New (to me) 2023 Mach-E... from 2017 Bolt EV

[jmcbrew]

Hello Mach-E forum! I am new to the Mach-E, but not new to EVs. I have been driving a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV for the last 3 years. That car was totaled in an accident a couple of weeks ago, and I replaced it with a 2023 Mach-E Select RWD in vapor blue with ~16k miles.

So far, I am very happy with the Mach-E. I miss the rear view mirror screen in the Bolt, as well as heated steering wheel and heated seats front and rear. However, I do really like the higher class interior, great looks, wireless CarPlay, frunk, additional legroom, more comfortable seats, adaptive cruise control, and many other things that the Mach-E has. I am also liking the 2x+ faster DC charging. I mostly charge at home on a 32 amp Autel EVSE, but occasionally I do DC charge when needed. I have already purchased a Lectron Vortex adapter to use at Superchargers (apparently the previous owner had already ordered the Ford/Tesla NACS adapter, so I couldn't get the free one).

I am excited to be a part of the Mach-E community. My next big upgrade will be a tow hitch for bikes, a cargo rack, and a small trailer.

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[Tampamike]

Welcome. I think you’re gonna like it.

 

[Snakebitten]

Welcome to the Mach-E world.
I'm disappointed FOR you that you didn't get the heated seats, considering your location. Or does it not get too brutal there in the winter?

Being in a tropical region for nearly 70 years, I have heated seats in 4 vehicles and rarely ever touch the button. But I can imagine how they would come in handy in a real winter day.

 

[jmcbrew]

Welcome to the Mach-E world.
I'm disappointed FOR you that you didn't get the heated seats, considering your location. Or does it not get too brutal there in the winter?

Being in a tropical region for nearly 70 years, I have heated seats in 4 vehicles and rarely ever touch the button. But I can imagine how they would come in handy in a real winter day.

Heated seats are nice. The Bolt was my first car with a heated steering wheel. What will be interesting will be to see how well the heater works in the Mach-E. The Bolt had roughly twice the heating power — 7kW for the cabin + 2.5kW for the battery. From what I can gather, the MME has a 5kW heater that handles both jobs.

I am excited about the rear seat heat/AC vents. That was lacking in the Bolt.

 

[Snakebitten]

I wonder how much effort it takes to retrofit the options?

The truck guys (F-series) seem to have more determination to accomplish such things. But I don't know if I've seen too many Mach-E folks altering their trim level options.

 

[rainystateguy]

Hey Jesse welcome to the forum.

I too traded in a Bolt for a used Mach-e. In fact our stories are very similar My 2023 Mach-e is an awd, extended range GT. Also, like you, I had to buy an adapter because the original buyer of my car had already ordered the ford adapter and I miss the video rear view mirror. I also miss the aggressiveness of the Bolt's regenerative braking. Other than those minor complaints the Mach-e is a huge step up. Wait until you start getting over-the-air updates. It is like magic. new and/or improved features just appearing out of the thin air. The Bolt was a good car. The Mach-e is a great car with much better technology. Enjoy!

 

[Tom L]

Hello Mach-E forum! I am new to the Mach-E, but not new to EVs. I have been driving a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV for the last 3 years. That car was totaled in an accident a couple of weeks ago, and I replaced it with a 2023 Mach-E Select RWD in vapor blue with ~16k miles.

So far, I am very happy with the Mach-E. I miss the rear view mirror screen in the Bolt, as well as heated steering wheel and heated seats front and rear. However, I do really like the higher class interior, great looks, wireless CarPlay, frunk, additional legroom, more comfortable seats, adaptive cruise control, and many other things that the Mach-E has. I am also liking the 2x+ faster DC charging. I mostly charge at home on a 32 amp Autel EVSE, but occasionally I do DC charge when needed. I have already purchased a Lectron Vortex adapter to use at Superchargers (apparently the previous owner had already ordered the Ford/Tesla NACS adapter, so I couldn't get the free one).

I am excited to be a part of the Mach-E community. My next big upgrade will be a tow hitch for bikes, a cargo rack, and a small trailer.

Welcome! With my 2022 CR1 RWD XR it’s been 2.5 years and 46,000 miles with few problems and great driving.

 

[MacherAWD]

Hello Mach-E forum! I am new to the Mach-E, but not new to EVs. I have been driving a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV for the last 3 years. That car was totaled in an accident a couple of weeks ago, and I replaced it with a 2023 Mach-E Select RWD in vapor blue with ~16k miles.

So far, I am very happy with the Mach-E. I miss the rear view mirror screen in the Bolt, as well as heated steering wheel and heated seats front and rear. However, I do really like the higher class interior, great looks, wireless CarPlay, frunk, additional legroom, more comfortable seats, adaptive cruise control, and many other things that the Mach-E has. I am also liking the 2x+ faster DC charging. I mostly charge at home on a 32 amp Autel EVSE, but occasionally I do DC charge when needed. I have already purchased a Lectron Vortex adapter to use at Superchargers (apparently the previous owner had already ordered the Ford/Tesla NACS adapter, so I couldn't get the free one).

I am excited to be a part of the Mach-E community. My next big upgrade will be a tow hitch for bikes, a cargo rack, and a small trailer.

Hey I recognize that username from the Bolt forum! Welcome to the cool kids club!

I had uhaul add my hitch, was under $300, it is always visible. But works great, we use a bike rack, cargo basket or utility trailer. I am guessing you don't have the kick open tailgate? I turn that off as I don't want to trigger it while putting on the bike rack.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Hello Mach-E forum! I am new to the Mach-E, but not new to EVs. I have been driving a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV for the last 3 years. That car was totaled in an accident a couple of weeks ago, and I replaced it with a 2023 Mach-E Select RWD in vapor blue with ~16k miles.

So far, I am very happy with the Mach-E. I miss the rear view mirror screen in the Bolt, as well as heated steering wheel and heated seats front and rear. However, I do really like the higher class interior, great looks, wireless CarPlay, frunk, additional legroom, more comfortable seats, adaptive cruise control, and many other things that the Mach-E has. I am also liking the 2x+ faster DC charging. I mostly charge at home on a 32 amp Autel EVSE, but occasionally I do DC charge when needed. I have already purchased a Lectron Vortex adapter to use at Superchargers (apparently the previous owner had already ordered the Ford/Tesla NACS adapter, so I couldn't get the free one).

I am excited to be a part of the Mach-E community. My next big upgrade will be a tow hitch for bikes, a cargo rack, and a small trailer.

Welcome to the community, Jesse! That's a beautiful Mach-E! If you're interested, we think you’d be a great candidate for a Guided Virtual Tour of your Mach-E. Please send us a DM if you want more information.

 

[Fremont Kid]

Welcome.
Interesting that you miss the 'aggressiveness' of the Bolt's regenerative braking. We prefer to coast up to stops rather than use the aggressiveness of one-pedal mode. Just seems too abrupt. But, you may find the MME Engage and Unbridled drive modes more similar to the Bolt, in the absence of using one-pedal mode.
Also, the heated steering wheel does help offset cold hands during he winter. On that topic, be sure to monitor driving efficiency or 'where the energy goes' so you can get a feel for how much battery energy is used for driving, accessories, climate, etc.

 

[MacherAWD]

A thought on the difference in regen, yours is RWD, so only 2 wheels doing the regen vs my Mach-e (and others) with AWD and 4 wheels of regen. I wonder if that is the difference you are seeing? Guessing FWD regen in a Bolt feels stronger than RWD.

 

[rainystateguy]

Welcome.
Interesting that you miss the 'aggressiveness' of the Bolt's regenerative braking. We prefer to coast up to stops rather than use the aggressiveness of one-pedal mode. Just seems too abrupt.

I've had others say the same thing about regen braking in general, which make me wonder if some folks may be using it by just taking their foot entirely off of the accelerator. That would sort of be like slamming on the brake pedal to slow down. Just gently easing up on the accelerator allows one to gently slow down or come to a stop. I am probably better at gently slowing and stopping with regen than I am with brakes.

 

[phil]

I have been driving a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV for the last 3 years. ... I miss the rear view mirror screen in the Bolt,

Yes, the rear view camera mirror was very nice. I don't understand why that feature is not more commonly offered in new cars.

 

[jmcbrew]

A thought on the difference in regen, yours is RWD, so only 2 wheels doing the regen vs my Mach-e (and others) with AWD and 4 wheels of regen. I wonder if that is the difference you are seeing? Guessing FWD regen in a Bolt feels stronger than RWD.

I'm sure there has to be a difference in regen between RWD and AWD. However, I don't think there is a lack of regen braking power in the RWD. I like the regen feel. What is different is the transition from regen to friction brakes. In the Bolt EV/EUV, that transition is buttery smooth. It's one of the things that GM absolutely nailed. In my MME, if I am coming to a stop and I find that I need a little more braking power and press on the brake pedal, the transition is a bit of a jolt. I am getting used to it, but I don't think it'll ever be as smooth as it is in the Bolt.

I do like that the MME uses the brakes to hold the car when it is stopped. The Bolt would do that in some instances, but it was always a good idea to use the brake pedal to hold the car, especially when pointed downhill.

As we have had rain almost every day since I bought the MME, I can definitely say that I love the traction of the RWD. You had to be really careful int he Bolt when taking off from a stop in the rain... it would spin tires very easily.

 

[jmcbrew]

Welcome.
Interesting that you miss the 'aggressiveness' of the Bolt's regenerative braking. We prefer to coast up to stops rather than use the aggressiveness of one-pedal mode. Just seems too abrupt. But, you may find the MME Engage and Unbridled drive modes more similar to the Bolt, in the absence of using one-pedal mode.
Also, the heated steering wheel does help offset cold hands during he winter. On that topic, be sure to monitor driving efficiency or 'where the energy goes' so you can get a feel for how much battery energy is used for driving, accessories, climate, etc.

I wouldn't say "aggressiveness." I prefer one pedal driving... both in the Bolt and in the MME. It's just that the Bolt has a smoother transition from regenerative braking to friction braking. It seems like this is pretty well recognized in the industry. It is just one of the things that GM got right. They got plenty of things wrong... but they got that right.

Yes, I prefer one pedal driving. The vast majority of Bolt drivers do as well. This may be due to their very smooth braking system, but I think this is probably the case among most EV owners. Some folks prefer the familiar feel of a "coasting" ICE engine, just as some people prefer the feel of a shifting transmission. I used to drive a 2011 Subaru Outback that had a wonderful VVT transmission. However, in 2012, they added a fake transmission shifting feel to it, which is only possible by reducing the available torque at certain RPMs. Some people preferred that. I think it will take time for people to get used to the way an EV should feel. My kids will likely only drive EVs. My son might some day own a historic gasoline vehicle for fun, but I'm sure his daily driver will be an EV. The feel of a shifting transmission or coasting in neutral will be foreign to him.

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