Some Observations After Delivery

[Badger_Prof]

I saw some really substantial CarPlay inconsistencies in my test drive as well

Have only had my Premium AWD ER for three days but CarPlay has been totally good.

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[Y2A_Alkis]

I wish that the premiums had that blue threading. It adds a further touch of character.

I wish here in Germanyland (dunno about the other european countries) we had more options for the interior.
I ordered an Infinite Blue AWD Ex, wasn't able to choose the interior, and now I'll have red threading. ? Not really the best design choice, but I guess that's a sacrifice I'll have to make for this otherwise very good car that's a huuuge upgrade from my current one.

 

[jparduhn70]

No ground wire at all run to the outlet or just forgot to connect it? I mean seriously, even 120v requires grounding since I don't know the 1980's?

None at all. I really don't know what he was thinking.

 

[Electric Fusion]

I picked up my car yesterday and thought I knew everything I needed to know based on what I've learned here. Here are some observations:

1. First Editions have a black head liner and A/B/C-pillar trim, not the off-white in the other Premiums. I suppose I should have noticed in the CGI renders, but I didn't. I was actually happy about that because I can't stand how dirty that light color can get. I didn't see any references to that difference in any of the documentation to date.
2. The hood and fenders are aluminum. Someone put a door into the left front fender just in front of the charge port at the dealership and I didn't see it right away. Honestly didn't think I'd have to look for dents, but I noticed it when the reflection of the Electrify America green lighting reflected wrong. I went into my PDR guy and he showed me all the aluminum panels when trying to figure out how difficult the repair might be. Nice to know I won't have to worry about hood or fender corrosion. The dealer is reimbursing me for the repair in case anyone is wondering.
3. The cargo area liner fits better when the panel is in the lower position. It's designed to go under the plastic trim at the rear of the cargo area.
4. There are dimples in the front bumper cover in case you want to screw the front plate bracket to the car. Not happening for me.
5. The seating materials are impressive. Others have commented about it, but until you feel it, it's difficult to comprehend.
6. CarPlay works well when it's functional, but it's been inconsistent.
7. The FordPass app is worse with this car than my Escape. PaaK is okay, but I actually trust the fob more for now. The remote profile push doesn't work at all the way the instructions tell you to set it up. This app needs a lot more work before I feel it's trustworthy.
8. If you're installing an EVSE at home, make sure your electrician wires your outlet correctly. My ChargePoint Home Flex wasn't charging the car, even though the app said it was. Tried the Ford portable charger with the same NEMA 14-50 outlet, no luck. FordPass said both were plugged in when checking the app, but not charging. Connected the Ford portable charger to 120V and it worked perfectly. After extensive troubleshooting, I found that my electrician failed to install a ground wire in the outlet, so the car wouldn't accept a charge.
9. Touchscreen response is very good and the menus are fairly intuitive.

Everything I've read about the car has been nearly spot-on, and if I were grading it, would have to give it an A- overall. The FordPass and CarPlay issues are what's preventing me from giving it an A. I hope the OTAs correct some of the deficiencies.

Congratulations.. ? great ? to hear ..

BTW what software version are you running?

 

[jparduhn70]

Have only had my Premium AWD ER for three days but CarPlay has been totally good.

Congratulations.. ? great ? to hear ..

BTW what software version are you running?

Thank you!

The software version says 20312_PRODUCT Revision 243

 

[IUChris]

Great information on this thread - I just took delivery of my FE yesterday, and absolutely love it so far. I’m about to head out for some more driving, but wanted to share a few thoughts I haven’t seen much on the forum yet:

- The shifter dial does “engage” when you hit the brake, and prevent it from spinning around. I saw in some of the YouTube reviews on test models that it wasn’t the case (it could spin around freely), but the production version seems to be of higher quality than what the review videos show.
- The key fob does have a Pony logo on the back rather than the ford logo (again, as shown in some of the review videos)
- There is a front window defrost button right next to the light controls, which I think is a GREAT idea to avoid having to look through the touchscreen to activate that feature in case the windows begin to fog as you are driving.
- There is a button on the controls near the rear-view mirror/sunglasses holder that allows you to turn on all interior lights, as well as separate buttons to activate each interior light. Again, great thinking on avoiding the need to dig around to turn them all on.
- The Ford Pass activation took a few hours to go through, but eventually activated last night when I was in the garage. Seems to work well so far.
- The self-parking feature does parallel parking and backs the vehicle into a parking spot. Most of you already knew that, but I thought it was only to make parallel parking easier
- The only Ford logo on the vehicle is on the top center of the windshield in blue and white, and I think looks really good. Not at all distracting to the design, and looks very high quality.

All of the panel gaps and paint look really good, as I would have expected from an early build (mine was one of the mid-December builds). Also, for those who are worrying that the very long shipping schedule will drain your battery down and cause issues, as I was, the car was 97% charged when they took it off the transport vehicle after sitting in quality and shipping limbo for nearly two months, so you should rest easy that your battery is unlikely to drain and die while you are waiting impatiently to meet your new car. I can hear the electric whine from the display behind the wheel, but it isn’t overly concerning, and it’s something I could have addressed some time later (but addressed at some point for sure). Finally, my dealer told me that Ford engineers are doing a once-over on many of the first deliveries to make sure everything looks good, and they will ask me to bring it in next week. Not sure if it’s related to the quality bulletin others have referenced, but nice to have that checkpoint nonetheless. Again, first impression is really, really good, and my kids were absolutely loving everything about the vehicle when they got to check it out last night.

All of you waiting and checking on your shipment status every day (or hour), it does come to an end. The waiting gets harder near the end, but the car is going to be amazing once you finally get to see it in person.

 

[methorian]

- The only Ford logo on the vehicle is on the top center of the windshield in blue and white, and I think looks really good. Not at all distracting to the design, and looks very high quality.

Just gunna nit-pick and say this isn't 100% true for my FE... found this little easter egg on mine, under the hood.

 

[IUChris]

Just gunna nit-pick and say this isn't 100% true for my FE... found this little easter egg on mine, under the hood.

Good call! I saw that too, but didn’t count it since you have to pop the hood to see it. But I stand corrected!

One more note I forgot to mention; when you close the frunk (you need to use some force), it seems really well-designed and high-quality. Better than the sound of any door I have ever closed, and gives you confidence that the engineers took extra time to build the seals and latch like a tank. I was worried it would feel cheap and make me want to avoid using it, but I can say I would have no concerns using it regularly (other than the fact that the method of opening by pulling the latch twice is less than ideal, so if it updates for use on the app, I’m in).

OK - now off to drive!

 

[methorian]

Good call! I saw that too, but didn’t count it since you have to pop the hood to see it. But I stand corrected!

One more note I forgot to mention; when you close the frunk (you need to use some force), it seems really well-designed and high-quality. Better than the sound of any door I have ever closed, and gives you confidence that the engineers took extra time to build the seals and latch like a tank. I was worried it would feel cheap and make me want to avoid using it, but I can say I would have no concerns using it regularly (other than the fact that the method of opening by pulling the latch twice is less than ideal, so if it updates for use on the app, I’m in).

OK - now off to drive!

Frunk definitely requires some force to close. It kinda scares me a bit to push down that hard on the hood. I don't see myself using the frunk very much though, so not a huge deal.

Thanks for the write-up, have fun on your drive!

 

[dbsb3233]

Frunk definitely requires some force to close. It kinda scares me a bit to push down that hard on the hood. I don't see myself using the frunk very much though, so not a huge deal.

Thanks for the write-up, have fun on your drive!

I closed it once on the Machetour vehicle we checked out. I'd already read it takes some force (presumably because it's airtight and thus there's a sort if "air cushion" pushing back in those last few milimeters.

So I purposely tried dropping it from about 1 foot high, and it closed perfectly. It didn't slam hard, but it also latched fine. I expected I'd have to push it down after that to latch it, but I didn't. Even the employee was a bit surprised it latched as it usually takes a shove. Just gotta gauge the right "let it drop" point.

 

[timbop]

I closed it once on the Machetour vehicle we checked out. I'd already read it takes some force (presumably because it's airtight and thus there's a sort if "air cushion" pushing back in those last few milimeters.

So I purposely tried dropping it from about 1 foot high, and it closed perfectly. It didn't slam hard, but it also latched fine. I expected I'd have to push it down after that to latch it, but I didn't. Even the employee was a bit surprised it latched as it usually takes a shove. Just gotta gauge the right "let it drop" point.

Same here. dropped from about a foot and it latched for me too. it's probably sensitive, but eventually with use you'll develop muscle memory for the right height/force

 

[methorian]

I closed it once on the Machetour vehicle we checked out. I'd already read it takes some force (presumably because it's airtight and thus there's a sort if "air cushion" pushing back in those last few milimeters.

So I purposely tried dropping it from about 1 foot high, and it closed perfectly. It didn't slam hard, but it also latched fine. I expected I'd have to push it down after that to latch it, but I didn't. Even the employee was a bit surprised it latched as it usually takes a shove. Just gotta gauge the right "let it drop" point.

That's good to know! I haven't opened it too many times, but I'll try the 1ft height drop next time and see if I can't master it. Would love to avoid my grubby hands on the hood!

 

[Tim_C]

So I purposely tried dropping it from about 1 foot high, and it closed perfectly. It didn't slam hard, but it also latched fine.

That matches up nicely with the recommended process in the owner's manual:

 

[TundraEV]

.
. Nice to know I won't have to worry about hood or fender corrosion.

As a proud owner of a 2015 Ford Explorer with a corroded aluminum hood and with paint flaked to bare metal, I... well never mind.

And don’t ask if Ford denied my warranty request at 38,000 miles for it. I’m not still bitter.

Seriously though, congrats on the new MME and thanks for your detailed thoughts on it!

 

[jeffdawgfan]

Can't believe the electrician did not do a ground. Hell, I'm no electrician but I knew to do that when I installed my own Juice Box.

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