Ford Motor Company

 

Will the Mustang become an SUV with an electric drive? That sounds like the nightmare of all fans of the cult sports car. Ford did it anyway. The result is called Mustang Mach-E, an electric SUV with visual bonds to the American cult sports car. There is a choice of two versions with rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, as well as two different battery sizes.

The deep bubbling sound of a V8 engine is not just a pleasure for car enthusiasts, everyone likes it because it is just a beautiful noise. The Ford Mustang has provided such an acoustic treat since it first appeared in 1964. That’s one of the reasons why the "American Muscle" got to serve along with the actors as a vehicle in over 500 movies and TV series.

Whether we like it or not, the new one is called Ford Mustang Mach-E and it really is a galloping wild horse. The difference is that this one comes with an electric motor as a crossover between an SUV and a sports coupe. Let’s take a look at what the electric Mustang can do, and where compromises had to be made.

 

The Design

Ford Motor Company

 

Visually, the Mustang Mach-E is more of a nod to the actual Mustang: instead of just putting the car up and giving it an electric drive, Ford made it as an SUV which quotes typical Mustang attributes.

The front shows this most conspicuously: The typical curved, slightly downward hood, the light signature with the three bars, and also the elongated decorative element, which would house the grill in conventional ICE cars - it all looks very much like a Mustang.

The classic Mustang window line and the coupe-like sloping roof are visually present, but the whole thing does not reduce the space on the back seat as a result of an optical trick. A two-tone paintwork in red/black ensures a certain coupe character and disguises the actual dimensions of the car at the same time.

With the typical Mustang muscle and 3D rear lights, also in a three-bar design, the side and rear continue with the muscle car bonds. Although it looks extremely imposing at first glance, the Mach-E is even smaller than the sports car in terms of length and width. 

At 15,4 ft, it is 3 inches shorter and 1,8 inch less wide with 6,1 ft. Actually, the only bigger number on the dimensions is the height, which is 7,8 inches higher than the regular Mustang. The total height of the vehicle is 5,3 ft.

 

The Interior

Ford Motor Company

 

When looking into the interior of the Mustang SUV, the first surprise comes as soon as you open the door: this SUV has no conventional door handles, instead the car doors open at the touch of a button. A touch pad with numbers also lights up on the driver's door - if you prefer not to have your key with you, you can lock and unlock the car with a code.

Inside, the first thing that catches your eye is the Tesla-like 15.5-inch portrait display. The radio, air conditioning, the frunk (front trunk), and even the driving modes can be controlled via the touch display - this is also very reminiscent of Tesla.

The volume can be adjusted using a rotary switch located at the bottom center of the display. And it serves as an "anchor" to find your way around the screen while driving. In addition, the system should be able to learn and, for example, include the respective driving style in addition to navigation data and other information (e.g. road conditions, outside temperature) when calculating the range.

For this purpose, the system is closely networked with the smartphone, which can not only serve as a key but also transmits the individual settings of the respective driver to the car. Voice control is possible via Amazon Alexa, and navigation destinations can also be sent from home to the car via the device.

Over-the-air updates for services and upgrades (e.g. with an additional driving mode) are part of the new Sync system. The car is also always online and also offers a WiFi hotspot. The system reacts quickly and the operation is intuitive.

 

Ford Motor Company

 

The slim, horizontal digital speedometer behind the typical Mustang steering wheel shows charge level, speed, and other information. The lights, power windows, and parking brake are still operated via buttons, and the driving levels can be selected via a central rotary control.

The legroom in the back seat is particularly surprising and the head space is also appropriate. The panoramic roof provides plenty of light – all in all, airier than you would have thought the Mach-E would be capable of from the outside.

Because there is no engine in the front, the SUV has space at the front for the so-called frunk, a kind of extra trunk with a capacity of 81 liters. Similar to the trunk tub in the small SUV Puma, the storage compartment in the Mustang Mach-E is made of plastic and can even be rinsed out thanks to the good draining system.

The normal trunk in the rear holds 402 liters. Anyone who folds down the rear seats not only gets a flat loading area but also 1420 liters of loading space.

 

The Power

Ford Motor Company

 

The basic version of the Mustang Mach-E comes with rear-wheel drive, 198 kW (269 hp) and 430 Nm of torque from a single electric motor, and a 76 kWh battery feeds the drive. The range is specified as up to 275 miles according to WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure).

There is more power for the rear axle with the larger 99 kWh battery pack. This increases the range to up to 380 miles, and the output also climbs to 216 kW (294 hp). In the all-wheel-drive model, there is a second motor on the front axle – the SUV then delivers a maximum of 258 kW (351 hp) and up to 580 Nm of torque.

The basic all-wheel-drive uses a smaller battery and a throttled output of 198 kW (269 hp). The top variant of the Mustang Mach-E with the addition "GT" brings 487 hp and 860 Nm to the road. Despite the powerful engine performance, the top speed is a moderate 125 mph. The Mach-E GT accelerates to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds.

Fast charging is also possible with the Mustang Mach-E, however, the maximum charging power is 150 kW. With the large battery pack, the range should be recharged from ten to 80 percent in 45 minutes, with the smaller battery it will be 38 minutes.

 

Resources

 

Tankut Basar

Tankut Basar is an ARA (American Rally Assoc.) Racing Driver and an FIA Bronze Category License Holder. His passion for driving began with karting like most racers. He started racing internationally at the age of 22. Tankut loves everything car-related and will keep enjoying the drive until the end.

Share