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Lexus: we have the ugliest grills Infiniti: Hold my beer…..

I currently drive a Corsair GT PHEV with the 2.5L Atkinson engine. While I find the torque and horsepower acceptable it does come at a cost of considerable engine noise invading the cabin. It is one of my biggest complaints about the powertrain. The engine noise has been documented in several press reviews as well. I have a Nautilus FHEV on order and recently test drove one to make certain of my ordering decision. The 2.0L in the FHEV set up is considerably quieter than the Atkinson cycle engine. It feels like there is more torque and acceleration compared the Atkinson engine. Based upon this short experience I doubt I will ever purchase another vehicle with an Atkinson cycle engine. I prefer the quiet luxury over the engine drone any day.

Sounds like their “unnamed source” is the UAW contract.

Too bad they didn’t make this decision a few years ago. We might have a C2 edge and Nautilus at OAC.

Who'd have thought that lowering the price would spur sales? Lol.

Interesting (and pretty quick) video walking through various aspects of the 2.0 ecoboost (not Atkinson cycle) engine that Ford paired with a new version of its e-CVT (probably upgraded to handle the engine's extra power) for the all-new 2024 Lincoln Nautilus. This reviewer believes this to be a unique configuration amongst automakers.

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2024-tesla-cybertruck-vs-rivian-r1t-vs-ford-f-150-lightning-comparison-test-review/ Ignore the typical Motortrend rankings that ignore objective data and just read the comparisons.

This news report has now spread all around the plant and it’s the talk of the town. Prior to this news report we were told that Ford has given no information to the union leadership about this issue. Once I heard the story a month ago about them scaling back I felt we weren’t going to escape that. The union is trying to get Ford to give us some information about this, it’s the least Ford can do.

Five rows of bench seating. I live in Utah, people here need all the seats they can get.

I think MT was too focused on the luxury truck aspect of the review. I guess if you're able to afford the $100k you're spending on these trucks, I get it. But in the end, it was a review by a magazine I historically rarely agree with, about a truck I'll never buy because it is an electric that doesn't fit my needs and out of my price range regardless.

When I think of "best luxury lifestyle"....a pickup truck does not come to mind.

No, sir. Tesla is the biggest selling luxury brand in the world. Their interiors just exude opulence. Just wait until the Model 2s come out, and you'll see! All joking aside, the big new challenge for EVs, which Ford now recognizes, is to develop affordable EVs for the everyday driver, not just luxury autos for the wealthy. Tesla hasn't been primarily a luxury brand (except often in price) ever since the Model 3/Y became its overwhelming volume leader.

Who said it is going out at all? 😝 Still waiting for the refresh. https://fordauthority.com/2023/02/ford-e-series-refresh-spotted-testing-for-first-time/

Exactly.

Pull the battery cable for a few minutes. Other than that it’s a dealer issue. They’ll probably try reloading the software but might require a new apim.

Agree with you on a power-flow widget. Though it doesn't provide hugely useful information, it helps you understand better how the hybrid drivetrain works. But I'm not sure what purpose a tachometer on a hybrid with an e-CVT would serve. It will generally just show a flat line. The whole purpose of this type of transmission is to keep rpms constant -- constantly at the sweet spot for power delivery -- and, as you accelerate the variable gear ratio does all the movement.

Did you not receive an Order Preview sheet, showing all the equipment and Priority level? HRG

I like it inside and out. Neither my wife and I like the stalk for the lock. I do think the nav when revealed will look better, atleast in the front.

The Mach E is far better then the Teslas I've been in. Tesla interiors just scream bad looking ikea furniture.

The Navigator is tied to the F-150 and Expedition, which both are staying with gas engines well into next decade. There might be a range topper EV for Lincoln at some point, but I'm betting we don't see it till 2030 or so.

I have this feeling its going to be like the Maverick hybrid at launch-the $25K model will be hard to get or only have something like 250 miles of range. The actual real deal will be priced like the Escape and have 325 miles or so of range. Or its actually $32K with a possible $7K tax break on it, which would make even more sense.

Ford E350 Raptor R, cmon Ford do it you cowards let the Econoline name go out with a bang!

This is a smart play. While brands like Lincoln would benefit from transitioning to EV powertrains, the refinement they offer perfectly aligns with their quiet flight strategy, now isn't the time. We're seeing demand for premium EVs slam into a wall once first adopters get their cars, and generally speaking, the older your demographic is, the harder it is to sell them on newer tech. Like most luxury brands, the average age of Lincoln buyers tends to be on the higher side. While there are some exceptions of older people being receptive to the latest and greatest tech, more often than not, people tend to want to stick to what they know as they age. For the current Lincoln buyers, that means gas and hybrids. Selling them on evs in their current state would be more trouble than it was worth. Ford is being smart but pivoting to smaller, affordable EVs, going after the demographics that have actually shown interest in owning an EV, aka young people and value oriented consumers. Why dump 500 million into developing a navigator EV that you're gonna sell maybe a few thousand of at best when you could instead invest that same 500 million into developing an EV maverick or bronco sport and have a runaway success on your hands.

Shut up and take my money! ❤️

You can’t believe everything you read on the internet. - Abraham Lincoln

That wasn’t directed at you or anyone here (although it would be apropos to a couple of folks). There is a car group on Facebook that is over the top declaring EVs are dead and nobody wants them.

The thing is that automotive news sites (well most news) just repeat the same story over and over with no additional information that has been reported already.

3 row EV? 😛

That is my biggest gripe with the Mach E. The interior quality seems to be good, but the styling is so bland!!

Yes, sir. You have that exactly right, sir.

You must be mistaken. Teslas are the epitome of luxury vehicles……. 😂😂😂

As did everyone else. But he’s obsessed with maximizing efficiency and doesn’t like using a hybrid as a power adder as opposed to providing maximum mpg.

I read your post as remorse that Ford didn't focus more on fuel efficiency with the hybrid system they implemented in the new Nautilus as compared to the Maverick. As we have hashed out, they are both quite good systems, but very different and are implemented for substantially different reasons. I'm sorry if I misunderstood the point you were trying to make and in any case should have avoided the sharp tone I used. Cheers!

Using the term "considerably less" in the context of comparing MPG change from ICE only to FHEV between the Maverick and the Nautilus implied a sense of surprise or disappointment. When one objectively looks at the configuration of the two models and the actual change between the ICE and FHEV variants, it should have been no surprise that the Nautilus FHEV didn't have as big as improvement as the Maverick did for the reasons I cited above. They are not directly comparable because the FHEV implementations are different with different goals. What is impressive is that the implementation on the Nautilus was able to improve city MPG by 9 (30% less fuel consumption) while increasing total horsepower by 20% and torque by 7+%.

I agree. It is a pretty pointless comparison. Why not compare a 1.5 I3 with a 2.7 twin scroll V6? Wow, the former gets better gas mileage! That is the kind of the comparison being suggested. I spent nearly $80k a few days ago for a luxury vehicle. That price included an extra $1.5k for the hybrid powertrain not because I needed to save a few dollars a week on gas (in which case I wouldn't have spent so much on a new luxury mid-sized crossover), but because I wanted the extra performance from the hybrid option (which pushes the base 2.0 ecoboost up to performance levels similar to the 2.7 ecoboost I had in my outgoing vehicle). Sure, it's nice seeing a modest mpg improvement -- because of the nature of my daily driving I could never get much over 15.5 mpg in city driving in my 2.7, but so far am getting nearly 30 mpg city with the 2.0 hybrid -- but that's not why I opted for the hybrid. If Lincoln had put the hybrid system used in the Maverick in the 2024 Nautilus they would sell very few hybrid configurations of the vehicle (I sure wouldn't have bought it). I'm not knocking the Maverick hybrid, which is great for it's purpose. But those two hybrids have very different configurations that serve different markets, different customers, and different purposes. So yeah, let's compare them.

Its used in all Ford RWD hybrids or PHEVs.

That is also what is used in the PHEV Ranger and it will also be used in the PHEV Bronco.

You don't have to wonder. The F-150 Powerboost hybrid and the Explorer/Aviator hybrids use an electric power unit mounted to the the 10R80 with a clutch system, but still has a locking torque converter for towing and performance purposes.

Union contract makes it sound like HF55 will eventually replace HF45 variant over next few years. I hope Ford doesn’t see the higher torque rating of HF55 as an opportunity to replace Atkinson engines in basic-transportation hybrid vehicles like Maverick with EcoBoost. I get EB for a Lincoln hybrid, but for Maverick hybrid and other economy-minded vehicles, HF55 could be fine with present or future Atkinson engines.

I thought of an analogy to explain the variable gearing. Picture a runner on a long moving sidewalk like some airports. The sidewalk, when running, is moving in the opposite direction from the runner. The runner starts moving at top speed while the sidewalk is stopped. That’s high gear. As the sidewalk starts to move in the opposite direction the runner is still running at top speed but the faster the sidewalk moves the slower the runner’s progress relative to fixed objects. When the sidewalk matches the runner’s speed that’s effectively neutral. An airplane with a variable headwind would be another analogy. All made possible by the planetary gearset.

Absolutely, I was intrigued with this design when it first came out, the epicyclic gear train allows the two electric motors combine with the ICE (running or not) to form variable gearing….. It’s brilliant and probably a lot less mechanical parts than a regular 6-speed auto, I can see how strengthening for the stronger EB engine would fairly straight forward. The irony here is that the original 6F transmission was developed jointly with GM, Im a little surprised that they didn’t get involved with this project as well but then, GM had the Volt and its transmission which was very different in that it actually allowed direct coupling for ICE at higher speeds for greater efficiency…. Mind you, the E-CVT was developed before automatic began mid gear lockup, so part of me wonders if like RWD hybrid transmissions, Ford could use a 6AT but with an electric motor in place of the torque converter….. ^^^^^ It’s probably not worth the effort to change now, the E-CVT is mature tech and works well. Sorry for going off track here, it just such an interesting topic….. an Ecoboost 2.0 hybrid is mind blowing.

Now I understand how the e-CVT provides variable gearing. Pretty ingenious and explains why it’s completely different from a regular CVT trans.

So for those wondering about the history of the current Hybrid Transmission, the original HF35 released in 2012 was replaced in 2022 by the HF45 and a stronger HF55 for the 2.0 EB. heres a great technical video explaining how the gearbox works, rambles a bit but still good all the same…enjoy and this one talks about forst two generations of Aisin hybrid and then the HF35 shows how gearing works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHU5xFOBcsU&list=PLIn3FrDiB1lyI_hRGrKtG4PQf2OpcTqZ4&index=4

Makes sense, the E-CVT is based on the 6F transmission but with many obvious changes, upgrading to take 2.0 EB wouldn’t be a huge stretch. Excited to know if this heralds a new engine combo for eventual wider use….

Remembering the whole reason why the three rows were transferred away from Cuautitlan was exactly because of the anticipated production capacity required by Mach E……So, there’s that…. I just think Ford did not renew OAC Edge / Nautilus as a way of eliminating internal competition with Mach E, they gave it every chance but in th east twelve months, Mach E sales have nose dived globally. In China, Mache sells in the hundreds, has done so for over a year because Ford disappointed Chinese buyers with delivery delays (important because of China’s registration deadline windows) The whole reason why Ford went so aero on the three row utility was because it has fallen behind on battery range targets, that’s not good because it covers a mistake with an even bigger one….Ford buyers prefer big boxy utilities and Ford knows that.

I would not be shocked if they cancelled the Oakville EVs altogether and moved Nautilus production back there, then made a new NA C2 edge to go with it.

Hopefully they don’t get the plan changed on them multiple times like Ford has done to us at OAC!