Why mixed reviews on Mach-E suspension?

[TGIF]

I switched over from a Lincoln MKZ which is basically a sofa on wheels. My CR1 suspension seemed very firm. I felt the imperfections in the road. But smooth freeway driving was excellent. Lessening the tire pressure to 36 helped with the bad roads. I now have a Premium and it seems better and I have yet to reduce the tire pressure.

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[SWO]

When I had my Select and people complained about the suspension I figured that the extra sidewall or lighter weight (with correspondingly less spring rate) on the Select must be making the ride better. I was preparing myself for disappointment when the GT(non-PE) came in, but the ride seems just as compliant. Frankly, I don't know what people are complaining about.

 

[sotek2345]

When I had my Select and people complained about the suspension I figured that the extra sidewall or lighter weight (with correspondingly less spring rate) on the Select must be making the ride better. I was preparing myself for disappointment when the GT(non-PE) came in, but the ride seems just as complaint. Frankly, I don't know what people are complaining about.

Yeah, I think everyone complaining about the ride, needs to spend some seat time in a real sports car.

 

[Redundant]

I actually want the MME suspension to be MORE stiff. I find the GTPE suspension underdamped and bouncy. It's truly noticeable over speed bumps.

I still prefer how the Premium RWD SR rides which is less bouncy.

Really, that is the problem with the suspension on my 4 wheel premium. The stiffness is not the problem, it is that it is underdamped.

 

[TonyaE]

I love the drive, very sporty and what I wanted. I’ve driven floaters, wanted something different. I feel like I’m driving a real sports car.

 

[RMoore]

So many good replies, and you can see the variability. I find my AWD Premium to be similar to my Audi Q5: similar in stiffness but with more bounce. That said, the bounce isn't problematic here in suburban NJ given the roads I drive. Several have mentioned tire pressure and I would agree--I lowered to 35-36 from 40 (what the dealer had it at) and it makes a big difference driving local roads. I generally don't care about range, but if I were to take a longer drive I might pump them up to 39.

I confess I'm no suspension expert so I don't understand the relationship between firmness (which I find just right) and the bounciness, which seems to be related to how well damped the suspension is tuned. I think they do need to work on that. But overall, I'm happy with the ride.

 

[sgriffin130]

I recently visited my daughter and family in France where my son-in-law owns a Model X. I had ridden in and driven it a few years back, but didn't pay much attention to the ride, etc., since I wasn't interested in EV's at the time. I have owned my Select comfort/Tech Mach E for a few weeks and am not disappointed in the ride-what I expected from forum comments. This time when I rode in the Model X I was astonished at how harsh the ride was. It was bone shattering over some roads, particularly in the third seat. I also own the highest Hyundai Santa Fe trim model and the Mach E ride is better. IMHO.

 

[voxel]

Really, that is the problem with the suspension on my 4 wheel premium. The stiffness is not the problem, it is that it is underdamped.

For me, the GTPE's Whisper mode is even bouncier than the Premium's suspension but GTPE's Unbrindled is dampened where the bounce is minimal.

My preference would be to have the Unbridled suspension settings for Whisper and a skateboard firm suspension for Unbridled.

 

[dmitry]

After a month of owning MME GT between fast, cool looking car and comfortable driving on short trips my choice is a second option. Since last week when kids school started I parked MME in garage and started to drive my KIA. My conclusion GT is great when I’m alone in the car and I have the rides 20+ miles on highways. High speed and good acceleration bring me all cool emotions without noticing suspension imperfections. But on short trips around the town especially in traffic time MME suspension is absolute nightmare. With all red lights, stop sings, stop&go traffic I started to feel like I’m not driving the car but riding on the mule. I’m glad I have second car which I can use for short trips with my kids. Without KIA after more few weeks I would sell MME for sure. If you need family car and your previous cars was with comfortable suspension MME not your choice. If you need a car only for you and your daily commute is mostly on highways MME is a great choice. Or be ready to buy a second car.

 

[RMoore]

So many good replies, and you can see the variability. I find my AWD Premium to be similar to my Audi Q5: similar in stiffness but with more bounce. That said, the bounce isn't problematic here in suburban NJ given the roads I drive. Several have mentioned tire pressure and I would agree--I lowered to 35-36 from 40 (what the dealer had it at) and it makes a big difference driving local roads. I generally don't care about range, but if I were to take a longer drive I might pump them up to 39.

I confess I'm no suspension expert so I don't understand the relationship between firmness (which I find just right) and the bounciness, which seems to be related to how well damped the suspension is tuned. I think they do need to work on that. But overall, I'm happy with the ride.

I'll update my view expressed above. This weekend I drove our family (wife and two teenage kids) from NJ to Queens and back--a 50 mile ride each way over various roads. The experience in the back seat is very different from that in the front. I noticed some bounciness in the font that didn't bother me (or the other front seat passenger) but the comments from the back were that they were really bounding around a lot. My wife sat in the back on the way there and the front on the way back and she said she wouldn't want to take this car on any long family trip. Over 90% of my use is with me as the lone person in the car, and it's not common that anyone needs to be in the back apart from a few very short local trips which are fine.

Like many, I scratch my head about how this got to the market with such a poorly tuned suspension. Did they only test this on the track? That seems unlikely. If they tested this with 4 people in the car on various roads they clearly must have realized that the suspension isn't quite right. My guess is that they felt pressured to get the car on the market and figured they'd work out some kinks like suspension in the future. I also am not too hopeful that aftermarket manufacturers will invest in developing shocks that would be better and affordable since I suspect they will conclude that there won't be enough demand. Yes, there will be several hundred thousand MMEs sold but perhaps they think Ford will eventually come out with better shocks on their own and I'm not sure how many owners will be sufficiently bothered to upgrade their suspensions.

 

[kkgg]

I heard, GT PE with Magna ride makes suspension a lot smoother

 

[MoonRiver]

Have had my select for 400 miles. It ain't a Toyota ride. Yes, it's bouncy but to get a good handling you can't have a soft suspension. The car itself is already as heavy as 5340 lbs, being bouncy, having momentum is the character of any heavy object. I can definitely feel the weight on an uneven road. Soft ride or better handling is a personal preference, unfortunately as today technologically you can't have both the same time. You can only have one in between.

 

[Blue highway]

I'll update my view expressed above. This weekend I drove our family (wife and two teenage kids) from NJ to Queens and back--a 50 mile ride each way over various roads. The experience in the back seat is very different from that in the front. I noticed some bounciness in the font that didn't bother me (or the other front seat passenger) but the comments from the back were that they were really bounding around a lot. My wife sat in the back on the way there and the front on the way back and she said she wouldn't want to take this car on any long family trip. Over 90% of my use is with me as the lone person in the car, and it's not common that anyone needs to be in the back apart from a few very short local trips which are fine.

Like many, I scratch my head about how this got to the market with such a poorly tuned suspension. Did they only test this on the track? That seems unlikely. If they tested this with 4 people in the car on various roads they clearly must have realized that the suspension isn't quite right. My guess is that they felt pressured to get the car on the market and figured they'd work out some kinks like suspension in the future. I also am not too hopeful that aftermarket manufacturers will invest in developing shocks that would be better and affordable since I suspect they will conclude that there won't be enough demand. Yes, there will be several hundred thousand MMEs sold but perhaps they think Ford will eventually come out with better shocks on their own and I'm not sure how many owners will be sufficiently bothered to upgrade their suspensions.

The reason for mixed reviews is simple... People like what they like and that's fine... but they like some diametrically opposed things and we need to be clear about what we are looking for when it comes to ride.

The suspension is tuned fairly well for what it weighs and they are trying to achieve. (compare it to a Model Y) That does NOT mean that it is tuned for what you are looking for

Are you looking for something that rides like:

• Toyota Avalon
• Ford Crown Vic
• Lexus anything
• S class Mercedes
• Most 5 passenger SUVs

These emphasize compliance over handling. The ride is isolating but the handling is terrible.

OR

Are you looking for something that rides like

• BMW 3 series
• ICE Mustang
• Cadillac V
• Sporty most anything etc.

These emphasize handling over compliance. The ride is firm but the cornering is good.

If it was pillowy SUV ride, I would have bought something else. You might draw a different conclusion.

Lastly, I think most people confuse dampers (shocks) with spring rates. To turn the car into a lexus crapmobile you will have to change the spring rates and the damping.

 

[4sallypat]

I heard, GT PE with Magna ride makes suspension a lot smoother

If you are really looking for the smoother, softer, cushier ride you may want to reconsider the MME.

Coming from stiff riding, sports orientated BMWs for 20+ years, the MME is not going to be your Lexus like ride.

I have a 2022 MME turned into 2023 order that I am waiting for but in the meantime, my new F150 Lightning with independent rear suspension rides like a sports crossover/SUV - not a pickup truck nor a Cadillac Escalade.

With the heavy curb weight, the suspension will have to be more stiff in order to prevent understeering.

 

[shadowsjc]

It's bad enough that I've actually had to re-learn how to drive. I'll be cruising on the highway going 75, but if I spot a section of highway where it changes from asphalt to one of those concrete sections then I need to slow to 60 - otherwise my passengers will feel the junction as if I hit a speed bump. It's pretty pathetic really and easily what I hate most about the car (except for the high voltage battery error I just got)

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