BlueCruise Subscription Price Increased to $800/yr for All Renewals

[astricklin]

If they are going to charge $800 a year then there should be no upfront cost and the hardware should come on every single lightning built.

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[Capertrj]

I’ll enjoy it until the 3 year trial ends. Not a chance for $800/year. $200 is feasible, similar to XM for a year ($150ish). However, XM is used constantly and at home where BC is limited to certain roads.

 

[sotek2345]

I really enjoy Bluecruise and use it all the time on longer road trips. I have to do a ~1000mi. road trip for work every ~3 months and Blue cruise makes it so much easier and less stressful.

That said, $800/yr. is a lot of money. Maybe if they let you opt in for the $75/mo. in 1 month intervals, I might do that - sign up 4x per year when I do my longer trips and it comes out to $300/yr.

Still a big bait and switch from the initial pricing.

 

[skyak]

I might pay $4.99 per month.

 

[Amps]

Where is the official announcement that this includes Lightnings? Lightning buyers paid about $700 a year for the hardware/software package and 'free' three year subscription that came with buying the hardware as an option.

On the Build & Price site, it appears that Mach-E now comes with the hardware standard and includes a free 90-day trial period. Or, you can purchase the functional 1.2 software three-year subscription for $2100, or...$700/year. I would expect that the hardware/software model will soon be incorporated into new Lightnings for the same type of pricing.

I didn't intend on paying $700/year after the third year, either.

 

[CRAIGC540]

Anyone going to subscribe at that price?

And that is the reason I did not pay for BC on my Lariat..
Might have done it for a one time cost with no subscription, just maybe.
And you wonder why there was never a shortage of BC chips??

 

[flrsb62]

No way, I have 3 years. I will move to another brand if Ford continues to abuse us. I use it every day, but in my opinion we have already paid for it when we purchased this toy.

 

[F150ROD]

I use it almost daily in the afternoons in traffic, it’s amazing and don’t have the issues I had with Autopilot(phantom braking, disengaging, nagging me to steer) however paying for it yearly when there are no improvements is laughable.

At least Tesla puts out instrument cluster graphics to make it appear it’s superior to everything else.

I think Ford hasn’t figured out that there is only one cult in the EV world who will take it with no questions asked lol

 

[Gaalpwrd]

I got a survey from Ford yesterday on the same subject. My answer is no payments for Blue Cruise unless it were to become substantially more functional. It currently is not smart enough to slow down for a speed restricted turn on the freeway. Give me something other hands free driving on a major divided road.

Mine was the same answer. I actually was pretty upset (and told them the same) that for what I paid I expect to be able to use ALL the features of my truck without being nickle and dimes for it. I think the survey was focused on phone as a key but regardless I think that's crap and won't be adding it after the 3 year "trial" is up unless it becomes much much better than it is today.

 

[roddiaz1]

While they are at it they should pull a GM and get rid of CarPlay

Do NOT speak that into existence!!!!! (Not even jokingly). Please!

 

[jefrank]

$800/year when the system randomly (to me) cuts out while on a mapped highway and can't seem to handle sunset (and probably sunrise)... that's a seriously hard no. I use Spotify far more than I use (or can use) BlueCruise and it only costs me $10 a month, likewise my various TV subs. Ford seems to have hired some Comcast execs to price this out.

 

[Adventureboy]

I concur. This will not be an expense I would pay. Value for $ is simply not there for the type of driving I do and the capabilities Ford provides.

 

[Barrels]

It’s especially wild because IMO BlueCruise in its current form is about the same capability or slightly below basic Tesla Autopilot. Major difference is Ford uses eye tracking and Tesla uses wheel pressure to gauge attentiveness. Basic Tesla Autopilot used to be a several thousand dollar add on, but became included for the life of the car at no additional cost, once all other new premium car models started coming with some form of adaptive cruise control and lane keeping. Tesla had to make this change to remain competitive.

If Ford wants to remain competitive, BlueCruise should be included free for the life of the car at this point. The days of being able to charge thousands of dollars for lane keeping and ACC are behind us, and Ford missed the boat. Realistically the only way I see Ford being able to charge thousands for software and make real profits over the life of a vehicle is if the car just takes me there and I can focus on other things (or nap), or if the car could go pick up the kids from sports autonomously with a high degree of safety. Even a software forward company like Tesla is struggling to get to this point, and they are years ahead of Ford. So I don’t really see how my current Lightning will have the sensor suite or computational power to do such tasks.

Even charging for map updates is pretty much obsolete at this point, now that you can use apps through CarPlay that can integrate EV charging stops into their navigation.

Agree with everything Corocket said.

 

[detansinn]

I use it so much that I will be fine paying that after my 3 years are up. It's incredibly solid and with the 1.2 update on deck, only more so. By then, $75/mo will be practically a couple cups of coffee. LOL

Unfortunately, this kind of model is the future of automobile ownership. At least, Ford isn't charging us monthly for heated seats and automatic high beams -- BMW is already doing that and other manufacturers are following suit.

 

[ivan256]

I use it so much that I will be fine paying that after my 3 years are up. It's incredibly solid and with the 1.2 update on deck, only more so. By then, $75/mo will be practically a couple cups of coffee. LOL

Unfortunately, this kind of model is the future of automobile ownership. At least, Ford isn't charging us monthly for heated seats and automatic high beams -- BMW is already doing that and other manufacturers are following suit.

People this accepting of unjustifiable usage fees will be the end of us. You'll be the whale that keeps responsible people from being able to pay reasonable prices for nice things, and then you'll expect to be bailed out when you're older and can't afford basic expenses.

This kind of model is only the future if enough people accept it. And BMW is a perfect example, after caving on their CarPlay subscription fee. Grow a spine and close your wallet when somebody is trying to take advantage of you.

BlueCruise is level 2, and requires full attention from the driver. It's a novelty that frees up literally none of your time. IMO it's not even worth $5/month. I could see maybe $20/month if it included hotspot service and full access to all the FordPass features too.

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