Leo checks out his new car

At CES @Leo @ant_pruitt and I checked out his new car, the Mustang Mach-E along with Ford’s Darren Palmer https://youtu.be/MjoyVqilCEY

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I do like the attention to the little details and the presenter’s “what are we really trying to do” question.

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The crossover body style is our future? I’m so sad. The decline of vehicle design is palpable. Plastering sporty design elements onto a mini truck feels so “lipstick on a pig” to me.

Also, the simplification of the cockpit is debatable. All they’ve done is move all those physical controls onto a touch screen which requires more attention to navigate and use. You can’t feel that your finger is on the correct button any more, you’ve got to divert your eyes.

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Well I’m a non-driver and non-owner of any car, but I’m not averting my eyes :joy: Looks pretty sweet. My one question, though, and maybe they answered it but I missed it in all that? When you put your phone on that wireless charger @Leo, what keeps it there?? When the car’s in motion and if there’s a sudden stop or collision and/or rollover, the phone becomes a projectile? Ideally, of course, a car this advanced may have fewer emergencies maybe, but they can’t all be prevented…

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@knewman WRT to crossovers, consumers have no one but themselves to blame. The obsession with wanting to be sitting above everyone else is meaningless if everyone is sitting higher. Carmakers are building more utilities because that’s what most of the market is demanding. Ford and others are killing car nameplates because sales are declining.

As for the cockpit simplification. I agree, I personally think that touchscreens in cars should be banned. Again consumers seem to think they want the same experience they have on their phone while driving. I believe that’s a terrible idea. But if carmakers don’t do it, customers won’t buy, especially in this segment where the perception of high-tech matters so much.

At least Ford did a volume knob on the screen. The interface is actually pretty thoughtfully designed as well with a minimum of scrolling and taps required to do most stuff and major functions at the top level to avoid menus and the touch targets are large.

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@MacPhyle the phone can become a projectile, but that is also true if it has a wire connected to it. That said, these Qi pads are generally textured rubber with good grip to minimize sliding of the phone during cornering. Many vehicles also have a clip or a slot to hold the phone so it’s less of an issue.

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I personally like cross overs. I have owned a couple in the past. I have back problems, and it is easier for me to get in and out of them, but not be too high like many trucks are. The seats in the car tend to be higher from the floor of the car compared to smaller autos too.

Glad to hear that at least. Feels like we’re coming to the end of the era where auto manufacturers were putting touchscreens in vehicles without investing anything significant in the UX design. I’m pretty sure the interface in my '12 XKR was contracted to someone who was stuck in the 1990s…

@MacPhyle I don’t know about the Mach-e, but I’m 85% sure the Qi charger pads in newer BMWs are magnetic. Like Sam said it won’t prevent anything in the event of a crash, but you probably won’t corner your phone onto the floorboard.

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Good question!

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