Model 3 owner test drove Mach E

MachTee

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Having owned my Model 3 dual motor (long range) for nearly 3 years now, I test drove a Mach E today and came away very impressed. I was mainly interested to see its efficiency numbers. I drove the car for 22.7 miles, about 12 of which was highway going 70-75MPH, rest was local roads 40-50MPH, with the climate control at 70F on auto. Outside temperature was around 85. The average for the drive was 3.7mi/kWh (or 270Wh/mile, what I'm used to seeing in the Tesla) which I thought was decent. I was expecting it to be higher based on some readings about how supposedly inefficient the Mach E is. For comparison, I have nearly 45K miles on my Model 3, the lifetime average currently sits 262Wh/mile which includes 3 full winters of driving. However, the numbers don't usually add up in the Model 3. Earlier this week the car consumed 40% of the charge to drive 95 miles averaging 260Wh/mile. The car is rated for 310 miles based on 245Wh/mile. No, I have never gotten anywhere close to 310 miles out of my Model 3.

Anyway, the Mach E I drove was at 85% SoC with 205 miles showing before I drove off. At the end of my test drive, it was showing 79% with 196 miles. So it seems my short drive already helped this car raise its GOM :D The funny thing was, the salesman told me it was a standard range car I was driving, and seeing the numbers I saw I was ready to buy the car on the spot :) When I got back to the dealership, I asked him again if he's sure it's a standard range and he once again said yes. I asked if there was any exterior differentiating feature, and then he pointed out the X on the door. It was an extended range car.

The Mach E is far quieter than my Model 3. Road noise is like completely absent in comparison. Visibility in the Mach E is far better, especially through the rear view mirror. I like the controls in the Mach E far better, such as the ability to see much more information on the main 15.5" screen with the 3 live info tabs along with the main display, never mind the screen behind the steering wheel. Oh how about that dedicated wiper control that I've been missing lol, which if the Mach E has a dedicated rain sensor kind of makes having the dedicated wiper control unnecessary.

Power wise, I punched it a few times and thought the power was more than plenty. Yes the dual motor Model 3 pulls harder and at higher speeds, but I'm way over that, getting old. Admittedly though I thought I was driving the standard range Mach E, so I was expecting more from the extended range. The one pedal driving took me no time to adjust to, but it felt like the friction brakes grabs a bit abruptly right before the car completes to a complete stop. Ride quality is far plusher than the Model 3 which I definitely now prefer, getting old lol. The Model 3 feels very rough and stiff when running over expansion joints and such, whereas the Mach E soaks it up like a pillow.

The knowledge of the salesman though is lacking to say the least. He insisted that the standard range and extended range have the same power. When I asked about the $2500 Ford cash through Ford Option, he said it only applies to cars that I order from Ford directly. Knowing that was BS I didn't press further.

I am seriously considering trading for the Mach E. I do have couple of questions. Being that 10% of the battery is reserved, would it be safe for the battery if I charged it to 90% on a regular basis? Regarding the $2500 Ford cash, does it apply to all Mach E models and is participation up to the individual dealership?
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Having owned my Model 3 dual motor (long range) for nearly 3 years now, I test drove a Mach E today and came away very impressed. I was mainly interested to see its efficiency numbers. I drove the car for 22.7 miles, about 12 of which was highway going 70-75MPH, rest was local roads 40-50MPH, with the climate control at 70F on auto. Outside temperature was around 85. The average for the drive was 3.7mi/kWh (or 270Wh/mile, what I'm used to seeing in the Tesla) which I thought was decent. I was expecting it to be higher based on some readings about how supposedly inefficient the Mach E is. For comparison, I have nearly 45K miles on my Model 3, the lifetime average currently sits 262Wh/mile which includes 3 full winters of driving. However, the numbers don't usually add up in the Model 3. Earlier this week the car consumed 40% of the charge to drive 95 miles averaging 260Wh/mile. The car is rated for 310 miles based on 245Wh/mile. No, I have never gotten anywhere close to 310 miles out of my Model 3.

Anyway, the Mach E I drove was at 85% SoC with 205 miles showing before I drove off. At the end of my test drive, it was showing 79% with 196 miles. So it seems my short drive already helped this car raise its GOM :D The funny thing was, the salesman told me it was a standard range car I was driving, and seeing the numbers I saw I was ready to buy the car on the spot :) When I got back to the dealership, I asked him again if he's sure it's a standard range and he once again said yes. I asked if there was any exterior differentiating feature, and then he pointed out the X on the door. It was an extended range car.

The Mach E is far quieter than my Model 3. Road noise is like completely absent in comparison. Visibility in the Mach E is far better, especially through the rear view mirror. I like the controls in the Mach E far better, such as the ability to see much more information on the main 15.5" screen with the 3 live info tabs along with the main display, never mind the screen behind the steering wheel. Oh how about that dedicated wiper control that I've been missing lol, which if the Mach E has a dedicated rain sensor kind of makes having the dedicated wiper control unnecessary.

Power wise, I punched it a few times and thought the power was more than plenty. Yes the dual motor Model 3 pulls harder and at higher speeds, but I'm way over that, getting old. Admittedly though I thought I was driving the standard range Mach E, so I was expecting more from the extended range. The one pedal driving took me no time to adjust to, but it felt like the friction brakes grabs a bit abruptly right before the car completes to a complete stop. Ride quality is far plusher than the Model 3 which I definitely now prefer, getting old lol. The Model 3 feels very rough and stiff when running over expansion joints and such, whereas the Mach E soaks it up like a pillow.

The knowledge of the salesman though is lacking to say the least. He insisted that the standard range and extended range have the same power. When I asked about the $2500 Ford cash through Ford Option, he said it only applies to cars that I order from Ford directly. Knowing that was BS I didn't press further.

I am seriously considering trading for the Mach E. I do have couple of questions. Being that 10% of the battery is reserved, would it be safe for the battery if I charged it to 90% on a regular basis? Regarding the $2500 Ford cash, does it apply to all Mach E models and is participation up to the individual dealership?
How dare you, as a Tesla owner, be honest! ;-) I test drove the Model 3 and Model Y prior to driving the MME, and agree with all of your findings.

As for the battery, I think the rule of thumb is to regularly charge to 80%, but others may know better, since I'm still awaiting my MME. I've heard that 12% of the battery is reserved for systems, but that number could drop with a future update, increasing everyone's range in the process.

The Ford Options program is listed on the Ford corporate website, so unless there is qualifying language that I'm unaware of, it should be available in all states.

My biggest issue with the MME is the long wait!
 

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I'll tell you a little secret. At 75 mph almost all the energy goes towards fighting drag. So the only thing that matters is the drag coefficient.
 


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MachTee

MachTee

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How dare you, as a Tesla owner, be honest! ;-) I test drove the Model 3 and Model Y prior to driving the MME, and agree with all of your findings.

As for the battery, I think the rule of thumb is to regularly charge to 80%, but others may know better, since I'm still awaiting my MME. I've heard that 12% of the battery is reserved for systems, but that number could drop with a future update, increasing everyone's range in the process.

The Ford Options program is listed on the Ford corporate website, so unless there is qualifying language that I'm unaware of, it should be available in all states.

My biggest issue with the MME is the long wait!
Yeah I know what you're referring to. It's seriously what soured my enthusiasm towards the brand, the cult like fanboyism. There is no such thing as constructive criticism there, and I suspect it's how Tesla gets away with things, the arrogance and their bully way.

So in the real world, I'm thinking I wouldn't be too far off in a standard range Mach E vs my "long range" 3, as far as range goes, and by that I'm referring to how frequently I gotta plug in the car at home. I need to test drive the Mach E standard range AWD. BTW the car I test drove was a Premium extended range AWD, and the dealer has a few cars in stock on the lot, one is an infinite blue AWD standard range premium.

If I'm understanding it correct, only premium trim cars are ready for Blue Cruise, and will be a free software update once available. Is that correct?

Test drove the MME at my local dealer and will agree with you 100%. It's just a better car, period.
A fellow Model 3 owner who can tell like it is. Not that many but we are out there :cool:
 

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..... would it be safe for the battery if I charged it to 90% on a regular basis?
As you noted and the manual the buffer is considered by Ford not the owner. 90% is your tesla 80. You would be purchasing a model S/X pack with the MME for about the price of the small packed model y.
 

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BlueCruise will be $600 for a 3-year subscription.
If you purchase prior to BlueCruise implementation, they have been giving a $100 incentive (rebate) off the purchase price. You'll still have to pay the $600, but you got $100 off.

Once BlueCruise is implemented, the price of the vehicles will increase $600.
 

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How dare you, as a Tesla owner, be honest! ;-) I test drove the Model 3 and Model Y prior to driving the MME, and agree with all of your findings.

As for the battery, I think the rule of thumb is to regularly charge to 80%, but others may know better, since I'm still awaiting my MME. I've heard that 12% of the battery is reserved for systems, but that number could drop with a future update, increasing everyone's range in the process.

The Ford Options program is listed on the Ford corporate website, so unless there is qualifying language that I'm unaware of, it should be available in all states.

My biggest issue with the MME is the long wait!
A few states don’t allow Ford options. My state (NC) was unfortunately one of them! The website lists them: https://www.ford.com/finance/finance-options/ford-options
 
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Eraser

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Power wise, I punched it a few times and thought the power was more than plenty. Yes the dual motor Model 3 pulls harder and at higher speeds, but I'm way over that, getting old. Admittedly though I thought I was driving the standard range Mach E, so I was expecting more from the extended range. The one pedal driving took me no time to adjust to, but it felt like the friction brakes grabs a bit abruptly right before the car completes to a complete stop. Ride quality is far plusher than the Model 3 which I definitely now prefer, getting old lol. The Model 3 feels very rough and stiff when running over expansion joints and such, whereas the Mach E soaks it up like a pillow.
I think the MME is smooth as butter, but it does have a fairly stiff ride on roads that aren't well maintained. I like being able to feel the road (to a point). I can only imagine how rough a M3 or MY would feel hearing your comments about it.

Yeah I know what you're referring to. It's seriously what soured my enthusiasm towards the brand, the cult like fanboyism. There is no such thing as constructive criticism there, and I suspect it's how Tesla gets away with things, the arrogance and their bully way.
Oddly enough I work about a half mile from a Tesla dealership and never once set foot on their lot, or even attempted to test drive one for the same reason. I get the same feeling from Apple too (no offense to Apple folks), which is partly why I steer clear of both brands.
 

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Power wise, I punched it a few times and thought the power was more than plenty. Yes the dual motor Model 3 pulls harder and at higher speeds, but I'm way over that, getting old. Admittedly though I thought I was driving the standard range Mach E, so I was expecting more from the extended range.
Nice writeup, thanks. The above caught my eye. It sounds like you expected an Extended Range (ER) to have better acceleration than a Standard Range (SR).

AWD vs. RWD is what makes the performance difference, not the battery size. Since the battery in the ER is heavier, equivalent cars are slightly slower off the line. Conversely, for example, an AWD ER will be noticeably quicker than a RWD ER, because it has more HP due to the dual motors. But it will also have less range for the same reason.
 

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Things may have changed, but as of a few months ago the Ford Option Bonus Cash varied by zip code. Some lucky zips got the $2,500. Other zips only got $1,000. Oh and it’s determined by your residence - not where you buy.

To figure out what you qualify for, build out an order on Ford.com and click on the financing button - then select Ford Options.

And be prepared - most dealerships don’t know anything about Ford Options unless they’ve sold several Mach Es.
 

Wk217

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If I'm understanding it correct, only premium trim cars are ready for Blue Cruise, and will be a free software update once available. Is that correct?
I believe BlueCruise is available/included with the Comfort/Technology Package on the Select models.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Model 3 owner test drove Mach E 1623284724025
 

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Agree with you on your assessment. I liked the Model Y, but I came away from that test drive feeling like the tech was great but the structure of the vehicle was a bit short of expectations (too many rattles, creaks, etc.). That said, I have great respect for Tesla and hats off to that company for pushing EV technology to the mainstream.

Regarding charging, going to 90% is completely fine, especially if you're planning on leaving for work the next morning. Ford has a larger-than-normal buffer in the battery, which gives you peace of mind when charging to 90% or higher. I usually don't plug it in at night if I'm above 60% unless I know I have a lot of miles to cover the next day. I also have no problem charging to 100% when I have a road trip the following day.
 

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I believe BlueCruise is available/included with the Comfort/Technology Package on the Select models.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Model 3 owner test drove Mach E 1623284724025
Yes, but until it is actually done and ready for use, Ford is not charging for it. And it’s not at that point yet.

Give them credit - they’re not making anybody pay for vaporware.
 
 




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