2021 Ford Mustang Mach E Review
2021 Ford Mustang Mach E
Price as tested: $58,000
Specs: 88 kWh Battery Pack with AWD
346 HP / 428 ft-lbs of TQ
0-60: 4.8 Seconds
Range: 270 Miles
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi
Let’s talk about Guts. Balls. Cojones. Bravery. All those adjectives barely scratch the surface on what Ford has done here…naming a fully electric crossover…a Mustang.
A Mustang! It’s not just some generic name plate…it’s Americana personified. It’s the romantic ideal of the automobile personified! It’s the visage of a rumbling V8..screaming itself into the horizon. All of that…all of that…tends to be the antithesis of an EV. An EV tends to be stoic, silent and efficient. Humming it’s way to oblivion. Or to the nearest charger.
So why did Ford do this? It’s simple.
“There is no such thing bad publicity.”
Sure, you can read all the marketing literature out there about the naming convention but the fact of the matter is…naming an EV crossover a ‘stang gets people talking. People talking gets other people talking. Other people talking, leads to people arguing on the internet. People arguing on the internet…gets the entire world talking.
So the fact of the matter is this:
“This is by far…one of best automotive marketing moves in the history of the automobile. ”
The amount of people that contacted me about this vehicle is off the charts. The amount of people that stopped me and ask me about it…is off the charts. The amount of people, pointing and going ‘wait that is the new Mustang?’ is…off the charts.
Let me put it another way:
“If this was called the Ford Escape EV...I guarantee you that no one would give a flying poop about it. But call this a Mustang and you have the entire world’s attention. That folks...is a brilliant piece of marketing. ”
The Great
The Mach E is a revelation on the road. It’s direct, immediate and downright fun! The steering has uhh…well an ‘electric’ feel to it. Let me put it another way…there is an immediacy to all of the controls of the Mach E. The steering, the brakes, the throttle and hell even the suspension…just responds immediately. Like well…flipping a light switch…which is electric. Get it?
But it is easy to make the inputs respond quickly to commands but it is another thing for said inputs to actually having ‘feeling’. The Mach E has feeling. The steering feels alive and you can find that through your fingertips. The brake pedal grabs (hard) and responds back to the driver with amazing amount of feedback. Couple that with suspension that provides stellar ride quality with darty handling…This Mach E is fracking spectacular.
Oh! I didn’t even mention the drivetrain! Our tester came with the 88 kWh battery pack, so coupled that with AWD, it produces 346 HP and 428 ft-lbs of torque. All of that torque is available instantly thanks to the EV powerplant. So engage Unbridled drive mode, put your foot the floor and hold on. The Mach E will launch itself from a stop in a fashion that can only be described as hilarious.
Now, if you drive like a sane person, the Mach E is comfortable, quiet, serene and relaxing. The aforementioned suspension is tuned brilliantly to soak up any road imperfections but at the same time it’s not floaty or aloof. It feels buttoned down. The cabin is whisper quiet and even with our tester being a preproduction variant…there were no rattles or squeeks to speak of.
The Good
The infotainment system is graced with a huge 15 inch central display. The display uhhh displays itself predominantly in the cabin and for good reason. First the size but second is the resolution, graphics and ease of use. It’s the central command center but it’s not overwhelming in the very least.
But, by far, the best part of the cabin is this: The front display in front of the driver. So unlike a Model Y or a Model 3 which forces it’s driver to retrain their eyes…the Mach E gives you exactly what you need, when you need and how you expect it.
The Bad
Now this mainly has to do with the fact that we had a pre-production version but plugging the Mach E into a fast charger caused issues. Two different chargers, two different plugs and the same charging fault issue after 6 minutes.
The Ugly
Some angles of the Mach E look downright beautiful. While some angles look downright atrocious. See image to the left.
Overall:
I don’t care if Ford wanted to call this the GT-40E. The Mach E is not just one of the best EVs on the road today…this is one of best vehicles overall for sale today! I love this thing. I love it.
