Mach E or VW Id.4

[OreckBolt20]

Checked just now and saw the Ioniq 5 is going to be sold in FL. There’s also a decent chance it’ll hit this year.

The i5 is a damn interesting car.

Thanks for that bit of information. I looked it up and apparently will be in some 17 states. I will research it more. It could be the "ideal" choice for me depending on the timeframe. I hope it comes with the nice Hyundai bumper to bumper warranty and the $7500 tax credit.

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[Pushrods&Capacitors]

I'll take your word on the staggered tire fitment and their implications. I just know the ID4 took corners better than the MME 4X in my time with both vehicles on the same roads. Alex on Autos said much the same thing and is enjoying his 4X a lot more now that he's running wider tires.

There is a lot of value to the ID4. It's super practical and blends into the crowd. The ID4 RWD version is fine around town and freeway commuting but as you pointed out, it's underpowered. As a utility vehicle, it's very much so right out of the box with no need to cut holes into the bumper to fit a hitch receiver and has built in roof rails.

Good luck to OP and here's to hoping you find the best vehicle to suit your needs.

The improvement Alex saw going to 245 section width tires was also because he chose summer tires over the relatively low-grip, low rolling-resistance all season Michelins the MME comes with.
He also chose a 245 square set up, rather than a staggered fitment. So he’ll be able to rotate tires front to back. Plus, he didn’t alter the neutral handling balance that makes the MME appealing to those of us who also like to hoof it through curvy sections of road.
We chose the $250 summer tires option when ordering our 4X because we prioritize handling and braking over a bit of extra range.

 

[vstep]

I fully intended on buying an ID.4. I test drove one and told the salesman that I wanted to test drive the Mach e before buying just so I had something to compare it to (I had never driven an EV before the day I test drove both of them). I even told this guy I probably wouldn’t even like the Mach e! ?

The ID.4 has an incredibly smooth ride, I didn’t like the gear shifter, and the infotainment screen was veeery laggy. Overall I loved the car, much more of an SUV feel.

The moment the Ford salesman walked me over to the Mach e to look at it I was giddy. I felt like a little kid and I just started laughing because I was so excited about it. I was showing my mom all the cool features and the minute we sat inside of it I knew it was the car I wanted. It also has a great ride, the interior looks way more high end, and it’s overall more fun to drive.

My opinion is based off one test drive of each vehicle, but I am so excited to get my Mach e!

 

[phil]

I like both. The ID.4 is very comfortable and practical. The Ford is cooler, quicker, and more fun.

 

[OreckBolt20]

I fully intended on buying an ID.4. I test drove one and told the salesman that I wanted to test drive the Mach e before buying just so I had something to compare it to (I had never driven an EV before the day I test drove both of them). I even told this guy I probably wouldn’t even like the Mach e! ?

The ID.4 has an incredibly smooth ride, I didn’t like the gear shifter, and the infotainment screen was veeery laggy. Overall I loved the car, much more of an SUV feel.

The moment the Ford salesman walked me over to the Mach e to look at it I was giddy. I felt like a little kid and I just started laughing because I was so excited about it. I was showing my mom all the cool features and the minute we sat inside of it I knew it was the car I wanted. It also has a great ride, the interior looks way more high end, and it’s overall more fun to drive.

My opinion is based off one test drive of each vehicle, but I am so excited to get my Mach e!

Yep, I get it. But, in my 50 years of car buying (and having bought and sold a number of houses) I always tried to act indifferent-take my offer or leave it. And always be prepared to walk. When I bought my Chevy Bolt (in the Orando area) the sales person came with the manager's final offer (they like to play "good cop, bad cop"). I showed him the website and the price of a dealer in Birmingham and said I will book a one way ticket and drive it back- they caved. I helped my daughter in law and son buy a car a few years back and told my daughter in law to walk out of the dealership and she did. They called back the next day and took the deal and threw in 2 years of oil changes ( I know I still got screwed somewhere in the deal- they are pros).
Unfortunately with the MME (and VW ID 4) the shoe is on the other foot. Take it at MSRP or go 'bye 'bye.

 

[silverelan]

I like both. The ID.4 is very comfortable and practical. The Ford is cooler, quicker, and more fun.

My other half is pretty indifferent on cars but when push comes to shove prefers the ID4 for how practical it is and that everything we do now with our Outback, the ID4 can do too.

I want the MME GT cuz it's my midlife crisis mobile. GT looks badass, has the perfect 0-60 time, and the interior is top notch. I can compromise on the practicality for the cool factor, even if it means I have to cut a hole in my bumper for the bike rack.

 

[oadesign]

I test drove both the ID.4 and Mustang Mach-E. The differences for me, made the MME win in a landslide.
The VW’s infotainment system is slow as molasses, it has no frunk (opening the hood, it looks like an ICE vehicle!), the shift stalk is not at all intuitive, and the design inside and out is rather vanilla. The MME isn’t perfect, but rides and handles much better, has more power, and impressed me, while the VW left me thinking that it was just ‘nice.’

 

[Cat]

As you can tell by my name I have a Chevy Bolt (2020 Bolt Premiere). Our second car is a 2014 Honda Accord and will trade it in sometime this year. We are taking a hit for some IRS taxes on unexpected income and would like to buy another EV in order to take advantage of the $7500 tax credit. We already have an L2 setup in the garage. The choice is really between the Mach E and the VW ID.4. In my 50 years of driving I had never owned a Chevy before but took a chance on the Bolt and I think for the money it is good value. 25,000 miles later I have had zero problems with it. I did own a Ford once (Taurus in the late '80s and it was garbage).
I have been lurking on this forum as well as the VW forums.
It sounds to me like the Mach E was not ready for prime time based on what I consider some of the serious problems folks are having. I read about some of the VW problems but they don't sound as numerous or serious.
Any thoughts from Mach E owners would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I know you are not asking about the 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV, but I think it’s worth your consideration. I ordered my Mach E on April 8, but cancelled my order a few weeks ago as it still was not even scheduled for production and I couldn’t wait any longer. Last week, I bought a 2022 Bolt EUV Premier (with panoramic roof and upgraded sound system), and it has exceeded my expectations. I have back issues, so the interior is very important to me and the EUV driver seat is extremely comfortable (more so for me than Mach e), complete with adjustable lumbar support. Most of all, it doesn’t feel tiny at all like the Bolt (it is larger) and it is so fun to drive. 250 mile range. I highly recommend doing a test drive.

 

[snikt]

Checked just now and saw the Ioniq 5 is going to be sold in FL. There’s also a decent chance it’ll hit this year.

The i5 is a damn interesting car.

The Ioniq 5 does look interesting, I saw that it just had it's first real range test though and the results came in pretty disappointing.

Looks like 2.5 kwhr/mile @ 75mph which isn't good

 

[SnBGC]

As you can tell by my name I have a Chevy Bolt (2020 Bolt Premiere). Our second car is a 2014 Honda Accord and will trade it in sometime this year. We are taking a hit for some IRS taxes on unexpected income and would like to buy another EV in order to take advantage of the $7500 tax credit. We already have an L2 setup in the garage. The choice is really between the Mach E and the VW ID.4. In my 50 years of driving I had never owned a Chevy before but took a chance on the Bolt and I think for the money it is good value. 25,000 miles later I have had zero problems with it. I did own a Ford once (Taurus in the late '80s and it was garbage).
I have been lurking on this forum as well as the VW forums.
It sounds to me like the Mach E was not ready for prime time based on what I consider some of the serious problems folks are having. I read about some of the VW problems but they don't sound as numerous or serious.
Any thoughts from Mach E owners would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Does the VW have 360 degree camera view and if not, is that important to you?

I have had them both side by side so I was able to compare. The rear passenger and cargo area seemed identical to me. I think the front seats are more comfortable in the Mach-E, especially the arm rests. I am a heavy nav and satellite radio user so I prefer the Ford system over VW hands down.

A/C system much better in the Ford.
Ford has a front compartment although I rarely use it.
VW had a motorized shade for the glass roof which is nice but I am surprised the Ford doesn't need the shade. It is super hot here in Phoenix and the glass roof is just fine in the Ford (surprisingly).

If you are pleased with your Bolt then you should like the VW. I think they have more in common with each other than with the Mach-E.

 

[Ma9573]

The Ioniq 5 does look interesting, I saw that it just had it's first real range test though and the results came in pretty disappointing.

Looks like 2.5 kwhr/mile @ 75mph which isn't good

The 55mph test was decent though at 286 miles. Plus it's the AWD version, so hopefully the RWD is a little better. Personally, I don't have any 75mph freeway driving in my foreseeable future.

I'm just waiting for Hyundai to release the US pricing for the Ioniq 5 at this point to see if I'll keep my reservation. If it's not in the price range I'm hoping, then it will come down to my wife's impression of the ID4. If she loves it we'll get it (even though the lease options suck), but if she doesn't then we'll likely try to find another Mach E on the lot.

 

[praxiscat]

I test drove an ID4, Mustang Mach-E, and Tesla Model Y.

The ID4 when push came to shove wasn't for me. It was between the MME and Tesla Model Y. The MME felt better to drive for me.

In terms of the "not ready for prime time". I basically disagree. The reality is most of the issues with the MME are software bugs, and truth be told, the VW is actually worse here. The climate controls are seriously buggy as is their interface. The biggest common issue with the MME is the PaaK problem for cars built before April 22, 2021. There is a work around for this, and it is called the key fob, as well as a recall. Even my husband's Tesla Model 3 has issues with PaaK where he carries around the card for times he has to reset it. Nobody talks about it. I could go through all the software glitches and issues in Teslas, I know them all well. No electric car does software perfectly.

With that being said, the post April 22, 2021 Mach-E's seem to have far fewer issues. Mine has been relatively problem free save for a server side issue that was ultimately resolved and it was built in June. Likewise Ford has been rather responsive at identifying and fixing problems when they have come up.
Ford has been rolling out OTA updates more frequently lately.

I should note, I still recommend the ID4 to people. The MME is a great vehicle and I love mine. It drives well, but its not for everyone. For many people the ID4 is a better fit. The Premium ER AWD model I got is not for the budget conscious, the other vehicle I was considering was a Tesla Model Y really.

 

[MachEtyMach]

My wife and I also test drove the Model Y, ID.4, and Mach-E.

We drove the Y first, and both agreed the Model Y is too "tomorrowland" for us: center-only display, few physical buttons, etc. But no Fed $7500 credit was probably biggest con.

I own a VW eGolf and love it, so I was rooting for the ID.4. We drove it second and both liked it better than the Y. I liked the ride, though it seemed very heavy. Did notice some of the quirky things already mentioned: gear selector, window controls, laggy screen. I would probably have been happy with one.

Don't think I had even heard of the Mach-E until after we drove the ID.4, so I had no expectations. It was truly the 'dark horse' in this race - Carbonized Gray, to be exact - but the test drive won us over. We both really liked the interior design of the Mach-E; this was a "real" car. I liked the way it drove and, surprisingly, really liked the feel of the steering wheel.

I wanted an EV to take road trips I can't take in the eGolf. In addition to the notes above, the range (305 mi for the CA Rt 1) and $7500 Fed credit sealed the deal for the Mach-E for me. And the bad-ass styling doesn't hurt.

Full disclosure - after working well on my first road trip, FordPass Plug & Charge is now broken (persistent "payment declined" error). I've opened no fewer than 3 IT tickets with Ford to fix it over the last 3 weeks, and Ford is now in "don't call us we'll call you" mode on the issue. I believe they will eventually get it fixed, but the current situation is extremely frustrating.

Having said all that, I love the vehicle and its performance. The CA Route 1 has mad range: 319 mi on the GOM last time I charged it to 100%. I also made it from Clovis CA to my house in LA (224 mi actual distance, including a climb up the 4000' Grapevine pass on I-5) on an initial GOM reading of 245 mi, arriving at my house with a GOM reading of 79 mi. (More disclosure - at the end of a long day, I really did not want to charge again, so I slowed down ~60 MPH and did a bit of drafting on stretches of CA-99 to achieve that, but given my final GOM reading, I probably didn't need to.)

 

[raadsel]

yep, fact.

Another item is the ID4 has drum brakes on the back. WHY?
well, the id4 doesn't really use regen. So Volkswagen went with the drum brakes to save cost and to get more range.
Simply put all-disc brakes and equal-size tires would have cost the id4 20 to 25 miles of range.

Volkswagen cut corners where they can to keep costs down and it shows. Again like it has been said many times here. The entry-level id4 is not a bad buy for someone with a family just an overall decent BEV. But when you compare the top-of-the-line id4 to the premium mache is not even close.
Youtube reviews in general agree.

If your someone who likes to carry a spare just in case. Well, carry two with the id4. No thanks.

The idea that the ID.4 does not use regen is false. What it doesn't have is a one pedal drive mode, instead it has the "B" mode which seems to be tuned to decelerate similar to a car with a transmission slowing it down, so a softer "braking" regen.

Instead, for the ID.4, the regen is in the brake pedal and that works very well (far better than the brake pedal in the Mach E). The reason for the drums in the rear is because they are not really used, only to "hold" the car after the regen has done it's work stopping the car. An issue many EVs have had, including Teslas, is rust building up on the rear disks because they aren't used in normal driving, which on an ICE car would be removed in day to day driving. The drum brakes on the ID.4 are designed to limit rust and, while it is a cost cutting move in some ways, it is one that makes sense and even the Audi Q4 will keep the drum brakes in the rear.

I think the ID.4 is great for what it is, VW says they designed it to appeal to the RAV4 and CR-V buyers, so it is built to drive like a gas SUV. I definitely think it can be argued that VW of America made too many cuts to the European version of the car, then again, going back to the design philosophy of VWoA, they built it to be price competitive with gas SUVs in the class.

 

[trutolife27]

The idea that the ID.4 does not use regen is false. What it doesn't have is a one pedal drive mode, instead it has the "B" mode which seems to be tuned to decelerate similar to a car with a transmission slowing it down, so a softer "braking" regen.

Instead, for the ID.4, the regen is in the brake pedal and that works very well (far better than the brake pedal in the Mach E). The reason for the drums in the rear is because they are not really used, only to "hold" the car after the regen has done it's work stopping the car. An issue many EVs have had, including Teslas, is rust building up on the rear disks because they aren't used in normal driving, which on an ICE car would be removed in day to day driving. The drum brakes on the ID.4 are designed to limit rust and, while it is a cost cutting move in some ways, it is one that makes sense and even the Audi Q4 will keep the drum brakes in the rear.

I think the ID.4 is great for what it is, VW says they designed it to appeal to the RAV4 and CR-V buyers, so it is built to drive like a gas SUV. I definitely think it can be argued that VW of America made too many cuts to the European version of the car, then again, going back to the design philosophy of VWoA, they built it to be price competitive with gas SUVs in the class.

who said it doesn't use regen? I Didn't but you quoted my comments. Like I said the region in the ID4 is far less than the mache to tesla as it is done with braking. The limit has been set at 0.13 g .
Far less like I said and not the same as the mache or tesla.

It's not like it's hard also to brake hard a couple of times once in a while. I mean people change the oil in Ice vehicles they can do aggressive braking once in a while. Disk vs drums each has a plus or a minus. But point blank the reason VW did it, from their own mouth was cost-cutting as they didn't make the id4 depend heavily on regen.

Driven the ID4 numerous times already and have a nice chat with a VW engineer in Nashville at the roadshow. It is point blank not to be compared to the mache or id4, again from VW. They are going after ice sales in the same segment.

on another note though different size tires and disc vs drum brakes might have said VW money. But when the time comes for tires and brakes the consumer will pay more than same-size tires or all disk brakes.

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