What features do you hope the Fathom might have?

[commadorebob]

A few more:

• Power tailgate that can be activated from the cab, fob, and app.
• Spare tire option. A can of sealant doesn't work if the tire has too much damage, and I've saved more weight by losing weight than a spare tire would take up.
• In-bed storage locker, similar to the Ridgeline. Could be where you put the aforementioned spare tire.
• Auto-dim mirrors.

 

[metroshot]

A few more:

• Power tailgate that can be activated from the cab, fob, and app.
• Spare tire option. A can of sealant doesn't work if the tire has too much damage, and I've saved more weight by losing weight than a spare tire would take up.
• In-bed storage locker, similar to the Ridgeline. Could be where you put the aforementioned spare tire.
• Auto-dim mirrors.

When I had a '22 Lightning, it had a power tailgate, spare tire, in bed storage options, and auto dim mirrors but it costed $67,000.

My current '23 Mach E has a power tailgate, no spare but it has an inflator/sealer kit but has auto dim mirrors priced at $54,000.

Fathom at $28,350 might have auto dim mirrors but no spare tire unless you buy a compact or full size spare or other bed options.

When it comes time for tires, I will replace mine as I always do with Run Flat Tires that negate the need for an inflator kit or having to pull over immediately.

 

[gzebrick]

+1 on the spare tire. Our BOLTs had them, our Escape PHEV has one, our MAV has one. I keep one in the trunk in our Ioniq 6. I have no interest in being stranded if I get a sidewall puncture, even with roadside assistance, if you don't have a spare they just tow the car to a dealer if you can't fix-a-flat it. That would really suck if you get a blow-out on a Saturday evening.

I really hope the Fathom has a space for a spare, even a space-saver, under the bed or even in the frunk if need be.

 

[Lucky Larry]

considering the starting price is under 30k i would like to see the following as standard equipment:

air conditioning
power windows
power door looks
manual tilt steering column
blind spot monitor
electrochromatic mirrors
cross traffic alert
360 camera
instrument cluster screen like the mach e
center screen like the lightning xlt
am/fm radio with both usb a and c ports and good quality speakers
17 or 18 inch wheels and tires
cloth seats with heat for the base model
high quality interior plastics
phone as key
bluecruise and built in navigation
on demand battery preconditioning.
11 kw level 2 charging

things i can live without

panoramic glass roof
sunroof
sliding rear window
frount and rear led light bars
power pedals
low profile tires on big wheels
high priced subscriptions

things i would pay for

extended range battery
real leather seating surfaces
AWD
AWD with the ability to turn off the front motor and run in 2WD mode
heavy duty cooling
reasonably priced subscriptions for bluecruise that you can turn on and off on a weekly basis

 

[twoquickcapri]

I would like the entry-level trim for the Fathom to have the similar standard options of the Mach-e Select but with cloth seats. AWD option for $2000-$3000.

Other Stuff:
Real Door Handles
360-Degree Camera (stand-alone)
4ft or Bigger Bed
3K+ Tow
Play MP3 off a USB Stick
Less black plastic on the outside then the Maverick. (Bedline, Under doors, Rear Bumper)
Color Matched Side Mirrors
A/C controls Knobs and buttons
Analogue Speedo

Things I don't need:
Subscriptions
BLIS
BlueCruise
AI anything
Car asking me to Log in with my account info
Needing a Hotspot to get the entertainment system working.

My wife has an ID.4 Pro S Plus and to get Apple carplay to work she has to log in to the car with a VW account and the car needs internet to do this. So she had to get a hotspot for the car to keep it logged in. If it disconnects she can't get the carplay to work until she stops the car and resets everything and sometimes it doesn't want to be reset.

 

[Tdubz]

I would like the entry-level trim for the Fathom to have the similar standard options of the Mach-e Select but with cloth seats. AWD option for $2000-$3000.

Other Stuff:
Real Door Handles
360-Degree Camera (stand-alone)
4ft or Bigger Bed
3K+ Tow
Play MP3 off a USB Stick
Less black plastic on the outside then the Maverick. (Bedline, Under doors, Rear Bumper)
Color Matched Side Mirrors
A/C controls Knobs and buttons
Analogue Speedo

Things I don't need:
Subscriptions
BLIS
BlueCruise
AI anything
Car asking me to Log in with my account info
Needing a Hotspot to get the entertainment system working.

My wife has an ID.4 Pro S Plus and to get Apple carplay to work she has to log in to the car with a VW account and the car needs internet to do this. So she had to get a hotspot for the car to keep it logged in. If it disconnects she can't get the carplay to work until she stops the car and resets everything and sometimes it doesn't want to be reset.

Rumors are it will have mach e style door handles and it won’t have an IP, so the Speedo will most likely be on the center touchscreen like a Tesla.

 

[gzebrick]

Rumors are it will have mach e style door handles and it won’t have an IP, so the Speedo will most likely be on the center touchscreen like a Tesla.

Both a big miss IMHO. Traditional analog-style gauges (okay if they'e virtual) on a screen in front of the driver is -almost- a must-have for me. A single center screen is a hard sell.

All-electric door releases (with or without separate mechanical emergency override) are an absolute show-stopper. I'd prefer simple mechanical flushstyle design, but would probably be okay with electric pop-outs like the Ioniq as long as they just 'present' the handles to an otherwise simple mechanical system.

I hope Ford doesn't screw this up, but I'm not optimistic.

Ford rep; if you're reading this, I'll NOT be a Fathom customer if the door handles aren't intuitively simple AND mechanical . both inside and out on all 4 doors. Freaking death trap if the handles require power to open/unlock.

 

[Tdubz]

Both a big miss IMHO. Traditional analog-style gauges (okay if they'e virtual) on a screen in front of the driver is -almost- a must-have for me. A single center screen is a hard sell.

All-electric door releases (with or without separate mechanical emergency override) are an absolute show-stopper. I'd prefer simple mechanical flushstyle design, but would probably be okay with electric pop-outs like the Ioniq as long as they just 'present' the handles to an otherwise simple mechanical system.

I hope Ford doesn't screw this up, but I'm not optimistic.

Ford rep; if you're reading this, I'll NOT be a Fathom customer if the door handles aren't intuitively simple AND mechanical . both inside and out on all 4 doors. Freaking death trap if the handles require power to open/unlock.

Agreed. I don’t understand this trend of electronic door handles. Keep it simple and safe. I also don’t understand why everyone thinks EVs need to be minimalist on the inside. I need a separate IP screen. I need physical buttons. Sure, it’s cheaper to put everything on one screen, but adding a separate IP screen and physical controls for AC and radio, it can’t be much more than a couple hundreds bucks. No one would even notice the difference.

 

[Snakebitten]

I gotta be honest.
It's highly unlikely that I would agree with every design decision made by Ford on ANY vehicle. I haven't so far, in the ~70 years of driving them.

But I will admit that the three favorite are ALL current model products. (Gen14 F150 Powerboost, 2023.5 Mach-E, 2025 Maverick)

If I had to guess, there will be a couple of dissapointments, along with a whole host of features that are great.

Can't think of one that would be an absolute deal breaker.

 

[Flash]

So the Speedo will most likely be on the center touchscreen like a Tesla.

Booooooooooo!!!!!!

Dislike this hard, hoping it's just speculation and not true.

One of my favorite things about my Lightning is how similar it is to an F-150 inside and out. I hated the Model 3 center screen only when I rented one. Ford, don't make this truck too Tesla. Make it still Ford please!

 

[twoquickcapri]

Rumors are it will have mach e style door handles and it won’t have an IP, so the Speedo will most likely be on the center touchscreen like a Tesla.

No gauge cluster behind the wheel would be a mistake. Don't know if I could buy a vehicle without the speed indicator in a quick easy place to see. My friend has a Prius and the center gauge cluster is the thing I hate the most about it.

The Fathom Prototype has normal looking door handles and not the little winglets of the Mach-e.

 

[Tdubz]

No gauge cluster behind the wheel would be a mistake. Don't know if I could buy a vehicle without the speed indicator in a quick easy place to see. My friend has a Prius and the center gauge cluster is the thing I hate the most about it.

The Fathom Prototype has normal looking door handles and not the little winglets of the Mach-e.

So the speculation has been that those are fake. They look pretty flimsy and if you look close, they aren’t straight.

in this image, you can even see a bulge under the camo right where you would expect the mach e style handle to be.

And in this image, you don’t even see the fake door handles at all.

Again, all speculation at this point, but they’ve done a decent job with camo on this so I wouldn’t be surprised by fake handles.

 

[Snakebitten]

Although I didn't dislike my Mach-E external door hardware, I think they have received far more negative press than good. And I even think Ford was surprised that their attempt to be cool and clever backfired on them.

I'd be very surprised if the skunkworks team wanted to inherit the negative baggage by the legacy folk's work that came before them.

 

[Tdubz]

Here is the ford Aeros that was cancelled at the last minute right before production. It also had the same style handles, so we know ford was at least willing to give them another shot.

 

[Snakebitten]

Here is the ford Aeros that was cancelled at the last minute right before production. It also had the same style handles, so we know ford was at least willing to give them another shot.

True, but again, that vehicle preceded the "skunkworks" team that has developed the UEV platform. They are strategically separated. It's almost like a different Ford designed the Fathom, than the Ford that designed the Mach-E/Aeros.