Around the World: Ford Mustang Mach e
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is the American company’s all-electric SUV. Photos: Ford
Now in show rooms in the USA, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is the company’s vehicle for the future as an all-electric crossover.
Available with standard and extended range battery options with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive powered by permanent magnet motors.
The premium extended-range rear-wheel-drive Mustang Mach-E meets its targeted EPA-estimated range of 482km, while the extended-range all-wheel-drive model meets its targeted EPA-estimated 434km range. Standard-range rear-wheel-drive Mustang Mach-E meets its targeted EPA-estimated range of 370km, while the standard-range all-wheel-drive model exceeds its 340km of targeted range.
No word on when or if it will arrive in New Zealand, but you can bet once a right-hand-drive is announced, Ford NZ’s boss Simon Rutherford will be on the phone to Detroit!
Here is what some global motoring writers think about the Mach-E.
Carwow
The Ford Mustang Mach-E has a front truck that can 100-litres.
“The Mustang Mach-E is a blend of past, present and future, because it mixes a distinguished name from the 1960s with an SUV body that is very much of the moment, and the sort of electric drivetrain technology that will power the future.
So you get Mustang bits like the long bonnet and muscular haunches, EV bits like the blanked-off grille, and an upright SUV-style body. The all-new electric car is an alternative to SUV EVs such as the Tesla Model X, Mercedes EQC and Audi e-tron.
But inside, dominating the Mach-E’s cabin, is a huge 16-inch infotainment screen – it’s even bigger than the one in the Tesla Model 3. It also lets you open multiple screen windows at once so, just like with an Android smartphone, you can scroll through your music library, but still keep a small window open in the background for your sat-nav directions.
Ford claims the Mach-E will have room for five adults, plus there should be plenty of interior storage for smaller items. It also gets two boots – a 402-litre one at the back and a 100-litre area in the nose.”
Car magazine
The Mach-E has Mustang-influenced headlights and tail lamps.
“First impressions are of a car that looks smaller than its 4.7-metre length, stuffed with retro styling cues that – perhaps surprisingly – work very well when translated to an SUV. Whisper it so the purists don’t hear, but the Mustang Mach-E actually looks rather good – and attracts more than its share of glances, photos and head-turns on our journey.
The Mach-E has three driving modes. They’re named Whisper, Engage, and (try not to cringe) Unbridled. Comfort, Normal, and Sport, come back – all is forgiven. You’ll also find a simple toggle for regenerative braking, called One-Pedal Mode. It’s a shame this won’t be more controllable.
A brief wiggle – calling it a slalom would be too generous – proves that the steering wheel is at least attached to the front wheels, and then it’s out onto London’s crowded streets for a brief slog through traffic.
Suspension tuning is firm, but not overly so – it’s more ST-Line than full-fat ST – but big squashy American-style seats with wide bases isolate your bum from everything that the springs don’t.
Refinement is decent, too; it’s not Mercedes-Benz EQC levels of isolation, but it’s easily on a level with Tesla here. However, no matter how hard we listen, we can’t hear the ‘distinctive but emotional’ sound we’ve been promised from the drivetrain – an interesting response to EU regs requiring EVs to make *some* noise at low speeds so pedestrians don’t walk into them.”
Edmunds
Dominating the Mach-E’s cabin, is a huge 16-inch infotainment screen.
“The big elephant in the room for Ford is Tesla. Both the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y SUV will compete directly on price and performance with the Mach-E. Beyond that, though, competition is surprisingly scarce. The Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV are smaller and slower, while the luxury Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron are much more expensive.
More competition is on the way, though, with Volkswagen's ID.4 likely to pose as a key rival in the future. Also on the horizon is the Byton M-Byte, a Chinese-owned but California-designed EV. We've already driven the Byton prototype, which promises much, but the U.S. on-sale date is yet to be confirmed.
The Mach-E comes with the standard Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of advanced safety features that includes frontal collision warning with automatic braking, a blind-spot monitor and lane keeping assist. It can also be optioned with a new hands-free automated driving system called Active Drive Assist.
Much like Cadillac's Super Cruise system, Active Drive Assist can take over driving responsibilities on approved roads. At the moment, over 100,000 miles of roads are eligible and we expect that number to grow. The driver will still be required to keep their eyes on the road, and sensors in the dashboard will disable the system if the driver's eyes and attention are elsewhere.
Also available is a new Road Edge Detection system that works much like lane keeping assist. But rather than keeping the car centered within marked lanes, the system uses the edge of the road surface as a reference. This means you can use it on rural roads that aren't marked well. New to Ford is Intersection Assist, which works much like frontal collision mitigation but is activated by vehicles in the opposing direction or crossing an intersection.”
Consumer Report
Active Drive Assist can take over driving responsibilities on approved roads.
“Despite being an early innovator with electric and hybrid cars, Ford has trailed the more aggressive moves by rival automakers in recent years. The Mach-E signals an electric revival at Ford, leading the charge in the company’s pledge to shift toward more electric models in coming decades.
We expect to see an electric F-150, thanks to a partnership with Rivian, in the not-too-distant future. And there has been rumour of an electric Mustang coupe coming down the road.
Kicking off this era with an SUV is smart, because the market is clearly shifting in that direction. The Mach-E promises exhilarating performance, something that is essential to carry the Mustang name. Further, rapid acceleration has become de rigueur because of Tesla.
The Mach-E promises to deliver on several key points that have defined the latest electric cars: performance, range, and high-tech. But not in every version. Prospective shoppers would do well to look beyond the marketing sound bites, because the base version has a rather humble range and modest horsepower.
The exterior has Mustang-influenced headlights, tail lamps, and broad fenders. But it is otherwise its own machine. The pronounced tires and elevated stance make it look like an SUV rather than a road-hugging performance car.
Ford has departed from the trapezoidal grille that has distinguished its models for the last decade. Instead, most Mach-Es have a complex shape that declares: I am electric. The exception is the Mach-E GT. This performance model has a grille shape more akin to a Mustang, although if you look closely, you can see that the contrasting trapezoid is more styling element than means of routing air to the radiator.
The sloped roofline gives the vehicle a sporty appearance, although it's certain to compromise headroom and cargo space, as we have seen with similar designs, such as with the Jaguar I-Pace.”
