Ford Mustang Mach-E
Ford has unveiled its first-ever electric vehicle. Is this much of a surprise? Not really… The blue oval has been hiding this card up their sleeves for a while now, and they’ve just decided to place it on the table! The new EV is called the Mustang Mach-E. You’d think this insinuates that the silhouette would resemble a coupe, right? Well, Ford has jumped on the crossover/SUV bandwagon and let the marketing team loose on the big electric egg-shaped wagon! Many are claiming the Mustang is just a “hold my beer” to the Porsche Taycan “Turbo” marketing name game. But, many lucky journalists are already saying the Mach-E still drives like a conventional V8 burly Mustang Coupe. The signs are in the stats, it’s available as standard as RWD (AWD is available), so those with a heavy foot may be able to lay some 11s…
On the notes of V8s, the Mustang Mach-E is equipped with different drive modes, like every modern car… However, these drive modes don’t only adapt the steering feel and throttle sensitivity, they help boost an ambience into the car to make the Mach-E feel a bit more Mach-1 when you switch it into “unbridled” mode! There are three drive settings available, which range in audible tone from “whisper” mode (your typical EV hum), to “engage” and finally, the most aggressive, “unbridled” mode. The sound is said to multiply as you add some weight to your right foot, and rises in pitch with speed, helping to simulate the surge in power from a conventional Ford V8. This will keep the typical petrolheads happy, as-well-as their neighbours!
Design-wise, the Ford Mustang Mach-E does bring a sense of Déjà vu to mind, from the Tesla Model Y… But, I’m not going to blame Ford for that, after all, every SUV looks the same nowadays. The exterior is simple, unoffensive but has enough haunches and shoulder lines to make it ooze an unmistakable Mustang-esque appearance. The rear lights are a simplified version of the typical Mustang coupe brake lights, with a dash through the strips, joining them all together. Unlike Tesla, the car has no door handles, not even the tacky hidden aero pull handles, the Mustang Mach-E is opened via your mobile or a small numeric code-pad on the window, which unlatches the door, allowing the user to then pull it open, which is simple and it makes sense. I think over time the car will sit well with many people, after all, it’s an attractive car once people get over the Mustang naming kerfuffle. Personally, I’d say the Mach-E is just enough Mustang and just enough of a new product line appearance to get away with it not seeming like Ford are trying a half-assed play on the Mustang heritage.
The base version ships with a 75kWh battery and the 337PS of power being sent to the rear wheels, with 280 miles of range, which is respectable. The larger 99kWh battery takes the SUV to a very impressive 370 miles, which beats the Model X! Six months after the launch of the standard Mustang Mach-E, there will be a GT model with an upgraded 465bhp and a jumped-up 0-60 time of under 4 seconds. The battery is liquid-cooled and it’s equipped with rapid DC charging at up to 150kW, which should make charging a doddle and as fast as possible.
There’s an RWD and AWD model available for pre-order now, with prices starting at just over £40,000, but they don’t start deliveries until late next year. The top of the line model available currently will ship at around £58,000. Currently, we are unsure of the pricing of the Mach-E GT, but we can expect details on that soon!
Will the Ford Mustang Mach-E be the new Tesla Model X competitor? The Mach-E definitely looks like it can play in the fight! Yes performance maybe a little less than the Model X P100D, however, range will be better and we can bet you that the build quality will be on par, if not a bit better (we can’t judge that too early though!). Ford has entered the EV game with a bang! And they plan on staying too, with a confirmed range of 14 electric vehicles hitting catalogues by the end of 2020!
