicated and not necessary.
• Frunk release is an old-fashioned 2 pull release latch instead of a simple button or phone control
• The Ford Pass app doesn’t have as many controls as it should have
• Sentry mode and dash cam is such a common sense feature I don’t know why the Mach-E doesn’t support it since it has the hardware.
• Ford’s CoPilot 360 or whatever name they call it can’t currently compete with Tesla’s Autopilot, but maybe this will change once BlueCruise is released.

I’m sure I missed some things that didn’t pop into my head as I was writing this, but that’s just some of my initial impressions.

Overall I think most of my qualms with the Mach-E can be resolved with software updates. Both cars are really fantastic and I would be more than happy to drive either one. I hope Ford releases OTA updates rapidly to improve and add features.

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[snikt]

Hi everyone. Someone in my family recently purchased a Mach-E Premium and I got to drive it for a few days and get a good feel for the vehicle overall. I wanted to share some opinions I have about it compared to my Tesla and discuss some things that aren’t normally talked in reviews and YouTube videos but may be of interest to somebody cross-shopping each. I’m not going to discuss the charging network, range, Elon Musk, etc etc .. as it’s been talked about over and over.

In my opinion…

Mach-E Pros over Tesla:

• Fit and finish is much better. The Tesla paint job is awful with overspray in multiple areas and the paint itself is very fragile and prone to rock chips and scratches. Panel gaps and trim pieces not fitting properly is still a very real issue. I have a rattle and a squeak in my Tesla that they could not fix even after 2 visits to service. This is not an issue on the Ford.
• Screen on dash is really nice to have
• Style is great and super sleek. Style is subjective but I think most people would agree the Mach-E is a better looking vehicle than the Y.
• BLISS, 360 camera, and cross traffic alert are all welcome safety features
• BlueCruise compatibility in the future for hands-free highway driving
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is great to have and really missed on the Tesla.

Negatives about the Mach-E over the Tesla:

• Why is there a start button? There’s no engine to start. This is an extra unnecessary step.
• The infotainment system on the Mach-E is terrible at worst and annoying at best. It’s slow to respond, laggy, and confusing to navigate through menus to find a simple setting. Tesla’s software is by far and away better in every regard.
• Phone key works about 70% of the time. It’s not perfect on the Tesla either but the Tesla works maybe 95% of the time.
• The acceleration on the Tesla is better, smoother, and doesn’t let up as quick as on the Mach-E. The Mach-E throws you into your seat off the line but it quickly loses the oomph. Floor the Tesla at 60 and you’re thrown back into your seat again, not so much on the Ford.
• 1 pedal driving is smoother and less jerky on the Tesla at low speeds.
• The seats are more comfortable on the Tesla, but the Mach-E’s are very nice too. I just find the Tesla seats exceptionally comfortable.
• Steering wheel controls are overly complicated and not necessary.
• Frunk release is an old-fashioned 2 pull release latch instead of a simple button or phone control
• The Ford Pass app doesn’t have as many controls as it should have
• Sentry mode and dash cam is such a common sense feature I don’t know why the Mach-E doesn’t support it since it has the hardware.
• Ford’s CoPilot 360 or whatever name they call it can’t currently compete with Tesla’s Autopilot, but maybe this will change once BlueCruise is released.

I’m sure I missed some things that didn’t pop into my head as I was writing this, but that’s just some of my initial impressions.

Overall I think most of my qualms with the Mach-E can be resolved with software updates. Both cars are really fantastic and I would be more than happy to drive either one. I hope Ford releases OTA updates rapidly to improve and add features.

Which Tesla are you comparing to? I just got a M3 and also looked at the MME, would agree I think with everything you have listed.

It's brand new, but I think the fit and finish has improved over time. My M3 I picked up over the weekend has no paint issues, trim issues, gaps or anything

 

[Forensic]

Which Tesla are you comparing to? I just got a M3 and also looked at the MME, would agree I think with everything you have listed.

It's brand new, but I think the fit and finish has improved over time. My M3 I picked up over the weekend has no paint issues, trim issues, gaps or anything

Congrats on the new car!

I was comparing to the Model 3 which is why I didn’t discuss size/storage/etc.

Glad your Model 3 doesn’t have any issues, they’ve definitely improved especially this last year but it’s still something to keep in mind when ordering and taking delivery.

 

[snikt]

Congrats on the new car!

I was comparing to the Model 3 which is why I didn’t discuss size/storage/etc.

Glad your Model 3 doesn’t have any issues, they’ve definitely improved especially this last year but it’s still something to keep in mind when ordering and taking delivery.

Thanks, I didn't break out the micrometer or anything but I did give it a good check over. Love it so far.

I agree the start button would seem silly, nice just to get in the vehicle and go

 

[ARK]

I like having the start button, part of the ritual of getting in and ready for a drive, but I especially like that there is a kill switch/easy way to tell if the vehicle is on or off.

Not sure why this gets as much flak as it does since it’s such a nothing step even if somebody doesn’t care for it.

 

[ARK]

Thanks, I didn't break out the micrometer or anything but I did give it a good check over. Love it so far.

I agree the start button would seem silly, nice just to get in the vehicle and go

That shade of blue looks particularly good on the Model 3, especially with those rims - congratulations.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Thanks, I didn't break out the micrometer or anything but I did give it a good check over. Love it so far.

I agree the start button would seem silly, nice just to get in the vehicle and go

Overall, I don’t like the selections for color on the Mach-E. A color similar to this would be more to my liking, but that’s just me.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Overall, I don’t like the selections for color on the Mach-E. A color similar to this would be more to my liking, but that’s just me.

What? You can’t find an acceptable color among the 700 shades of grey plus 1 red.

They used to have this rather nice blue color …

 

[snikt]

Overall, I don’t like the selections for color on the Mach-E. A color similar to this would be more to my liking, but that’s just me.

I agree, that was actually a point for me in comparing the two. The MME has like 4 shades of gray, 2 whites ??, black and red. I normally always buy blue vehicles.

I think the grabber blue looks nice, very different but is limited to only the GT and 1st editions.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

I agree, that was actually a point for me in comparing the two. The MME has like 4 shades of gray, 2 whites ??, black and red. I normally always buy blue vehicles.

I think the grabber blue looks nice, very different but is limited to only the GT and 1st editions.

In all honesty, if infinite blue hadn’t been available when I reserved the MME, there’s a high likelihood I’d have passed on the car.

More color choices are really needed. The blue on that M3 is nice.

 

[Mirak]

I agree, that was actually a point for me in comparing the two. The MME has like 4 shades of gray, 2 whites ??, black and red. I normally always buy blue vehicles.

I think the grabber blue looks nice, very different but is limited to only the GT and 1st editions.

The blue pictured above is a $2,000 add on for Tesla. All other colors besides plain white are a $1,000 add. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[snikt]

The blue pictured above is a $2,000 add on for Tesla. All other colors besides plain white are a $1,000 add. Just something to keep in mind.

No, the red is $2000 and all other colors except white are $1000

 

[Mirak]

Hi everyone. Someone in my family recently purchased a Mach-E Premium and I got to drive it for a few days and get a good feel for the vehicle overall. I wanted to share some opinions I have about it compared to my Tesla and discuss some things that aren’t normally talked in reviews and YouTube videos but may be of interest to somebody cross-shopping each. I’m not going to discuss the charging network, range, Elon Musk, etc etc .. as it’s been talked about over and over.

In my opinion…

Mach-E Pros over Tesla:

• Fit and finish is much better. The Tesla paint job is awful with overspray in multiple areas and the paint itself is very fragile and prone to rock chips and scratches. Panel gaps and trim pieces not fitting properly is still a very real issue. I have a rattle and a squeak in my Tesla that they could not fix even after 2 visits to service. This is not an issue on the Ford.
• Screen on dash is really nice to have
• Style is great and super sleek. Style is subjective but I think most people would agree the Mach-E is a better looking vehicle than the Y.
• BLISS, 360 camera, and cross traffic alert are all welcome safety features
• BlueCruise compatibility in the future for hands-free highway driving
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is great to have and really missed on the Tesla.

Negatives about the Mach-E over the Tesla:

• Why is there a start button? There’s no engine to start. This is an extra unnecessary step.
• The infotainment system on the Mach-E is terrible at worst and annoying at best. It’s slow to respond, laggy, and confusing to navigate through menus to find a simple setting. Tesla’s software is by far and away better in every regard.
• Phone key works about 70% of the time. It’s not perfect on the Tesla either but the Tesla works maybe 95% of the time.
• The acceleration on the Tesla is better, smoother, and doesn’t let up as quick as on the Mach-E. The Mach-E throws you into your seat off the line but it quickly loses the oomph. Floor the Tesla at 60 and you’re thrown back into your seat again, not so much on the Ford.
• 1 pedal driving is smoother and less jerky on the Tesla at low speeds.
• The seats are more comfortable on the Tesla, but the Mach-E’s are very nice too. I just find the Tesla seats exceptionally comfortable.
• Steering wheel controls are overly complicated and not necessary.
• Frunk release is an old-fashioned 2 pull release latch instead of a simple button or phone control
• The Ford Pass app doesn’t have as many controls as it should have
• Sentry mode and dash cam is such a common sense feature I don’t know why the Mach-E doesn’t support it since it has the hardware.
• Ford’s CoPilot 360 or whatever name they call it can’t currently compete with Tesla’s Autopilot, but maybe this will change once BlueCruise is released.

I’m sure I missed some things that didn’t pop into my head as I was writing this, but that’s just some of my initial impressions.

Overall I think most of my qualms with the Mach-E can be resolved with software updates. Both cars are really fantastic and I would be more than happy to drive either one. I hope Ford releases OTA updates rapidly to improve and add features.

Great write up. The only spots I’d disagree with you on are seat comfort and steering wheel controls. Seat comfort is subjective, of course, but your opinion appears to be an outlier based on the great many comparisons I’ve seen. Ford’s seats are cushier which most people seem to prefer.

As for the steering wheel controls, I find them to much easier to use than the Tesla’s muck more minimalist rollers. This has likewise been noted by many reviews.

I guess while I’m at it, I’ll quibble with a couple other things. The start button isn’t necessary, true, but also who really cares? It doesn’t cause any added inconvenience. And the Mach E’s infotainment screen is a bit laggy as compared to the Tesla, but overall not terrible.

Anyway, thanks for the write up!

 

[Mirak]

No, the red is $2000 and all other colors except white are $1000

Ah, sorry. Thanks for the correction.

 

[oadesign]

I agree, that was actually a point for me in comparing the two. The MME has like 4 shades of gray, 2 whites ??, black and red. I normally always buy blue vehicles.

I think the grabber blue looks nice, very different but is limited to only the GT and 1st editions.

Unfortunately auto makers follow trends, and we're currently in the midst of a white-sliver-shades-of-gray-and-black trend. There are other colors available, but these are by far the most common when you look at the vehicles around you out on the roads.

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