Drove an FFE at Richmond Ford

Yesterday afternoon I was in Richmond, Virginia and had a little spare time so I stopped by Richmond Ford to inquire about the FFE. I met with Jason and he led me back to the service area where they were just finishing up some initial service on a demonstrator. It had not even been washed yet but I got to drive it a few miles.

Jason is enthused and knowledgeable about the FFE and I was a bit overwhelmed with the level of technology. Living where I do the nav system is pointless but the climate control and audio system I could easily learn to love. The interior is very upscale and very comfortable. I think the ride is a bit firm but it is a compact car.

At some point in the future I may buy one but having been burned once by being an early adopter I will wait for things to shake out. I am 80 miles from the dealer and that is just too far to deal with service issues.

I think Ford has built a car that is spot on for this young EV market. It has great looks and the level of technology that this market will understand and appreciate. Ford has a huge resource of engineering talent and I believe they can make the FFE a real success.

Jason is definitely stoked about the FFE and very knowledgable. And he has helped me with the FFE way beyond the call of duty, which I greatly appreciate.

Where did you get burned being an early adopter?

80 miles is a long way to go for service issues, I'm living that right now. However, I can say Richmond Ford has stepped up in a big way. When it was unclear if Ford would step up and pay to have the FFE towed the extra distance over what Roadside assistance would cover, Richmond Ford said they would.

And there's more, but I have to save something for the upcoming post on InsideEVs..

But you are right it is a factor. The dealers surrounding the launch dealers should soon be certified to deal with the plug-in cars. The dealer closest to me is about 3/4 of the way there.

When I heard about the Jeep Liberty CRD (diesel) back in '04 I just had to have one. It was not ready for prime time. The issues were endless and serious. I think the CEL stayed lit 95% of the time I owned it.

So how can you tell who the pioneers are? They are the ones with the arrows in their backs.

My closest dealer is Medlin in West Point and they aren't all that close. I talked to them about service on the FFE but they do not intend to get the certification. The training and equipment costs are too high considering the returns would be pretty slim.