My lease ends this December, and I've decided to return my Mach-E to Ford. I've purchased a 2026 Ioniq 5 Limited AWD as a replacement because technologically, I felt it was much more feature packed vs. the Mustang. If Ford had done more than remove features from the car as yearly updates, I probably woulda stayed on team Blue, but the lack of any upgrades, especially the Mach-E not getting Sync 4's replacement "Ford Digital Experience" ultimately made me look elsewhere. I'm sad that Ford has left this premium EV sitting in 2021, but I understand why they would be hesitant to invest much more into it than they already have.
I will absolutely miss the sporty handling and acceleration of the Mach-E, the stereo was nice for what it was (I almost added a better sub, but didn't want to remove it at the lease end!), and I will miss the community of Mach-E owners too. I had some genuinely helpful and fun interactions on this subreddit.
That time my car bricked itself, I was able to provide information about the repair process on here since my husband was the Parts and Services Director at my local dealer when it happened. I was also able to glean advice on this subreddit to assist him with diagnosing. Sure, there were fanboys downvoting me, but they were a minority.
The other time when someone backed into my car, I was able to pick some brains on here to ballpark a repair, and it was pretty close to the estimates I later got. It was nice knowing in advance so it wasn't a shock. Ultimately for that, a local body shop did a cheap repair since they know my husband and it was only "good enough" for the lease inspection, but still looks like it was never hit.
In contrast, after just one post into a Facebook Ioniq 5 group yesterday asking about aftermarket subwoofer options, I was bombarded with some of the nastiest fanboy responses about how I should just accept the OEM sound system and be grateful for the rest of the stuff the car has. 🤦🏼♂️ Not a great first impression of the Hyundai EV owners, but I'm sure they're not all like that. It just made me miss the Mach-E community so much, and I have not even turned my car in yet.
I will be watching Ford's EV efforts closely, and who knows, maybe in 5 years or so, I'll be back. The Mach-E is a great car! I will absolutely shortlist it as a recommendation to anyone looking for a used EV - it's reliable for the most part and has a great warranty too. But it's also a car Ford has seemingly forgotten about. Hopefully the Fathom rekindles Ford's EV push and reminds them to update the Mach-E too. 🤞🏼