Mach-E trim comparison

AndrewY

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I'm considering a Mustang Mach-E for my next car, but am having some difficulty comparing the different trim levels. Could folks here help explain the differences?

I went to one dealer a few weeks ago, and was able to test drive a GT, but that salesman didn't seem to know much about the car. I went to a different dealer a few days ago, and they had both a Select and a Premium on the lot. The Premium was sold, so I couldn't drive it, and the Select they only let me take around the parking lot. This salesman was more knowledgeable than the first, but still left me with questions.

I know the four trims are Select, Premium, California and GT, and it looks like all but the California are available in either RWD or AWD, while the CA is only RWD. From memory, I didn't see any difference between the Premium & the GT, but I'm sure that's not correct. Between the Select and the Premium, I saw the Premium had and the Select lacked:
  • heated steering-wheel
  • heated seats
  • motorized front passenger seat
  • improved sound system
  • glass roof
  • adjustable interior floor lighting

When I asked the salesman about the differences, he said that the California was the top-of-the-line, but the pricing would seem to indicate the GT is the top-of-the-line. He also said that other than the Select, the three trims were "basically the same", except for the badging and "a few minor safety features", but he couldn't elaborate on what those are. From the Ford website, I don't see anything about heated seats (maybe I'm just looking at the wrong page), and really only see that the wheels are different sizes (18"/19"/20") and the Select lacks the glass roof.

Mostly I'm interested in understanding the differences between the Premium and the GT, as I want AWD (which eliminates the California) and I like the glass roof (which eliminates the Select). Some differences may also be in the "packages" on top of the trim level; what's the full set of everything in each add-on package? Please help me out.

Thanks.
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Lord Polymath

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If you're more concerned about amenities than speed, go with an AWD Premium.
 

Rt1AWD

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If main criteria is
- price - Select
- range/BlueCruise - CR1
- amenities - Premium
- performance - GT
- to have the best performance - GTPE

something like that
 

ARK

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To generalize, in terms of features/price, the order is:

Select -> Route 1 -> Premium

The GT is a sports model. While you can load it up so it has options similar to a Premium, a base GT without any options is sort of like a very high performing Select (in terms of creature comforts) that costs more than a Premium because of all the performance upgrades.

If I were you, I would play around on the Ford websiteā€™s build tool to see the different options between the trims.

The Premium gives you the most flexibility in choosing whether you want RWD or AWD, and the extended range or standard range battery.

This handout from Ford outlines the major differences between trims for the 2021 model year.
 


JohnnyForensic

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If main criteria is
- price - Select
- range/BlueCruise - CR1
- amenities - Premium
- performance - GT
- to have the best performance - GTPE

something like that
Yeah, this is an outstanding short-summary. Well said.

The Premium feels more luxury than any of the other models, both more and less expensive, but the GT and GTPE are faster (sort of, thereā€™s that whole trap speed debate in other threads) and sportier but donā€™t necessarily have the same comforts. The CR1 is NOT the top of the line; itā€™s made for range, range, and more range, but itā€™s intended for good weather climates.

Personally, I went with a Premium 4X (AWD with extended battery) and Iā€™m glad I did. It has all of the tech and creature comforts along with a good 0-60 time and the benefits of AWD along with a solid range estimate.

Just donā€™t be lulled into thinking that itā€™s linear. The GT does NOT come with all the comforts of the Premium automatically; theyā€™re optioned in.
 

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When I asked the salesman about the differences, he said that the California was the top-of-the-line, but the pricing would seem to indicate the GT is the top-of-the-line. He also said that other than the Select, the three trims were "basically the same", except for the badging and "a few minor safety features", but he couldn't elaborate on what those are. From the Ford website, I don't see anything about heated seats (maybe I'm just looking at the wrong page), and really only see that the wheels are different sizes (18"/19"/20") and the Select lacks the glass roof.
After reading what others have suggested and understanding the differences, you might want to find another dealer or sales person cause this one is FOS...geez!
 

Phil-Springs

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I'm considering a Mustang Mach-E for my next car, but am having some difficulty comparing the different trim levels. Could folks here help explain the differences?

I went to one dealer a few weeks ago, and was able to test drive a GT, but that salesman didn't seem to know much about the car. I went to a different dealer a few days ago, and they had both a Select and a Premium on the lot. The Premium was sold, so I couldn't drive it, and the Select they only let me take around the parking lot. This salesman was more knowledgeable than the first, but still left me with questions.

I know the four trims are Select, Premium, California and GT, and it looks like all but the California are available in either RWD or AWD, while the CA is only RWD. From memory, I didn't see any difference between the Premium & the GT, but I'm sure that's not correct. Between the Select and the Premium, I saw the Premium had and the Select lacked:
  • heated steering-wheel
  • heated seats
  • motorized front passenger seat
  • improved sound system
  • glass roof
  • adjustable interior floor lighting

When I asked the salesman about the differences, he said that the California was the top-of-the-line, but the pricing would seem to indicate the GT is the top-of-the-line. He also said that other than the Select, the three trims were "basically the same", except for the badging and "a few minor safety features", but he couldn't elaborate on what those are. From the Ford website, I don't see anything about heated seats (maybe I'm just looking at the wrong page), and really only see that the wheels are different sizes (18"/19"/20") and the Select lacks the glass roof.

Mostly I'm interested in understanding the differences between the Premium and the GT, as I want AWD (which eliminates the California) and I like the glass roof (which eliminates the Select). Some differences may also be in the "packages" on top of the trim level; what's the full set of everything in each add-on package? Please help me out.

Thanks.
The 2022 RT1 comes in AWD. 21 did not.
 
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AndrewY

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The Premium feels more luxury than any of the other models, both more and less expensive, but the GT and GTPE are faster (sort of, thereā€™s that whole trap speed debate in other threads) and sportier but donā€™t necessarily have the same comforts. The CR1 is NOT the top of the line; itā€™s made for range, range, and more range, but itā€™s intended for good weather climates.
How good weather? I live in the Pacific Northwest, so we have plenty of rain, some snow, but not a lot of snow. Occasionally I want to be able to cross the mountains, and be able to make it to/from the ski slopes.


Thanks for all the great replies so far. Please keep them coming.
 

Rt1AWD

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How good weather? I live in the Pacific Northwest, so we have plenty of rain, some snow, but not a lot of snow. Occasionally I want to be able to cross the mountains, and be able to make it to/from the ski slopes.


Thanks for all the great replies so far. Please keep them coming.
2021 model of CR1 didn't have an AWD option and stearing wheel heater
2022 model has that. So weather shouldn't be a problem for CR1 anymore. Unless I'm missing something
 

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I would have gotten a premium but had my heart set on Grabber Blue, so I went with the GT even though I rarely drive over 90 mph :D The GT came with your listed Premium upgrades, but I had to pay extra for the glass roof.
 

JohnnyForensic

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How good weather? I live in the Pacific Northwest, so we have plenty of rain, some snow, but not a lot of snow. Occasionally I want to be able to cross the mountains, and be able to make it to/from the ski slopes.


Thanks for all the great replies so far. Please keep them coming.
I gotta say, I like the AWD. Besides being grippier and having the benefit of AWD in that snow and rain, thereā€™s also more power available to the wheels, making it feel really quick off the line. Yeah, itā€™s a little heavier and it loses some range compared to the RT1, but for the 10% (approximately) range penalty from RT1 to 4X Premium, I think the AWD experience is completely worth it.

Someone else mentioned the RT 1 added the steering wheel heater in the new model year. Iā€™d forgotten about that. Ford hasnā€™t updated the trims comparison grid on the website to reflect that yet, and they also show the RT 1 not having heated seats, which I believe they also added. I think the lack of heated seats at all is a misstep in a car where you donā€™t want to use the cabin heating more than you need to, and I think both were addressed in the 22 model year on the RT 1.

You also get the better audio system in the Premium vs the RT 1. The B&O in the Premium is good. Itā€™s not great, but itā€™s good, and itā€™s definitely better than whatā€™s in the Select and RT 1, but those arenā€™t ā€œbadā€ either.

The seats are perforated in the Premium but not in the RT 1 or Select. This probably isnā€™t huge in the PNW unless youā€™re having one of your crazy summers. That said, being perforated probably helps a LITTLE in the heat, but not having them actively ventilated is another misstep.

You lose out on the ambient lighting in the Select and RT 1 that the Premium has. Itā€™s fun. Itā€™s not a deal killer, and it doesnā€™t make the car perform any better, but itā€™s fun.

The Sel & RT 1 have a manual lift gate. Premium has automatic, except theyā€™ve deleted the kick sensor in the newer builds. Still opens automatically with a button push, but you need to decide if thatā€™s important to you or not. What IS important, to me, is the lack of acoustic glass on the Sel & RT 1 that exists on the premium. I like the sound deadening. I want my car as quiet as possible.

If night driving is your bag, you have much better headlamps on the Premium and GT lines than you do on the Select and RT 1. Thatā€™s a deal breaker for me. I check IIHSā€™s ratings of headlights on every car I think about purchasing, because I have lousy vision contrast at night due to some old LASIK surgery. The brighter lamps on the Premium are huge to me.

Most of the safety and security features are the same across the board. If you go Select and you want BlueCruise, you need to add the Comfort/Tech package.

Itā€™s a lot to consider, to be sure, but much of this is going to be dictated by your needs and your wallet. Do you drive a lot and a lot in a day? Go with a model with an extended battery. Do you prefer creature comforts to speed-demoning around the PNW? Go with a Premium. Do you just want to rip through the twists and turns through the woods over to Cannon Beach? GTPE with Magneride.

Whichever you choose, youā€™ll have a blast.
 

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I have a Select because I didn't reserve and that is what I could find in stock at the time back in July. I was happy with any of them, but if given the choice I would go with the Premium AWD Extended or the GT with most of the Premium options added in.

The Select was missing more features than I expected for the price not being very different from the Premium.

With that said, absolutely love the car and no regrets, hope to upgrade in a few years to a GT.
 

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The GT is a sports model. While you can load it up so it has options similar to a Premium, a base GT without any options is sort of like a very high performing Select (in terms of creature comforts) that costs more than a Premium because of all the performance upgrades.
As far as options go, the GT is equally well appointed to the Premium, minus the following:

Panoramic Roof (optional on GT)
Ford Co-Pilot360ā„¢ Active 2.0 (optional on GT; requires Panoramic Roof)

Perforated seats on Premium, available in white interior. Sport-style seats on GT (or Performance Seats with the PE package)

The gap between GT and Select is quite large (other than the metal roof).
 

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I'm considering a Mustang Mach-E for my next car, but am having some difficulty comparing the different trim levels. Could folks here help explain the differences?

I went to one dealer a few weeks ago, and was able to test drive a GT, but that salesman didn't seem to know much about the car. I went to a different dealer a few days ago, and they had both a Select and a Premium on the lot. The Premium was sold, so I couldn't drive it, and the Select they only let me take around the parking lot. This salesman was more knowledgeable than the first, but still left me with questions.

I know the four trims are Select, Premium, California and GT, and it looks like all but the California are available in either RWD or AWD, while the CA is only RWD. From memory, I didn't see any difference between the Premium & the GT, but I'm sure that's not correct. Between the Select and the Premium, I saw the Premium had and the Select lacked:
  • heated steering-wheel
  • heated seats
  • motorized front passenger seat
  • improved sound system
  • glass roof
  • adjustable interior floor lighting

When I asked the salesman about the differences, he said that the California was the top-of-the-line, but the pricing would seem to indicate the GT is the top-of-the-line. He also said that other than the Select, the three trims were "basically the same", except for the badging and "a few minor safety features", but he couldn't elaborate on what those are. From the Ford website, I don't see anything about heated seats (maybe I'm just looking at the wrong page), and really only see that the wheels are different sizes (18"/19"/20") and the Select lacks the glass roof.

Mostly I'm interested in understanding the differences between the Premium and the GT, as I want AWD (which eliminates the California) and I like the glass roof (which eliminates the Select). Some differences may also be in the "packages" on top of the trim level; what's the full set of everything in each add-on package? Please help me out.

Thanks.
"When I asked the salesman about the differences, he said that the California was the top-of-the-line..."
OMG...No...Oy vey.

I know a lot of this has been already discussed, but I'll throw in my own 2 bits...

The way that I see it, here are the differences between the Premium AWD and the GT:
Different Grill: Premium is body color, GTs have the blackened faux grill with THE LIGHT UP PONY! (man, do I want that light up pony)
Wheels: Premium 19" A/S tires, GTs 20" Summer Tires
Seats: Premium is a stock seat with ActiveX, GT has an Alcantara/suede like inserts, GTPE has much different bucket seats with more bolstering.
Power: Premium AWD rated at 346/428, GT 480/600, GTPE 480/634
Suspension: Most notably, the GTPE has magnetic shocks with help with handling and feel.

Of course, there are also colors that are GT specific as well. <- No longer true in 2022 model year.

That was my stab at it. Hope this helps a little bit. Good luck with a decision and possible purchase. I hope you are patient! :D
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