Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free highway driver assist feature has exploded in popularity since its launch, as by the end of Q1 2023, a grand total of 199,000 vehicles were equipped with it – nearly double the number just a few months ago – and those users have traveled more than 70 million miles with the feature engaged since its launch, which represents a healthy 65 percent increase since the conclusion of 2022. Recently, Ford gave owners a bit more flexibility by offering BlueCruise as a monthly or annual subscription in addition to the original three-year term, though that move was accompanied by a price increase that isn’t going over well with owners, according to the Detroit Free Press.
When BlueCruise originally became available, consumers had one option – purchase a three-year subscription for $600. Now, that same three-year subscription costs a whopping $2,100, or customers can pay $75 per month or $800 per year after their 90-day trial period is up. Moving forward, BlueCruise will also be available as a standalone option on the Mach-E, “helping to lower the initial purchase price of the vehicle and giving customers the choice of when and how to activate the technology,” according to Ford spokesman Martin Gunsberg.
As is often the case with price increases, many customers haven’t taken this news very well, instead choosing to post their dissatisfaction online. “This is a non-starter,” one Mach-E owner said. “Seriously, just the offer is an insult to your customers and is a stain on the customer relationship. You have to do better.” “I am a big, big fan of BC. Big fan … Except at $800/yr. They can take a walk with that nonsense,” another owner said.
It is worth noting that 2021 Mach-E owners with BlueCruise will get a discounted renewal rate of $200 a year for three years, but FoMoCo is quite aware that the price increase isn’t settling well with customers in general. “We continue to engage with our customers and take their feedback seriously on any product or service we offer,” Gunsberg said.
We’ll have more on BlueCruise soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
Just another thing Ford keeps uping.
Unbelievable, pay for the option (which is usually part of an already expensive package) then they hit you with the incremental subscription increases…why don’t you just call it the “Ben Dover”!
Not worth that price.
Ford Is building junk ! Too damn many recalls !
Change brands , so they get the message!
It’s not Tesla Autopilot or Full Self Driving, so stop trying to be something it’s not. And don’t even bother charging anything for it. We don’t even get software updates, so it’s trash and people shouldn’t have to pay for it. Ford just keeps charging more and more, for less. I think I need to find a new brand to be happy about.
Do yo think Tesla FSD (which is level 2 meaning hands on the wheel at all times) is worth $15K?
Did he even bring up other makes and their prices? Not that I can see.
To think I actually wanted Blue Cruise in my next Expedition and was going to purchase the Platinum model to get have it available as included equipment. What was I thinking? Pass!
Our family was about to get an Expedition Platinum next year for BlueCruise, but I thought it was $600 for 3 years. This is a hard pass. GM SuperCruise + OnStar is $600 a year and is a way better system than the Ford’s! What the heck was Ford’s marketing team thinking?! We might got for a GMC Yukon XL AT4 at this point because the semi-autonomous driving system isn’t worth it anymore.
My 23 Plat which I took possession of on January 12th has the Blue Cruise 1.0 which by the way I don’t use because of the continuous searching between lines. You’d think that Ford CEO Jim Farley would think twice about updating ours to the 1.2 version before even thinking of screwing us over some more.
Ford can keep their screw-cruise.
GM SuperCruise + OnStar is $600 a year, supports automatic lane changes, works while towing (without lane changes), and works on many undivided highways. Ford BlueCruise is inferior, many vehicles not even receiving the 1.2 update and can’t work on undivided highways, and want to charge $800 a month? This is brand suicide. Our family was almost ready to get an Expedition Platinum for BlueCruise, but right now we’re probably going to give up on semi-autonomous driving altogether because it isn’t worth it. Yukon XL AT4 here we come… You lost a customer Ford.