Ford’s all-electric Mach-E: a ‘Mustang’ in name only

Ford engineering executives were on conference calls with the press this fall in support of the company’s first mass-market EV, to be built in Mexico, with global sales estimated at around 50,000 in the first year. They explained how, at the end of the design phase, Vice President Jim Farley (now CEO) sent the team back to the drawing boards with orders to make the then nameless project more Mustang-ish – more tilted windshield, more incubation quick, black – the C pillar – until finally someone suggested they just call it a Mustang.

Same? Did this four-door hatchback with his father’s body scream Mustang to management? This is … surprising. Ford executives repeat this story as if it were not a parable of creative laziness.

Not to be a killjoy. Some of the Mustang-themed features are charming: the three-bar taillights; the striking Mustang logo lit on the nose (GT trim and above). The three driving modes are “Whisper”, “Engage” and “Unbridled”. Oh dear! The latter mode corresponds to a typical sporting mode, putting a clearer edge on the throttle response and adding weight to the driving sensation. Unbridled mode also allows for a certain amount of wheel rotation, on the front and rear axles, so you can ride a little … sorry.

Idiomatic note: in cars in the UK market, the sport mode is called Indomitable. Grrr. No word on torn bodice upholstery.

Stacked under the floorboards are lithium-ion battery packs, packaged in packs of 68 or 88 kWh (standard and extended range), for which LG Chem must charge a nice penny. Basic MSRP amounts to $ 42,895 (RWD, 230 miles) before any federal, state or local incentives. Our version of two engines with four-wheel drive and larger battery (range of 270 miles) cost $ 56,200. That’s $ 6,300 more than the Y Long Range AWD model.

Talk about nostalgia. The Mach-E’s exorbitant price reflects the often repeated insistence by Ford management that, among its other miracles, the program must immediately make a profit. Because? It took years of investment and rivers of red paint before Tesla turned the corner on profitability.

Ford’s freshman effort, while valuable in many ways, falls short of the Teslas in reach, fast load support, sophistication, brand value and driver assistance. So, where does Ford come in charging more? This thing needs a $ 10,000 haircut.

Despite monthly payments, Mach-E is great. The cabin is light and airy (thanks to the panoramic full-length roof), buttoned and elegantly decorated. The centerpiece of the interior, the 15.5-inch vertical touch screen, is something to behold, like a Big Print edition of infotainment. It is loaded with the latest version of Ford’s SYNC 4A interface, which works very well. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging … you know what to do.

The EV mechanism is serene and refined, slow or fast. Still, against the acoustic backdrop of a lost engine and transmission, the remaining sources of cabin noise – howling of tires, wind around the outside mirrors – can crawl their way through the well-organized hum. If the silence gets too loud, drivers can turn on a synthesized performance sound that increases in the cab, increasing and decreasing the pitch with the torque output. Some people call me Space Cowboy, yes …

Mach-E also offers the selectable option of steering with a pedal, which increases the resistance / deceleration of the car in deceleration to the point where drivers rarely need to apply the brake pedal. Works well. The only complaint I had while driving was the slight sensitivity of the brake pedal in two-pedal mode.

Ford may be accused of exploiting the Mustang brand, but it is also betting on it, betting that the new car is charismatic enough to change the conversation between generations, from track bar and five-speed Tremec to amplifiers and watts.

In this work, Mach-E has a natural ally: acceleration. With a fun 0-60 function that ranges from 6.1 seconds (Extended Range, RWD) to 3.5 targeted seconds (GT Performance Edition eAWD), even the slowest Mach-E zip, sing and hiss on a whim or whistle. Our Extended Range AWD tester – with front and rear electric motors totaling 346 hp and 428 lb-ft – can rise to 60 mph in less than five undulating seconds. They may have called Zephyr.

On the highways, our red garnet tester moved forward effortlessly to fill the openings in traffic, a relentless device taking advantage of the gases that stumbled around us. Mach-E reserves to overcome delta V do not begin to run out until about 145 km / h.

If Mach-E really converts someone – if that theoretical old-guard Mustang fan walks into a showroom, scratching his belly, thinking of Mach-E, huh? What the hell, I’ll give it a try – it will be on those first few kilometers of a test drive, when they experience the fine control torque, the zero-delay accelerator response that makes electric cars look so casually fast.

For the sake of efficiency, gas-powered Mustangs generally ride in a semi-drowsy state – in high gear, at low rpm, with the throttle response fully sedated. But let’s say that a question of honor suddenly arises and you have to leave. From the moment you step on the pedal, it can take hundreds of milliseconds for a gasoline engine to spin, from turbos to the output shaft. Meanwhile, a concatenation of clutches, gears, shafts and shafts must be quickly reorganized by their electromechanical masters.

At this point, Mach-E is already putting torques on the ground. Mustang people might like that.

2021 FORD MUSTANG MACH-E ER EAWD

Base price: $ 49,700 ($ 7,500 tax credit available)

Price, as tested: $ 56,200

Powertrain: Permanent magnet AC synchronous motors mounted on the front and rear axles; 88 kWh lithium-ion battery; AWD

Power / Torque: 346 hp / 428 lb-ft

Length / width / height / wheelbase: 185.6 / 74.1 / 64.0 / 117.5 inches

Curb weight: £ 4,838

0-60 mph: 4.8 seconds

DC quick charge: Up to 150 kW

Estimated EPA range: 270 miles

Cargo space: 29.7 cu. foot

Write to Dan Neil at [email protected]

The Wall Street Journal is not paid by retailers listed in its articles as product outlets. The retailers listed are often not the only selling points.