Edmunds - 2027 Slate Truck First Drive Review: There's Potential, But I'm Not Convinced (8/25/26)

[Moe]

What about the courtesy vehicles, you may wonder... They have 6 Bolt courtesy vehicles out of a total of 8 on the lot (75%).

This is something you also have to watch for with the Maverick. Dealers have a bunch of them in-service (meaning the warranty clock is ticking) as courtesy vehicles.

 

[KHN707]

Also, he compares the base Maverick Hybrid to his $30K+ build (which he only gives a rough idea of what it includes). I’ve already built out the closest equivalent to the Maverick Hybrid in the Slate Maker. The Slate is cheaper but the point is you only need to buy what you want and what your budget can afford. What the review considers a relatively well build out Slate Truck is not what everyone else will.
At the very least using the starter packs as a base line would be more objective.

What I think would be even more objective would be to include all of Slate's tangible intangibles that don't show up on a "feature" punch list. Things that I value like:
- avoid the dealership purchase model
- avoid the dealership service model
- Slate support for "right to repair"
- Slate U - provides diagnostic, install, and repair instructions
- lack of planned obsolescence
- design focused on repairability e.g. I can remove a door panel without destroying a dozen plastic tabs and fasteners
- no infotainment "system" and the associated integrations and subscriptions
- no connection to the cloud - the OEM isn't capturing/selling/making money on your data
You get the idea. The typical "this is a better value because of more features" analysis completely overlooks all these intangible benefits that I attach value to.

EDIT: Maybe framing these items as a "tax" will resonate more with the average consumer e.g.
- Dealership experience TAX
- Repairability TAX
- Infotainment TAX
etc.

EDIT EDIT: And don't forget:
- Slate is manufactured (assembled) in the US
- Slate has x% US content (I'm presuming it will be higher than most competitors but we'll have to wait for the official numbers)

 

[Moe]

I think when the Fathom rolls out, Ford, master of media manipulation, is going to promote the advantages of a dealership and the security of its service network. I believe they are at least indirectly going after the RepairPal plan and owners having to depend on DIY YouTube videos (if Slate University is even a thing by then). They’re going to promote safety/ADAS features the Slate doesn’t have. I think Ford sees Slate as a threat to be dealt with, not only to the Fathom but to the Maverick as well.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

I have some perspective on the review that I think is helpful - because figuratively speaking I owned two Slates for a decade and 100,000 miles each. Say what? Huh?

I owned two of the ancient generation Ford Rangers. Both 4 cylinder, single cab, manual shift punishment boxes. I paid $15,000 for the first, $18,000 for the second. So if there was an ICE Slate, I owned it. They were punishment boxes. Hard plastic in every direction. Axle hop. Noisy. Crude. Slow.

And I loved them. They were cheap, utilitarian machines that I used till they fell apart. I abused them in every way possible. The neighbor backed into one and I didn't care. They were covered in dents and scratches from me throwing lumber in the back like they were work trucks. The frame was rusting away from New England road salt.

So when somebody reviews the Slate and says it's crude, it's loud, it rattles, it's slow... Remember that it's cool. Whole generations of your forebears owned and loved Slates for decades. They just weren't electric, and they just weren't called "Slate". And we loved them for what they were.

I've moved on to more comfortable rides these days, but I'll always remember my "Slates" with affection.

 

[Moe]

My wife owned a basic Ranger. Although the original saw sales of over 300,000 in the late 1990s, by 2009 and 2010 it was down to ~55K. Its last retail year was 2011 with almost 71K and approximately 19K-24K were sold to fleet customers in 2012. (Grok).

While 71K wasn’t enough to keep ICE Ranger production going, that would be record setting sales even during the tax credit era, but especially for a BEV today.

 

[KHN707]

I think when the Fathom rolls out, Ford, master of media manipulation, is going to promote the advantages of a dealership and the security of its service network. I believe they are at least indirectly going after the RepairPal plan and owners having to depend on DIY YouTube videos (if Slate University is even a thing by then). They’re going to promote safety/ADAS features the Slate doesn’t have. I think Ford sees Slate as a threat to be dealt with, not only to the Fathom but to the Maverick as well.

More perspective on the Fathom vis a vis Jim Farley from the Autoextremist:
https://www.autoextremist.com/email... questions, questions,possible measure. - PMD

 

[Moe]

I can’t seem to stop calling it the Fusion and have to correct myself. Fathom isn’t a memorable name.

 

[Freyar]

Last month, the author of the article posted these reviews as well:

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2026-mercedes-maybach-s-class-v12-first-drive-review.html

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2027-mercedes-maybach-s-class-first-drive-review.html

> With a starting price of $249,000 (including $1,550 for destination), I maintain that the Maybach S 680 is an absolute bargain compared to a V12-powered Rolls-Royce Ghost. And the S-Class — even the base one — is more tech-rich than a Bentley Flying Spur while matching it hide for hide in luxury. The S 680 is the most premium sedan you can buy this side of a Rolls-Royce Phantom...

Is it even reasonable to have someone who's used to cars at this level review the absolute opposite end of the spectrum? That's like having someone used to going to 5-star restaurants going to a Chili's. I'm fine with Chili's. It's OK, and that's all it ever needs to be.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

We need a K-shaped auto journalism industry to match our K-shaped economy

 

[Slatester89]

I think there is an audience for the Slate that doesn't care if the truck punches you in the nose every time you get in. I mean that in a nice way. Hanging out on this forum for a year now - Slate is blessed with a core of true believers who will stick with Slate come whatever. Slate is genuinely lucky in that sense. They have some wiggle room to get through the traditional new truck issues.

Honest review for a pre production model...nothing to see here...move along.


Preproduction reviews are like akin to hanging with Maryann on Gilligan's Island and then complaining that she's not Ginger.

She'll never be "Ginger", we know that, but we also know that she can clean-up nice to be smokin hot when she chooses to.

b.

 

[MrTom]

Since the Mrs likes the way they look I’ve dug into the Maverick. I won’t go into it in detail since it’s OT for the thread but I will note once you get beyond the XL and XLT trim, it gets REAL expensive REAL fast. I expect the Fathom will be similar.

https://www.autoblog.com/news/2027-mavericks-big-price-cuts-come-as-fords-truck-lineup-gets-crowded

 

[BackToTheBasics]

All I got out of the article was that the one pedal driving comes to a complete stop, and it doesn't have that silly creep mode like some EV. Way to go slate can't wait until my time slot!!!

 

[E90400K]

I think it is best to view vehicles within the era they were offered as new. Trying to compare a 1970's - 1990's small and midsized pickup to a 2027 Slate BEV pickup is an effort that would lead in inaccuracies of how good the older generations were in their era.

 

[kvermeer]

Preproduction reviews are like akin to hanging with Maryann on Gilligan's Island and then complaining that she's not Ginger.

There's a poll for a slow day on the forum (not today with Portland ridealongs coming soon!):

Ginger or Mary Ann?

I think male Slaters would skew towards Mary Ann over Ginger. Down-to-earth, practical, fun... And we can hope more of our ladies would follow @Susan and prefer the Professor over Mr. Howell Maybach-owning types!

 

[E90400K]

Since the author mentioned the Chevy Bolt, here’s an Inside EV review.

2027 Chevy Bolt Review: Do Americans Really Want Cheap EVs?
It’s a good car at a great price. But there’s a reason Americans don’t buy cars like this.

https://insideevs.com/reviews/805609/2027-bolt-ev-affordable-car-review/

Despite the clamor to bring it back, the Bolt only sold 4,221 units in the first half of the year at 0.9% of US BEV sales. Perhaps GM shipping it with a discontinuation date had something to do with that.

In 2017 I looked at a Bolt as a replacement for my then 320,000-mile E90 for my then 170-mile daily round trip commute. As in the 2027 Insideevs review I found the Bolt's seats to be too narrow, insufficiently padded and not comfortable after about 20-mintues of seat time. And the styling of the dashboard (fabric covered) was off putting to my tastes. I passed on it.

Later Bolts and the 2026 re-issue addressed the dash issues, but it is disappointing the seats have not been addressed and improved. Especially since GM usually makes great seats for its vehicles; three things you can count on GM to do right are a V8 engine, great A/C, and great seats.