When I was a kid, my old man had a blue shark skin Mustang 289, 1965. Some of my favorite childhood memories involved spending Sunday afternoons traveling around San Francisco with him. Now, nostalgia sucks, so when I first saw Ford’s electric Mustang Mach-E at the LA 2019 Auto Show, my reaction was a resounding and sincere “difficult pass”. With its crossover style, the Mach-E certainly didn’t look like any Mustang of my youth and, given its quiet EV propulsion system, it certainly didn’t sound – or smell – anything like the 255 HP carbureted, 4.7-liter Windsor V8 I remember me from my childhood.
Still, Mach-E has already won the title of North American Utility Vehicle of the Year 2021 and saw pre-orders for its “First Edition” sold out almost immediately after its debut, so clearly the EV crossover sparked American interest. automotive enthusiasts. This begs the question: what really does a Mustang, a Mustang? I just spent a week behind the wheel of the Mach-E 2021 in an effort to find out.
Andrew Tarantola / Engadget
The Premium that I borrowed is one of four optional models (not including that short “First Edition” that, again, is already sold out): The Select, California Route 1, Premium and GT. They can be specified as RWD or e-AWD, and with the standard 68 kWh or larger optional 88 kWh battery pack option (a $ 5,000 option). These batteries should give you an estimated EPA range of 230 – 300 miles, depending on options and unit types, and anything from 266 HP from the Select to the spiked 480HP of the AWD GT. Select starts at $ 44,995, Premium will put you back around $ 49,000, with Route 1 reaching $ 53,500 and the GT $ 61,600.
My specific model was the Premium with AWD and the extended 88 kWh battery, which would cost $ 56,400 if it weren’t for a loan. It offers 346 HP, 428 lb-ft of torque and a range of approximately 270 miles. In addition to the larger battery and Star White metallic tricoat paint, everything about this Mach-E came standard – which includes the 10-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system, Qi wireless charging pad, 4G hotspot and driver assistance system. Ford Co-Pilot 360. You will also find USB A and C sockets in the front and rear rows, to minimize the dispute for charger space during road trips.
While it may not look much like its parents, the Mach-E’s design makes it easier to locate in a busy parking lot – similar to a Tesla Model 3, but taller with a broader, more aggressive stance. Once acclimated to its dimensions, I started to appreciate the height of the Mach-E. It’s far enough off the ground that you don’t have to constantly worry about scraping the bottom of the door on curbs or requiring a deep squat to get in, but not so high that you need a ladder for help (looking at you , each full-size American pickup truck built since 2009).
Andrew Tarantola / Engadget
It comes in one of seven exterior paint colors, even the quietest one that caught my eye when I stopped to turn off the lights. In the first 24 hours after the car arrived in my garage, I had three different neighbors begging to go for a ride. And despite its prominent front and bold lines, the Mach-E maintains a surprisingly slender drag coefficient of 0.3 – which is only slightly higher / worse than the new Audi e-tron GT or Polestar 2, both with coefficients of. 24
The interior of the Mach-E is surprisingly sparse. In addition to the headlights, gear shifting and a few buttons on the steering column, virtually all cab functions are controlled via the Mustang’s 15.5-inch vertically-oriented infotainment display and its integrated volume dial. The infotainment screen comes with a 10.5-inch letterbox display that replaces the traditional instrument panel behind the steering wheel. Voice control, audio volume and track skip / repeat controls are all available as tactile buttons located on the steering wheel. What’s more, the wide space on the infotainment screen means that Ford has room to make its digital buttons and sliders generously huge. This is a great help when you’re in traffic and trying to keep your eyes on the road while navigating the Mach-E’s various control menus.
In fact, this scenario did not happen as often as I expected, thanks in large part to the vehicle’s capable speech recognition technology and integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Connecting your smartphone, be it an iPhone 12 or Pixel 4a, is as simple as turning on the device’s Bluetooth and pairing it with the infotainment system. I made the iPhone and the Pixel connect to Mach-E in each of their respective first attempts. Once paired, I could make calls, play my own setlists (instead of relying on the AM / FM / Sirius XM radio) and use Google Maps for driving directions instead of Ford’s onboard navigation system. I would be happy to choose Mach-E’s infotainment system over Tesla’s.
The interior of the Mach-E may be sparse, but it is spacious, with plenty of leg and head space to accommodate up to five adult humans. The seats are comfortable and breathable, and the entire cabin looks much less plastic than what Tesla offers. The feeling of openness inside the cabin is amplified simply by stretching your neck to look up through the glass roof. It is polarized and tinted so that harmful ultraviolet rays and the prying eyes of car thieves cannot penetrate from the outside, remaining clear enough for passengers to enjoy the view around and above them. The Mach-E also offers 29.7 cubic feet of storage space in the trunk so you don’t have to struggle to fit these five people in your luggage. I am also a fan of the extremely useful Fordpass companion app. It offers reminders to drivers about upcoming maintenance, services and recalls. He also always knows where the nearest charging station is and how to get there.
Unfortunately, the most disappointing aspect of the Mach-E driving experience is, well, the driving experience itself. When you get behind the wheel and press the start button, you are greeted by logos flashing on the screens, a few electronic bells and that’s all – no guttural noise from the V8, no strong smell of carbureted gasoline. It’s all very minimalist and, well, a little lacking in soul. You have three driving modes to choose from: Whisper, Engage and Unbridled – and they all generally work as they sound.
Whisper is great if you’re running errands in the neighborhood and want to minimize the time you’ll need to charge your vehicle when you return (it takes about 10.5 hours to fully charge using a 240 V outlet). It is a direction of low consumption and low energy consumption. Engage is a solid daily option, offering a combination capable of power and range. Rampant is for maximum performance, battery reserves are damaged. This driving mode will gently press you back to your seat when you step on the gas, and the EV’s instant access to 100 percent of its torque is lovely when hitting other cars on the stop line and reaching 60 MPH in a little while more than 3 seconds, but in general, Mach-E does not have the same brute force to shake bones and suck molars that I expect from my muscle cars. It looks more like someone gets excited about bull shark testosterone and drops it on the streets.
Of course, the Mustang is far from the first classic muscle car in America to undergo radical design changes during its model life. I mean, just look at the Chevrolet Impala. That’s right, but when the final vehicle left its assembly line in February 2020. Nor is the Mustang the only ex-gasoline drinker to turn green. GM is, too, and moving engineers from the Corvette team to its burgeoning EV division.
For what it is, Ford’s first specially built EV, a five-seater crossover filled with modern style, technology and accessories, the Mach-E is a sure bet. The vehicle offers better-than-average battery handling and performance, while maintaining a high degree of functionality in everyday life – and getting you to your destination in the shortest possible time. But as the heir to the Mustang crown, or even just as an EV “sports car”, nah, that’s not it.