1 Year In, thoughts on my FFE

[TomEV]

My impressions of owning the FFE car are excellent. It's not perfect but it really is the best car I could own today. I actually feel special and worry others will find out about electrics and ruin it.

Positives:

Commute: I mostly use it for my 36 mile daily commute in the Orange county/Los Angeles area. I plug in to a 110 outlet at my work's parking structure and get juiced up all day. I have an L2 at home that I use when I get low once or twice a week. My total cost per month in electricity is only about $20. This is a huge savings over my previous $200 a month gas bill.

Another huge benefit is driving in the HOV lanes. I commute on two stretches of HOV and it saves me at least 20 minutes a day of commute time. Honestly, this is the biggest reason I got the car. I worry though that once all the new Teslas come out it will clog up the HOV lanes and the state will take the perk away. Haunts me but I'm enjoying it for now.

Maintenance: None other than washer fluid and pumping up the tires. I am taking it in for it's first servicing soon. I always hated taking in my ICE vehicle so often.

Driving experience: Clearly much smoother and higher torque than ICE. Really can't see going back. Joy to drive.

Cost: I bought it. I know leasing is better long term but I like to own. Cost after state rebate ($2500) and tax deduction ($7500) came to mid 15K. Hard to believe I could get this good of a car for that price. The incentives are important. Without the 10K savings I would never have bought it.

Light ring: I like how it glows and people ask about it. It feels like the future. Too bad they got rid of it for 2017.



Negatives:

Range: Bad for the winter. Didn't expect the huge hit to the range of 10 or more on the GOM. I drive in mild winter weather too. Can't imagine owning the FFE in a cold climate. Brutal.

I do have to plan longer trips but so far never ran out of juice. Only once did I have to charge at a public L2 out of necessity.

SYNC and bluetooth: I listen to podcasts and audiobooks off my phone frequently. Often SYNC won't connect properly and I have to start and stop the bluetooth connection on both the car and phone to get it established. Pain in the butt.

Recall work: Still can't get the differential parts and work done.

Map: The map is subpar to Google Maps and I mostly use my phone app.

Tires: The LRR tires spin in wet conditions. Borderline dangerous.

Other: Forget to close the ring port often; car starting sequence is a pain.



Neutral:

Trunk space: I see a lot of complaints about the size but I can always fit groceries and other stuff in it. If I need more space I just use the back seat. Not a big deal.

Rear seat passenger seating: Pretty tight in back but it's mostly for the kids so I don't care.

 

[jmueller065]

Range: Bad for the winter. Didn't expect the huge hit to the range of 10 or more on the GOM. I drive in mild winter weather too. Can't imagine owning the FFE in a cold climate. Brutal.

Yeah in really cold winters it can be less than 1/2 of what it is in the summer.

Rear seat passenger seating: Pretty tight in back but it's mostly for the kids so I don't care.

Note that this observation also applies to the ICE Focus (all of them: FFE, "Regular", ST, RS) as the seating arrangements are identical.

 

[ATL-FFE]

Maintenance: None other than washer fluid and pumping up the tires. I am taking it in for it's first servicing soon. I always hated taking in my ICE vehicle so often.

Why? There's nothing to do.

Cost: I bought it. I know leasing is better long term but I like to own. Cost after state rebate ($2500) and tax deduction ($7500) came to mid 15K. Hard to believe I could get this good of a car for that price. The incentives are important. Without the 10K savings I would never have bought it.

Are you saying leasing is better for BEV's in general? I agree... but leasing is almost never better than buying, unless you're buying new every 2 years or less.

Light ring: I like how it glows and people ask about it. It feels like the future. Too bad they got rid of it for 2017.

Alot of us have broken ones -- I would guess Ford didn't see the benefit considering the cost of all the replacements.

Range: Bad for the winter. Didn't expect the huge hit to the range of 10 or more on the GOM. I drive in mild winter weather too. Can't imagine owning the FFE in a cold climate. Brutal.

100% agree here -- the heater hit is really bad on these things. I would say its the biggest gripe of all for me. I don't care much about it, but the wife gets very upset when I tell her its heated seat only, or we don't make it home!

SYNC and bluetooth: I listen to podcasts and audiobooks off my phone frequently. Often SYNC won't connect properly and I have to start and stop the bluetooth connection on both the car and phone to get it established. Pain in the butt.

For all the whining and gnashing of teeth from owners across the product lines, my 2013's MFT has been flawless in terms of connection and reliability. I like it.

Map: The map is subpar to Google Maps and I mostly use my phone app.

Definitely. Everyone does. So, while I understand the Nav systems in older cars (even from 2010)... brand new cars NOW should have nothing more than CarPlay or Auto. Everyone uses their phone, embrace it. Waze and G/Maps kills anything you can embed in a car. We buy the nav option to get a bigger screen and usually to get the other options in the package.

Other: Forget to close the ring port often; car starting sequence is a pain.

There's a feature they missed -- instead of designing the Jetsons charge port door of the future, why not a simple hinged filler cap with a latch and a WARNING that tells you it's open!


Great write up, btw.

 

[campfamily]

My impressions of owning the FFE car are excellent. It's not perfect but it really is the best car I could own today. I actually feel special and worry others will find out about electrics and ruin it.

Positives:

Commute: I mostly use it for my 36 mile daily commute in the Orange county/Los Angeles area. I plug in to a 110 outlet at my work's parking structure and get juiced up all day. I have an L2 at home that I use when I get low once or twice a week. My total cost per month in electricity is only about $20. This is a huge savings over my previous $200 a month gas bill.

Another huge benefit is driving in the HOV lanes. I commute on two stretches of HOV and it saves me at least 20 minutes a day of commute time. Honestly, this is the biggest reason I got the car. I worry though that once all the new Teslas come out it will clog up the HOV lanes and the state will take the perk away. Haunts me but I'm enjoying it for now.

Maintenance: None other than washer fluid and pumping up the tires. I am taking it in for it's first servicing soon. I always hated taking in my ICE vehicle so often.

Driving experience: Clearly much smoother and higher torque than ICE. Really can't see going back. Joy to drive.

Cost: I bought it. I know leasing is better long term but I like to own. Cost after state rebate ($2500) and tax deduction ($7500) came to mid 15K. Hard to believe I could get this good of a car for that price. The incentives are important. Without the 10K savings I would never have bought it.

Light ring: I like how it glows and people ask about it. It feels like the future. Too bad they got rid of it for 2017.



Negatives:

Range: Bad for the winter. Didn't expect the huge hit to the range of 10 or more on the GOM. I drive in mild winter weather too. Can't imagine owning the FFE in a cold climate. Brutal.

I do have to plan longer trips but so far never ran out of juice. Only once did I have to charge at a public L2 out of necessity.

SYNC and bluetooth: I listen to podcasts and audiobooks off my phone frequently. Often SYNC won't connect properly and I have to start and stop the bluetooth connection on both the car and phone to get it established. Pain in the butt.

Recall work: Still can't get the differential parts and work done.

Map: The map is subpar to Google Maps and I mostly use my phone app.

Tires: The LRR tires spin in wet conditions. Borderline dangerous.

Other: Forget to close the ring port often; car starting sequence is a pain.



Neutral:

Trunk space: I see a lot of complaints about the size but I can always fit groceries and other stuff in it. If I need more space I just use the back seat. Not a big deal.

Rear seat passenger seating: Pretty tight in back but it's mostly for the kids so I don't care.

Tom - your experience almost exactly mirrors my experience over nearly two years and 21,000 miles. I also live in So Cal, and my round-trip commute is 52 miles when I drive to the train station in Norwalk, or 92 miles if I go all the way to the office. If I drive to the train station, I can round-trip it without having to charge up, which is good, since the park-n-ride where I leave my car doesn't have any charging stations. Obviously if I go to work I need to charge, and my workplace has quite a few Chargepoint L2 stations I can use. I echo all of your comments, except for the diff recall (my car wasn't affected), and the SYNC and Bluetooth. I have an iPhone 6, and I have absolutely no issues with connecting. Sometimes when streaming music I need to start the app on my phone (Pandora) rather than being able to do that from the car screen but I'm okay with that. However, I would prefer to have SYNC 3; my son's 2016 Focus RS has Sync 3 and I prefer that over my version of SYNC. I agree with you on the navigation system, however for the kind of driving I use the FFE for, I seldom need the nav system; it's just to and from work for my car.

The one observation that I'd add to yours, probably classified in the Neutral category, is that the car is so boring to drive. I like to drive, and I like to interact with the car when I drive. My previous cars have all been manual transmission cars (most recently a E60 BMW 550), and I miss shifting, I miss having something to do when I'm driving, other than just pushing on the pedal. That being said, the time and aggravation I save being able to drive in the carpool lane all of the time is worth it.

Keith

 

[jmueller065]

Note that the light ring isn't completely gone in the 2017. Its still there, behind the door as a vertical bar of 4 LEDs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asJbPIG3svA

 

[campfamily]

Note that the light ring isn't completely gone in the 2017. Its still there, behind the door as a vertical bar of 4 LEDs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asJbPIG3svA

Charging doors seem very vulnerable to somebody walking by them and bending / breaking them off, particularly in public charging stations, where the spaces seem to be pretty tight. One thing I like about our car (not possible to do that), and probably the only thing I like about the Leaf.

 

[EVA]

Note that the light ring isn't completely gone in the 2017. Its still there, behind the door as a vertical bar of 4 LEDs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asJbPIG3svA

Thanks for posting that. Finally they used a standard old gas cap flap door. That should be a lot more robust than the little spinny plastic thing of old. Probably easier to see that it is open when you drive. Bet it makes a heck of a lot of noise at highway speed when left open.

 

[jmueller065]

Probably easier to see that it is open when you drive. Bet it makes a heck of a lot of noise at highway speed when left open.

Given that it hinges towards the rear I wonder if it would slam shut on the highway..!? A feature.

 

[cutler03gt]

Probably easier to see that it is open when you drive. Bet it makes a heck of a lot of noise at highway speed when left open.

Given that it hinges towards the rear I wonder if it would slam shut on the highway..!? A feature.

I'm betting it would. I'll miss the cool ring, but this does seem to be a better door. My only gripe is the tethered DC cap. I prefer the flap like the Bolt has. Not a big deal, and it's mostly out of the way though.

 

[TomEV]

Maintenance: None other than washer fluid and pumping up the tires. I am taking it in for it's first servicing soon. I always hated taking in my ICE vehicle so often.

Why? There's nothing to do.

Since it is under warranty I wanted it checked out. Make sure it's ok. Plus I need tires rotated.

Cost: I bought it. I know leasing is better long term but I like to own. Cost after state rebate ($2500) and tax deduction ($7500) came to mid 15K. Hard to believe I could get this good of a car for that price. The incentives are important. Without the 10K savings I would never have bought it.

Are you saying leasing is better for BEV's in general? I agree... but leasing is almost never better than buying, unless you're buying new every 2 years or less.

I mean leasing is better in that you can keep getting a new version, longer range. Yes, price wise if you hold it like I will it is better to buy. I just have to deal one day with the limited battery.

Range: Bad for the winter. Didn't expect the huge hit to the range of 10 or more on the GOM. I drive in mild winter weather too. Can't imagine owning the FFE in a cold climate. Brutal.

100% agree here -- the heater hit is really bad on these things. I would say its the biggest gripe of all for me. I don't care much about it, but the wife gets very upset when I tell her its heated seat only, or we don't make it home!

Ouch that is painful. Happy wife, happy life. I hear you on that.

Great write up, btw.

Thanks!!

 

[TomEV]

Tom - your experience almost exactly mirrors my experience over nearly two years and 21,000 miles. I also live in So Cal, and my round-trip commute is 52 miles when I drive to the train station in Norwalk, or 92 miles if I go all the way to the office. If I drive to the train station, I can round-trip it without having to charge up, which is good, since the park-n-ride where I leave my car doesn't have any charging stations. Obviously if I go to work I need to charge, and my workplace has quite a few Chargepoint L2 stations I can use. I echo all of your comments, except for the diff recall (my car wasn't affected), and the SYNC and Bluetooth. I have an iPhone 6, and I have absolutely no issues with connecting. Sometimes when streaming music I need to start the app on my phone (Pandora) rather than being able to do that from the car screen but I'm okay with that. However, I would prefer to have SYNC 3; my son's 2016 Focus RS has Sync 3 and I prefer that over my version of SYNC. I agree with you on the navigation system, however for the kind of driving I use the FFE for, I seldom need the nav system; it's just to and from work for my car.

The one observation that I'd add to yours, probably classified in the Neutral category, is that the car is so boring to drive. I like to drive, and I like to interact with the car when I drive. My previous cars have all been manual transmission cars (most recently a E60 BMW 550), and I miss shifting, I miss having something to do when I'm driving, other than just pushing on the pedal. That being said, the time and aggravation I save being able to drive in the carpool lane all of the time is worth it.

Keith

We do have parallel lives. I go by the Norwalk station all the time. I once wanted to use the train but there was not enough parking. Of course no electric charging either.

Your comment about the boring driving is very true. My father-in-law loves fast cars, shifting...he looked at it and shrugged....offered to let him drive it and he passed

 

[campfamily]

We do have parallel lives. I go by the Norwalk station all the time. I once wanted to use the train but there was not enough parking. Of course no electric charging either.

Your comment about the boring driving is very true. My father-in-law loves fast cars, shifting...he looked at it and shrugged....offered to let him drive it and he passed

Yep, my father-in-law was the same when I got the car. But, he did drive it, and now he goes around telling everybody how my "fake car" is great fun to drive!!

 

[TomEV]

Bet it makes a heck of a lot of noise at highway speed when left open.

I have never noticed a noise so far. I almost wish it did. I leave it open way too much and then feel stupid when I get out of the car.

 

[ATL-FFE]

Bet it makes a heck of a lot of noise at highway speed when left open.

I have never noticed a noise so far. I almost wish it did. I leave it open way too much and then feel stupid when I get out of the car.

Oh man same here...

 

[henryfocus]

Bet it makes a heck of a lot of noise at highway speed when left open.

I have never noticed a noise so far. I almost wish it did. I leave it open way too much and then feel stupid when I get out of the car.

Me as well. Driving with the charge port open is the EV equivalent of walking around unzipped.

 

[shniestEV]

I agree with you on most points. I too am around 15 months of ownership. The only change i would make is a few months back i updated the USB hub and the Sync3 software so that i have carplay. Love carplay but i must say i have never had any bluetooth issues that i can remember.... not sure why you would have so many.

 

[shniestEV]

The one observation that I'd add to yours, probably classified in the Neutral category, is that the car is so boring to drive. I like to drive, and I like to interact with the car when I drive. My previous cars have all been manual transmission cars (most recently a E60 BMW 550), and I miss shifting, I miss having something to do when I'm driving, other than just pushing on the pedal. That being said, the time and aggravation I save being able to drive in the carpool lane all of the time is worth it.

Keith

Funny as this is opposite for me... Call me crazy but my goal when i drive is to use the brakes as little as possible... so i continuously shift between D and L to reduce speed. Also competing with myself over things like less battery for my work commute, most distance driven on a charge... its probably the most fun I've had with a car I've owned...
Manual although it can be fun was more annoying on my daily commute in this mountainous city than anything and your right driving a regular automatic there's nothing to it.... the FFE with regen is best of both for me!

 

[scottt]

The one observation that I'd add to yours, probably classified in the Neutral category, is that the car is so boring to drive. I like to drive, and I like to interact with the car when I drive. My previous cars have all been manual transmission cars (most recently a E60 BMW 550), and I miss shifting, I miss having something to do when I'm driving, other than just pushing on the pedal. That being said, the time and aggravation I save being able to drive in the carpool lane all of the time is worth it.

Keith

Funny as this is opposite for me... Call me crazy but my goal when i drive is to use the brakes as little as possible... so i continuously shift between D and L to reduce speed. Also competing with myself over things like less battery for my work commute, most distance driven on a charge... its probably the most fun I've had with a car I've owned...
Manual although it can be fun was more annoying on my daily commute in this mountainous city than anything and your right driving a regular automatic there's nothing to it.... the FFE with regen is best of both for me!

I started out driving that way. However I quickly discovered it's much easier to just leave the car in L all the time. No need to shift between the two.

And as for campfamily's post, I'm with you all the way. My ICE car is a manual Mini. I wouldn't have it any other way. Getting harder and harder to find manual cars though.....sigh.

 

[jmueller065]

My ICE car is a manual Mini. I wouldn't have it any other way. Getting harder and harder to find manual cars though.....sigh.

Funny you should say that, I just read this article today:
The Stick Shift is dead, long live the Stick Shift

 

[user 5595]

Funny you should say that, I just read this article today:
The Stick Shift is dead, long live the Stick Shift

This is the one thing I am very sad to be losing as I replace my old Civic with an FFE. I understand why a manual transmission is unnecessary in an EV, but I will miss it.

I (and a few people I work with) would happily pay $$ for a "stick shift" option in their new car. Replace the PRNDL with something that looks and feels like a five-speed, add an unnecessary clutch pedal, maybe some sound effects. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to program the engine to simulate an ICE engine's torque curve.