BlueCruise 1.2 on 2023 Mustang Mach-E hands… off review
Like many autonomous driving systems, Ford’s BlueCruise (also called Lincoln ActiveGlide) has been a work in progress since we first used it on the 2021 Mustang Mach-E. Things have changed a lot in two years, however. For version 1.2, the following are the major new features that Ford is hyping and I am testing.
- Lane Change Assist can help drivers move through traffic on the freeway with more confidence while using BlueCruise. The system will perform a hands-free lane change when requested by the driver tapping the turn signal, and it can even suggest if a lane change would be beneficial when following slow-moving traffic.
- Predictive Speed Assist automatically and smoothly adjusts the speed as drivers approach a sharp curve and will help signal the driver ahead of time when a speed change is about to occur so they understand why the vehicle is slowing.
- In-Lane Repositioning makes the hands-free highway driving experience feel more natural, keeping the vehicle in its lane while subtly shifting the vehicle’s position away from vehicles in adjacent lanes – especially helpful when next to bigger vehicles such as semis.
I took the Mustang Mach-E on Interstate 87 from Albany, New York, down toward New York City for about 120 miles. That route is blessed by Ford and available for hands-free BlueCruise. Ford is rapidly expanding on which roads are compatible but still hasn’t reached quite as wide as GM’s SuperCruise or Tesla’s AutoPilot. Tesla will let me attempt to autonomously traverse my driveway and anything bigger.
Ford’s BlueCruise is activated when you hit the far left button on the steering wheel. Immediately, you are in Autonomous mode. You will need to keep your hands on the wheel, but when the car registers that it is on an approved highway, it will signal that you can go hands-free.
Once you are hands-free, you need to keep your eyes on the road. Ford is watching you from a camera mounted to the windshield behind the rearview mirror and another set of eyes behind the steering wheel. If you look down for more than a few glances or cover your eyes, the car starts beeping, then proceeds to freak out with lights, sounds, and even braking events.
As I left Albany, I put the car into BlueCruise and wasn’t alerted until the first turnpike exit, where the car requested I put my hands on the wheel. This happened at every on-ramp/exit for the next 30 or so miles, when it eventually stopped.
Lane Change Assist
The easiest and most common new feature is lane change. If you come up to a car going much slower than yourself, BlueCruise will ask you if you want to do a lane change. You initiate it with the turn signal, and it works incredibly smoothly (especially compared to Tesla’s early efforts). The downside is that after you change lanes, you have to turn off the signal rather than it shutting itself off.
You can initiate this on your own as well, and in my testing, it worked reliably.
Predictive Speed Assist
This one kind of crept up on me, and I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing. As I approached tighter turns, the car slowed down from its set speed. But it did so in a way that was almost unnoticeable and just a few miles per hour. This feature was much more notable on the curvier Taconic parkway we took to Albany, where the car would drop 5-10 miles per hour of speed.
In-Lane Repositioning
This is one of those features I’ve been hoping to see for a while on my Tesla Model Y. As we maneuver through tight spots, the car centers itself in the lane, whether or not there is a car in the lane next to me. But that’s not natural.
When you pull alongside another car, Ford subtly moves the BlueCruise vehicle to the other side of the lane if there isn’t a car on the other side of you. That way, it feels a lot safer, and it is something we often do naturally and subconsciously. I wouldn’t have noticed this at all if I hadn’t been looking for it. But it does make the car and the system feel safer.
Other things
It has been two years since I’ve been behind the wheel of the Mustang Mach-E, though I did try BlueCruise 1.2 on the Ford F-150 in October. The difference two years makes is night and day for BlueCruise. But there were some other things I wish could have moved as fast.
I wish Ford could improve charging speed a bit. At an Electrify America 350kW charger, I went from 39% to 66% charge in 26 minutes, which works out to just over a kWh per minute of charge. That’s quite slow, even though it was cold. Ford needs to work on battery conditioning and the charge curve to deliver higher rates of charge.
Staying on charging, I would like to see an internal screen showing the charging specs, even when the car is off. As it stands, there is a little external circular six-spot light bar that shows the charging status, but it is hard to read. I need more info!
Electrek’s Take
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Hands-off autonomy is so much nicer to use on the open road than having to keep your hands on the wheel. That’s why I think SuperCruise and now Ford’s BlueCruise are better experiences on the road than Tesla’s Autopilot.
With your hands off the wheel, you feel like a passenger, and with the car keeping an eye on your eyes, you are free to look around a lot more, eat a sandwich, and adjust your seating position in ways you can’t with your hands on the wheel.
Ford, for its part, is moving the needle quite a bit in the right direction and already has a product that will lighten the mental and physical load of a driver on interstates.
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Compton, California, has unveiled 25 new electric school buses – the school district’s first – and 25 Tellus 180 kW DC fast chargers.
Compton Unified School District (CUSD) in southern Los Angeles County is putting 17 Thomas Built Type A and eight Thomas Built Type C electric school buses on the road this spring. In addition to working with Thomas Built, CUSD also collaborated with electrification-as-a-service provider Highland Electric Fleet, utility Southern California Edison, and school transportation provider Durham School Services.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program awarded funds for the vehicles in the program’s first round. EPA also awarded CUSD funds for the third round of the program and anticipates introducing an additional 25 EV school buses in the future.
“I can’t stress enough how vital grants like these are and the need for continued support from our partners in government at the state and federal level to fund additional grants for school districts and their transportation partners that are ready to deliver and operate zero-emission buses,” said Tim Wertner, CEO of Durham School Services.
CUSD, which serves Compton and parts of the cities of Carson and Los Angeles, currently serves more than 17,000 students at 36 sites. The district has a high school graduation rate of 93% and an 88% college acceptance rate. One in 11 children in Los Angeles County have asthma, which makes the need for emissions-free school transportation that much more pressing.
Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus
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After cutting lease prices by $200 this month, the Rivian R1S is now surprisingly affordable. It may even be a better deal than the new Tesla Model Y.
Rivian cuts R1S lease prices by $200 per month
Rivian’s R1S is one of the hottest electric SUVs on the market. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you’re missing out.
With some of the best deals to date, now may be the time. Rivian lowered R1S lease prices earlier this month to just $599 for 36 months, with $8,493 due at signing (30,000 miles). The offer is for the new 2025 R1S Adventure Dual Standard, which starts at $75,900.
Before the price cut, the R1S was listed at $799 per month, with $8,694 due at signing. The electric SUV now has the same lease price as the R1T, despite costing $6,000 more.
The 2025 R1T Dual Motor starts at $69,900, essentially making it a free $6,000 upgrade. At that price, you may even want to consider it over the new Tesla Model Y.
Tesla’s new Model Y Launch Series arrived with lease prices of $699 for 36 months. With $4,393 due at signing, the effective rate is $821 per month, or just $13 less than the R1S at $834. However, the 2025 R1S costs nearly $15,000 more, with the Model Y Launch Series price at $59,990.
Rivian is also offering an “All-Electric Upgrade Offer” of up to $6,000 for those looking to trade-in their gas-powered car, but base models are not included.
| Starting Price | Range (EPA-est.) |
|
| 2025 Rivian R1S Dual Standard | $75,900 | 270 miles |
| 2026 Tesla Model Y Launch Series | $59,990 | 327 miles |
To take advantage of the Rivian R1S lease deal, you must order it before March 15 and take delivery on or before March 31, 2025.
The 2025 Rivian R1S Dual Standard Motor has an EPA-estimated range of up to 270 miles. Tesla’s new Model Y Launch Series gets up to 327 miles.
Which electric SUV would you choose? Rivian’s R1S or the new Tesla Model Y? If you’re ready to check them out for yourself, you can use our links below to find deals on the Rivian R1S and Tesla Model Y in your area.
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Tesla says it can deliver new orders for the refreshed Model Y within two weeks in China. Is the automaker already experiencing a demand problem with the new Model Y?
Last month, Tesla launched the new Model Y in China. The vehicle features an updated design and new features that bring it closer to the recently refreshed Model 3.
Tesla has now started delivering the Long Range AWD updated Model Y in China this week.
But along with the start of deliveries, Tesla also opened orders for the non-Launch edition and the Standard Range RWD:
There were rumors coming from China that Tesla managed to get hundreds of thousands of orders for the new Model Y, which is not impossible since it would be just a few months of production for the best-selling EVs, but now Tesla’s updated configurator raised questions about these rumors.
Tesla says it can deliver a new Model Y RWD order placed today in “2 to 4 weeks” in China.
The Long Range AWD Model Y takes a bit longer at “6-10 weeks” for new orders.
Based on insurance data, Tesla’s deliveries in 2025 are currently down about 7,000 units compared to the same period last year.
Electrek’s Take
There’s no doubt that the Model Y changeover is going to hurt Tesla in Q1. The question is, by how much?
I am surprised to see that you can place an order right now and get on in just 2-4 weeks. It does point to soft demand for the RWD version, at least.
It’s going to be interesting to track deliveries through March. Tesla will need to deliver over 50,000 vehicles next month to arrive at similar levels as it did last year.
It looks like the production ramp is going well, so demand might be the bigger factor.
As for the Model 3, Tesla is already pulling all the demand levers in order for the sedan to contribute, but everything points to the new Model Y being the different maker.
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