ChasingCoral
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Mark
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2020
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- Maryland
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- GB E4X FE, Leaf, Tacoma, F-150 Lightning ordered
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- Retired oceanographer
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Just got the call from my dealer -- gotta go
[Admin Update] IMPRESSIONS AND PHOTOS FROM @ChasingCoral
Some screens and displays:
It's very nice to have that small display right up front providing key information.
42% battery providing about 240 miles of range on interstate in the cool rain in an E4x based on recent use. Of course, if people are playing with the car continuously at every stop like we were, that will take a toll.
There are clearly a couple of blindspots in the cameras at the back left and back right corners of the car.
I found that same screen to enable/disable Valet mode but didn't find the screen that gives you the valet code. I didn't try entering a pin to see what it gives you. I'll put that on my list for a "planned" visit and on a car that isn't about to be driven to another meeting. I didn't want to mess anything up and tick off Zach!
Lots of options. I'll have to play with Sync 4A a bit more but there were definitely some things I wanted to find that weren't obvious. For example, finding the control to open the rear lift gate from the main screen is not as simple as I would have liked. That should be quick and easy to find.
There are two very inconvenient vent controls:
With the main screen covering so much dashboard real estate, these two vent controls are almost hidden behind the screen. Clearly only the driver will adjust the one left of the screen and only the passenger the one to the right. The screen also prevents you from sending all the passenger side air over to the driver or vice versa.
Here's the light control panel on the Mach E:
OK, next pictures: the Frunk!
I opened and closed it a few times. Mind you, I had read folks' concerns about having to close it hard. I was firm and not so firm to test and it really seemed fine. I'm used to closing car hoods with a definitive motion but this didn't seem to require any more force than I'm used to, despite the serious rubber seal. I took a good look at the top and bottom seals. As someone who has used lots of underwater and marine equipment, the seal between the hood seal and the rubber seal around the Frunk basin looks pretty good -- maybe even watertight. It certainly should keep things in the Frunk dry while driving in the rain. It may even keep @Kamuelaflyer's Koi.
Just had to toss in that hood pony!
The future of the Frunk divider is still uncertain. Zach couldn't say for sure what the final disposition will be. It seemed to be in place really solidly. There were two obvious torx screws:
They'll be easy to remove. However, it felt like the bottom was been held in somehow too. It just seemed too stiff to be the divider's strength alone, especially since it was multiple parts. I also couldn't tell how the parts were being held together other than sliding the tongue of the font piece into the grooves and flanges of the side pieces.
We all know the drain plug down there will need to be plugged to keep in the Koi or the chowdah. It looked like a simple plastic structure over a valve, probably like the purge valve in the nose of a dive mask.
However, there was one more concern for the Koi:
To the left and right of the side pieces of the divider were these little access panels. I pressed a little but didn't want to force them (maybe I'll try harder on a Tour car). They look like access panels to get to something back there. They might not be water tight -- sorry koi.
Considering everything was dry and Zach had just driven here I don't think water leaking in would be a problem but liquids might leak out.
Elsewhere under the hood and other hatches:
Also under the hood are a few key hatches.
The obvious filler tube is windshield washer fluid. Next two it are a couple of small panels, the port panel next to the windshield fluid seemed to access fuses and the starboard didn't open as readily so I didn't dig.
But then there's the big panel.
I popped off the panel between the Frunk and the windshield to check the access to some inner workings. It seems to be held in place by nine pop-clamps. It takes a patient effort to free them all to get the panel off.
Inside you find
On Port: 12v battery and brake fluid
On Starboard: Coolant? It seems to pressurize to 21 psi and has the color of most coolant.
Also a fancy silver box that seems to not want you to peek inside. I think there will be lots of those parts in the Mach E with do-not-touch electronics.
I confirmed what we already know: the tow hook panel on the front bumper isn't a tow hook panel at all. I definitely didn't see a tow hook stub in there. It does contain access to the red and black jumper cables to get you into the Frunk when the 12v battery is dead:
From the gauge of wire, they could be used for slow charging or maintenance charging but nothing fast. They must not be live to the battery when the battery is live as they are just sitting in there loose and uncovered. Definitely something to read about in the manual.
And there's the all important hatch to put the horsepower in:
Unlike my Leaf where you can only open the charging panel from a button inside or the fob, the Mach E's is like an unlocked gas cap panel. You push on the side opposite the hinge and it pops right open revealing the J-1772 connector:
With the magnetic panel keeping the DC connectors clean that rounds out the CCS Combo connector:
Next up, the hatch.
As we know, the hatch can be opened using the button on the fob, waving your foot under the sensor when you have the fob with you (didn't get to try that) or from the main screen (didn't seem to be on the main page but found it under the controls).
Unlike the lightweight struts on the hood, the ones for the hatch are nice and beefy:
The cargo area cover is easily removable and twist-folds to store under the floor.
You can see the floor here is shown in it's UP position where it sits flush with the forward-folded back seat. While the back seat isn't quite fold flat when there is no load, under load it's pretty much flat and even with the floor behind it.
Below you can see the cargo area cover sitting on top of the floor.
Underneath the floor is the storage area for the charger (right) and 12v tire inflator (left).
The doors are simple and intuitive. Up front you press the button and pull the trough-style handle and open it comes with finger pressure only. The door is very easy to open. It's plenty big enough to get in and out easily but doesn't seem overly large or heavy.
The mechanism that pushes the door open is quite strong. I applied a bit of pressure against the door when I pressed the button and out it popped. I'm convinced that it will pop open even after being coated with sleet/freezing rain. If the ice on the car is so thick that thing won't open it DON'T DRIVE!
After popping the door open, the rod stays extended until you open the door about a foot, at which point it retracts:
You can hear the voice of my dealer and Koons Silver Spring Mach E Specialist Narh as he sees it operate.
Aerodynamics are us. I got down on the wet asphalt and looked at her from underneath.
From behind:
From the side looking back:
and between her front tires
and from the front:
Yep. There's one blue oval on the car: top of the windscreen where I think some forward looking cameras are found.
Some cars with front facing cameras like Subarus make their cameras really obvious. Here they are disguised in a dark mass at the top of the windscreen.
Yes, wipers are the new style with the button rather than the traditional hook-end arms.
Edit: forgot the wider view for context:
Nice looking blades, though.
A few other outside shots:
That pony looks good wet!
And for a truly positive ID:
Edit: July birthday. Clearly pre-production for demo and testing only.
But wait, wheels and tires
Did someone say Pressure?
and another gratuitous wet pony
Finally, let's go inside for a look around.
I didn't want to repeat what everyone else had posted, so
Backseat armrest and cup holders
Backseat vents and USB ports:
My wife was really impressed by the extremely practical little touches. Every "holder" has a nice rubber mat floor (cup holders, phone tray, tray under the phones, etc.). The rubber mats have lips to keep stuff in and is removable for easy cleaning.
Front cup holders:
The under the phone tray:
(I didn't photograph the phone tray mat and the pony underneath as someone else already shared those).
She loved the hinged floating armrest that stays up if you want it to:
and the inside compartment under it (with its own little LED light) where the 12v outlet and fob holder reside -- currently full of cleaning supplies!
And looking up, one thing is obvious about that gorgeous Panoramic Glass Roof: it is quite tinted.
To your left you see the Glass Roof, to the right the passenger side window. From the overhead lights you can see how much it is tinted along with being low emissivity glass. This is part of what keeps it cool.
I checked out the mystery button next to the mirror -- a mystery
It's not the microphone for the phone and other pickups as I think that's here over the driver:
More lights and controls between the mirror and the sunglasses compartment.
One downer I saw. Is it just me or does it seem to others like headlamp covers/lenses really shouldn't let in so much moisture that they fog like this?
Almost forgot -- the picture off my wife's phone. For those of you wondering if your really huge phone will fit, here's an iPhone 11 Pro in the charging side
You can see a little rubber spacer nub on the left that could be removed with a razor blade or utility knife if you have a Plus-sized phone.
If you really need extra space (or maybe for a tablet?) you can remove the rubber tray and lay the phone right on the inductive charging pad (again, someone already posted a photo of this in a Mach E Tour visit).
Now for the part without pictures -- our general impressions.
WOW!
Did I say that before?
I continue to be really impressed with this car. It is definitely a beautifully styled automobile. I loved it in the reveal and even more when I saw a GT at the Washington Auto Show. As my wife said "It'll really turn heads". I'm thrilled that she really likes the looks of it. The Mach E really looks good from every angle and her haunches are slippery when wet (yes I'm talking about the car!).
My wife also loved the Infinite Blue. I had to reminder her that IB isn't a First Edition color and that she said she doesn't like the black wheel lip arches. She concurred (whew!).
Someone today was asking me about it (he actually has a reservation deposit down and is still contemplating). He asked what it really looks like: sports car, sedan, SUV? The Mustang Mach E has the powerful look and form that comes from its Mustang heritage. The best description I could give is it looks like a bigger version of a classic Jaguar E-Types, the ones that inspired the original Datsun 240Z. It looks strong and sporty but big enough to be comfortable.
As everyone else has said, there is plenty of room. I'm 5' 11" and space is absolutely no issue. My wife was really impressed with the spacious interior. Unlike our Leaf or the bigger Prius before it, when the back seats fold forward, they don't even come close to hitting the front seats.
Getting in and out: I never mentioned the high sill to my wife (who is 5'8") and I watched her get in and out of each seat, some multiple times. She never hit her foot on the sill. I didn't either. It just wasn't an issue. I had no issues getting in or out, nor did I find myself reaching for the roof.
The seats are really comfy. I forgot to try the seat adjustment as it seemed fine for me already and I didn't think to. My wife did adjust the driver's seat and thought it adjusted fine to fit her comfortably. I just got in and it felt really good.
As mentioned before, the vision out the back isn't the greatest. On the other hand it's not that bad either. The rear window fills most of the rear-view mirror and you can see what's behind you fine. The B-pillar is well placed and didn't seem to cause a blindspot for me. Of course, I didn't drive it. I'll have to look at that more closely next time. The C-pillars aren't the smallest but don't seem to obscure vision badly at all -- certainly not like a Mustang Coupe! Again, I'll really test that when I drive. The side mirrors seemed plenty large enough as well. Toss in the BLIS (which neither of our vehicles have) and I think vision out the back and sides will be fine. The view across that hood feels powerful.
The doors were solid! I opened an closed every door, hood, hatch, charger cover multiple times. Everything seemed really well built. I saw not fit or finish issues other than the mist in the headlamp lenses (both of them).
Now I can't wait for a chance to ride along and then get behind the wheel. I'll keep reminding myself the wait won't be much longer!
[Admin Update] IMPRESSIONS AND PHOTOS FROM @ChasingCoral
Some screens and displays:
It's very nice to have that small display right up front providing key information.
42% battery providing about 240 miles of range on interstate in the cool rain in an E4x based on recent use. Of course, if people are playing with the car continuously at every stop like we were, that will take a toll.
There are clearly a couple of blindspots in the cameras at the back left and back right corners of the car.
I found that same screen to enable/disable Valet mode but didn't find the screen that gives you the valet code. I didn't try entering a pin to see what it gives you. I'll put that on my list for a "planned" visit and on a car that isn't about to be driven to another meeting. I didn't want to mess anything up and tick off Zach!
Lots of options. I'll have to play with Sync 4A a bit more but there were definitely some things I wanted to find that weren't obvious. For example, finding the control to open the rear lift gate from the main screen is not as simple as I would have liked. That should be quick and easy to find.
There are two very inconvenient vent controls:
With the main screen covering so much dashboard real estate, these two vent controls are almost hidden behind the screen. Clearly only the driver will adjust the one left of the screen and only the passenger the one to the right. The screen also prevents you from sending all the passenger side air over to the driver or vice versa.
Here's the light control panel on the Mach E:
OK, next pictures: the Frunk!
I opened and closed it a few times. Mind you, I had read folks' concerns about having to close it hard. I was firm and not so firm to test and it really seemed fine. I'm used to closing car hoods with a definitive motion but this didn't seem to require any more force than I'm used to, despite the serious rubber seal. I took a good look at the top and bottom seals. As someone who has used lots of underwater and marine equipment, the seal between the hood seal and the rubber seal around the Frunk basin looks pretty good -- maybe even watertight. It certainly should keep things in the Frunk dry while driving in the rain. It may even keep @Kamuelaflyer's Koi.
Just had to toss in that hood pony!
The future of the Frunk divider is still uncertain. Zach couldn't say for sure what the final disposition will be. It seemed to be in place really solidly. There were two obvious torx screws:
They'll be easy to remove. However, it felt like the bottom was been held in somehow too. It just seemed too stiff to be the divider's strength alone, especially since it was multiple parts. I also couldn't tell how the parts were being held together other than sliding the tongue of the font piece into the grooves and flanges of the side pieces.
We all know the drain plug down there will need to be plugged to keep in the Koi or the chowdah. It looked like a simple plastic structure over a valve, probably like the purge valve in the nose of a dive mask.
However, there was one more concern for the Koi:
To the left and right of the side pieces of the divider were these little access panels. I pressed a little but didn't want to force them (maybe I'll try harder on a Tour car). They look like access panels to get to something back there. They might not be water tight -- sorry koi.
Considering everything was dry and Zach had just driven here I don't think water leaking in would be a problem but liquids might leak out.
Elsewhere under the hood and other hatches:
Also under the hood are a few key hatches.
The obvious filler tube is windshield washer fluid. Next two it are a couple of small panels, the port panel next to the windshield fluid seemed to access fuses and the starboard didn't open as readily so I didn't dig.
But then there's the big panel.
I popped off the panel between the Frunk and the windshield to check the access to some inner workings. It seems to be held in place by nine pop-clamps. It takes a patient effort to free them all to get the panel off.
Inside you find
On Port: 12v battery and brake fluid
On Starboard: Coolant? It seems to pressurize to 21 psi and has the color of most coolant.
Also a fancy silver box that seems to not want you to peek inside. I think there will be lots of those parts in the Mach E with do-not-touch electronics.
I confirmed what we already know: the tow hook panel on the front bumper isn't a tow hook panel at all. I definitely didn't see a tow hook stub in there. It does contain access to the red and black jumper cables to get you into the Frunk when the 12v battery is dead:
From the gauge of wire, they could be used for slow charging or maintenance charging but nothing fast. They must not be live to the battery when the battery is live as they are just sitting in there loose and uncovered. Definitely something to read about in the manual.
And there's the all important hatch to put the horsepower in:
Unlike my Leaf where you can only open the charging panel from a button inside or the fob, the Mach E's is like an unlocked gas cap panel. You push on the side opposite the hinge and it pops right open revealing the J-1772 connector:
With the magnetic panel keeping the DC connectors clean that rounds out the CCS Combo connector:
Next up, the hatch.
As we know, the hatch can be opened using the button on the fob, waving your foot under the sensor when you have the fob with you (didn't get to try that) or from the main screen (didn't seem to be on the main page but found it under the controls).
Unlike the lightweight struts on the hood, the ones for the hatch are nice and beefy:
The cargo area cover is easily removable and twist-folds to store under the floor.
You can see the floor here is shown in it's UP position where it sits flush with the forward-folded back seat. While the back seat isn't quite fold flat when there is no load, under load it's pretty much flat and even with the floor behind it.
Below you can see the cargo area cover sitting on top of the floor.
Underneath the floor is the storage area for the charger (right) and 12v tire inflator (left).
The doors are simple and intuitive. Up front you press the button and pull the trough-style handle and open it comes with finger pressure only. The door is very easy to open. It's plenty big enough to get in and out easily but doesn't seem overly large or heavy.
The mechanism that pushes the door open is quite strong. I applied a bit of pressure against the door when I pressed the button and out it popped. I'm convinced that it will pop open even after being coated with sleet/freezing rain. If the ice on the car is so thick that thing won't open it DON'T DRIVE!
After popping the door open, the rod stays extended until you open the door about a foot, at which point it retracts:
You can hear the voice of my dealer and Koons Silver Spring Mach E Specialist Narh as he sees it operate.
Aerodynamics are us. I got down on the wet asphalt and looked at her from underneath.
From behind:
From the side looking back:
and between her front tires
and from the front:
Yep. There's one blue oval on the car: top of the windscreen where I think some forward looking cameras are found.
Some cars with front facing cameras like Subarus make their cameras really obvious. Here they are disguised in a dark mass at the top of the windscreen.
Yes, wipers are the new style with the button rather than the traditional hook-end arms.
Edit: forgot the wider view for context:
Nice looking blades, though.
A few other outside shots:
That pony looks good wet!
And for a truly positive ID:
Edit: July birthday. Clearly pre-production for demo and testing only.
But wait, wheels and tires
Did someone say Pressure?
and another gratuitous wet pony
Finally, let's go inside for a look around.
I didn't want to repeat what everyone else had posted, so
Backseat armrest and cup holders
Backseat vents and USB ports:
My wife was really impressed by the extremely practical little touches. Every "holder" has a nice rubber mat floor (cup holders, phone tray, tray under the phones, etc.). The rubber mats have lips to keep stuff in and is removable for easy cleaning.
Front cup holders:
The under the phone tray:
(I didn't photograph the phone tray mat and the pony underneath as someone else already shared those).
She loved the hinged floating armrest that stays up if you want it to:
and the inside compartment under it (with its own little LED light) where the 12v outlet and fob holder reside -- currently full of cleaning supplies!
And looking up, one thing is obvious about that gorgeous Panoramic Glass Roof: it is quite tinted.
To your left you see the Glass Roof, to the right the passenger side window. From the overhead lights you can see how much it is tinted along with being low emissivity glass. This is part of what keeps it cool.
I checked out the mystery button next to the mirror -- a mystery
It's not the microphone for the phone and other pickups as I think that's here over the driver:
More lights and controls between the mirror and the sunglasses compartment.
One downer I saw. Is it just me or does it seem to others like headlamp covers/lenses really shouldn't let in so much moisture that they fog like this?
Almost forgot -- the picture off my wife's phone. For those of you wondering if your really huge phone will fit, here's an iPhone 11 Pro in the charging side
You can see a little rubber spacer nub on the left that could be removed with a razor blade or utility knife if you have a Plus-sized phone.
If you really need extra space (or maybe for a tablet?) you can remove the rubber tray and lay the phone right on the inductive charging pad (again, someone already posted a photo of this in a Mach E Tour visit).
Now for the part without pictures -- our general impressions.
WOW!
Did I say that before?
I continue to be really impressed with this car. It is definitely a beautifully styled automobile. I loved it in the reveal and even more when I saw a GT at the Washington Auto Show. As my wife said "It'll really turn heads". I'm thrilled that she really likes the looks of it. The Mach E really looks good from every angle and her haunches are slippery when wet (yes I'm talking about the car!).
My wife also loved the Infinite Blue. I had to reminder her that IB isn't a First Edition color and that she said she doesn't like the black wheel lip arches. She concurred (whew!).
Someone today was asking me about it (he actually has a reservation deposit down and is still contemplating). He asked what it really looks like: sports car, sedan, SUV? The Mustang Mach E has the powerful look and form that comes from its Mustang heritage. The best description I could give is it looks like a bigger version of a classic Jaguar E-Types, the ones that inspired the original Datsun 240Z. It looks strong and sporty but big enough to be comfortable.
As everyone else has said, there is plenty of room. I'm 5' 11" and space is absolutely no issue. My wife was really impressed with the spacious interior. Unlike our Leaf or the bigger Prius before it, when the back seats fold forward, they don't even come close to hitting the front seats.
Getting in and out: I never mentioned the high sill to my wife (who is 5'8") and I watched her get in and out of each seat, some multiple times. She never hit her foot on the sill. I didn't either. It just wasn't an issue. I had no issues getting in or out, nor did I find myself reaching for the roof.
The seats are really comfy. I forgot to try the seat adjustment as it seemed fine for me already and I didn't think to. My wife did adjust the driver's seat and thought it adjusted fine to fit her comfortably. I just got in and it felt really good.
As mentioned before, the vision out the back isn't the greatest. On the other hand it's not that bad either. The rear window fills most of the rear-view mirror and you can see what's behind you fine. The B-pillar is well placed and didn't seem to cause a blindspot for me. Of course, I didn't drive it. I'll have to look at that more closely next time. The C-pillars aren't the smallest but don't seem to obscure vision badly at all -- certainly not like a Mustang Coupe! Again, I'll really test that when I drive. The side mirrors seemed plenty large enough as well. Toss in the BLIS (which neither of our vehicles have) and I think vision out the back and sides will be fine. The view across that hood feels powerful.
The doors were solid! I opened an closed every door, hood, hatch, charger cover multiple times. Everything seemed really well built. I saw not fit or finish issues other than the mist in the headlamp lenses (both of them).
Now I can't wait for a chance to ride along and then get behind the wheel. I'll keep reminding myself the wait won't be much longer!
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