Select RWD vs Premium Ex4, help me decide

[thirdage2009]

Need help from current MME owners on whether to purchase a Select RWD (with the comfort and convenience package) or a Premium Extended range AWD.

My main concerns are the glass roof on the premium, the lower range and power of the Select rwd, the ride and handling difference between the 2, and whether the B&O sound system is head and shoulders better than the standard sound system in the Select.
Plus, are there any buyers of one that wish they had opted for the other.

Any help you current owners can provide will be greatly appreciated.

BTW, I live in California in an area that does not get snow and sadly not a lot of rain.

Thanks in advance

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[macchiaz-o]

It's a $10,000 difference. To me, that's huge.

Since you're good with the Select "on paper," your next step is to find one locally and test drive it. Only you can decide if it's good enough for you.

 

[timbop]

My main concerns are the glass roof on the premium, the lower range and power of the Select rwd, the ride and handling difference between the 2, and whether the B&O sound system is head and shoulders better than the standard sound system in the Select.

It all depends how you prioritize things - provided that you don't have a long commute nor other situation in which the range inhibits your ability to get somewhere. Since you live in CA I would expect you'd be fine, but are you planning to do road trips with your Mach-E? I would investigate those routes with abetterrouteplanner.com to ensure that the charging on those trips doesn't become overly burdensome. As long as the range isn't going to be a problem, then all the other stuff is a matter of personal preference. If the glass roof really does get too hot, I am sure there will be aftermarket (or even genuine ford) shades.

I have the slowest version (ER RWD), and once you're moving the acceleration is fine. It is not very quick off the line, which was a little disappointing. If I were able to afford it, knowing what I know now, I would have sprung for the ER AWD. BUT, that is me - you may not care.

 

[coulomb]

All subjective questions, and I'm in Ontario Canada so our realities are very different.
What I can say is I've never heard anything like the B&O sound system.
Can't compare to the standard system though.
The B&O wasn't a big factor in my decision but I'm sure glad it's there now that I have it.

 

[Garbone]

Really like my Select RWD. Prefer the metal roof for the Florida sun. It is fast enough for me and the $10k still in my bank account makes me happy.

If I lived in a colder climate a bigger battery would be more of a concern. Having had the car a month the lowest we have run it down is to 57% and that was a 3 day weekend. With gasoline prices on the rise it is nice to have a Select RWD, with the windows down it is probably the most efficient MachE energy wise day to day and still looks a lot better than those other EVs.

I am curious what the how the metal roof and head liner affect cabin cooling.

 

[jimbobiii]

the first one I test drive was RWD and I was disappointed in the power given our Model 3.

the AWD is fantastic tho in that regard and 4.8 is plenty of zip.

I can’t tell you difference in sound but B&O is great in the premium and I’ve had no issues with glass roof.

but it’s a big price jump from the Select to Premium. The performance jump is pretty large-by historical tenths of a second standards.

I’d drive both with some music jamming and see if it’s worth 10k to you

 

[JSW]

Given your top 3 concerns are glass roof, range, and performance, I would note:
1. Personally, my glass roof has wind noise (for which I’ve posted a work-around) and there is a possible durability issue associated with glass. Definite “negative” in my view.
2. I believe the additional range and better performance offset the roof concerns. I believe this to be true even though I’m personally experiencing some of the glass roof concerns.

That said, it’s really a function of personal preference, and your sense of which regret might impact you more: (1) dissatisfaction with performance and the constant wondering “wouldnt it be great if my MMe performed better..” or (2) I wish I spent 18% less...

 

[ARK]

I think the glass roof basically makes the vehicle two tone with the roof appearing black on models where it is equipped, which is a very good look for the Mach-E. On the other hand, the glass roof is something the rear passengers will mostly enjoy, it’s not really in your field of vision as the driver and I’m not aware of it most of the time while driving.

The projector LED headlights on the Premium are fantastic. Very crisp and an extremely wide area of illumination. Some people had said they wished the Mach-E had adaptive headlights (meaning the headlights turn a little bit along with the steering wheel), but the projector LEDs have such a wide berth, I think it moots the issue because you can so easily see what is coming up off to the right and left of the Mach-E as you drive.

The front windows in the Premium also have acoustic laminate applied to them, so if you have a long/noisy commute (like on a freeway), you may also find this feature worthwhile.

I also do like the Premium’s B&O stereo, but not having heard the Select’s, can’t say how big of a difference it is.

If range and AWD aren’t necessary, and you don’t particularly care for the faster acceleration, why not consider a SR RWD Premium? If you do want the faster acceleration, even the SR AWD gets you substantially quicker acceleration than the RWD variants for $2,700 and you can stay with the Select for this if you wanted.

 

[thirdage2009]

Good advice. Dealer will have a select star white, select rwd with comfort/convenience upgrade coming in, unclaimed, in April and dealer put me first in line. I also have an iconic silver ex4 with build date may 24. So I'll plan on test driving the star white select when it comes in with tunes turned up and decide then and there. I've tested the ex4 already and loved it. I'll see if that love holds up in the face of $10k.
All things considered it might come down to zip, rwd handing characteristics and ability to rock out.

So many choices, so little time.

 

[RonTCat]

Good advice. Dealer will have a select star white, select rwd with comfort/convenience upgrade coming in, unclaimed, in April and dealer put me first in line. I also have an iconic silver ex4 with build date may 24. So I'll plan on test driving the star white select when it comes in with tunes turned up and decide then and there. I've tested the ex4 already and loved it. I'll see if that love holds up in the face of $10k.
All things considered it might come down to zip, rwd handing characteristics and ability to rock out.

So many choices, so little time.

The glass roof is nice. Lots of opinions here about it, so I will give you some facts:
- Ford uses a glass roof on many models. Durability is a 0% issue.
- The roof is slightly proud (higher front edge) of the windshield by design. This is similar to other Ford products. Unfortunately, in some vehicles, the dimensions are such that they create an air flow harmonic with the glass roof at some speeds, which people report as "wind noise". Some people have eliminated the harmonic condition by filling the gap with a small seal.
- The roof has IR filtering, which helps in sunny areas.

 

[BMT1071]

In my experience there is always a significant difference between the standard and premium audio.
I had the opportunity to pick up an MME last weekend off the lot. Unfortunately it wasn't the color I wanted so I passed and ordered the exact car I want. This is a 'want' purchase for me, not a 'need'. Why compromise and get less than what you want? Unless the ~$10k is a game changer for you.
As far as the extra wait time, I see that as an opportunity for bugs/issues to get worked out.
YMMV.

 

[shadowsjc]

I bought a premium AWD extended range. To me, the Mustang Mach-E is uniquely positioned as a premium car from an iconic brand that is launching for the first time - ever. It will inherently draw eyeballs and attention everywhere you drive it. I wouldn't want to skimp on the options to save a few bucks if it meant I would feel like I'm driving a substandard car. I bought the Mustang Mach-E because it's a premium car , and I want my driving experience to reflect this.

The panoramic roof is as nice (or nicer) than what you'd find on competing luxury cars. The B&O sound system has crisp output with a nice punchy (but not obnoxious) bass.

Now - if I absolutely had to make cuts, where would it make sense?

- select vs premium: covered above, definitely keep premium trim

- AWD vs RWD: given your climate and location, the RWD might save you some $$ but you'd lose some acceleration. I love the acceleration on mine and wouldn't trade that away

- standard range vs extended range: this is the only one where I'd say you can save a bit, especially if you're not using it as a daily driver (to work, school, etc). If you have a charger at home, chances are you'd just recharge every night anyway.

 

[mr_raider]

The AWD is useless for you. The biggest differentiator here is battery size. What exactly are your range needs? Do you have a 2nd car?

 

[thirdage2009]

Yes. I have a hybrid for long distance travel (until everybody's electric).

However I wouldn't mind being able to take the ME to the mountains a couple times a year in the summers.. 200 miles round trip wits lots of elevation change.

Looks like EX4 is coming into focus. But I'm still going to try the sekect rwd if I can find one around here. My dealer doesn't have a select tester.

 

[deadduck]

The AWD is useless for you. The biggest differentiator here is battery size. What exactly are your range needs? Do you have a 2nd car?

Route 1 is an option, doubly for me, because when Covid goes away I'll be back to driving, slowly, that hell road again, daily.

AWD being useless is a hard one for me. Generally, I think exactly that, but I haven't been able to test one, and there are precious few videos with the RWD. The AWD I drove was very planted and there's a lot of torque and hp even in the RWD. As near as I can tell the difference between a route 1 and a premium,

• 19" vs 18" wheels.
• Hands free lift gate.
• Better audio system.
• Laminated side glass.
• 270 vs 305 range.
• Heated steering and seats.
• Better looking rims on the premium.
• 1.3ish seconds faster 0 to 60.
• AWD vs RWD.

I'm definitely leaning Premium but I until I drive a RWD, or hear a convincing argument, I dunno.

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