It’s electrifying! The brand new Mustang Mach-E is one of the hottest new cars of 2021 and Ford’s first-ever high-volume battery-electric vehicle. It’s fun to drive, as you’d expect a Mustang to be, has a relatively long range, and is well equipped with features and tech.
Base Price: $47,000
As Tested: $55,800
Horsepower: 346
Mileage: 37 kWh of battery power used per 100 miles
While fans of the traditional pony may sniff that the new Mach E isn’t really a Mustang because it’s an EV crossover, it does have styling and performance similarities to its namesake. The Mach E has the long hood and angular front end and fascia of a Mustang, as well as the familiar tri-bar taillights.
The five-passenger Mach-E comes in four trims: Select, Premium, California Route 1 and GT. Starting prices range from $42,895 to $60,500. The Mach-E is available with standard and extended-range battery options. Rear-wheel-drive is standard, which you don’t find on a lot of EVs, and all-wheel-drive is available or standard, depending on the trim.
Four powertrains are available. The base is a 198-kW electric motor that makes 266 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque with rear-wheel-drive and 428 pound-feet with AWD. There’s also a 216-kW electric motor with 290 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque (428 pound-feet in AWD models); a 258-kW electric motor with 346 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque (428 pound-feet in AWD models); and a 358-kW electric motor with 480 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque (634 pound-feet in GTPE models).
There are also Standard and Extended range batteries. The Standard battery on a rear-wheel-drive model has a range of 230 miles, or 211 miles on an AWD model. The range on the Extended battery is 300 with RWD and 270 with AWD. The AWD GT model gets 250 miles, and the GTPE has a 235-mile range.
No matter which powertrain you have, the Mach-E has the athletic performance and get up and go you expect in a Mustang. Acceleration is quick, as with most EVs. This pony can gallop from zero to 60 in some blistering speeds—the GT and GTPE models can do it in 3.8 and 3.5 seconds, respectively. The Premium model can do it in 4.8 seconds. The slowest time is 6.1 seconds for the base trim, which is still pretty darn quick. There’s plenty of power for merging and passing at freeway speeds, too. The Mach-E also has dynamic handling. Steering is responsive and the Mach-E feels planted and has minimal body lean when cornering—it’s a blast to let loose on twisty roads. The ride is mostly smooth but can be a bit bumpy on rough roads, and the brakes can feel a little grabby—you will notice the transition from regular to regenerative braking.
There are three drive modes: engage, whisper and unbridled. You can also set the Mach-E for one-pedal driving which lets you crank up the regenerative braking so that just taking your foot off the gas pedal will slow the vehicle. And if you miss the sound of a traditional Mustang engine, you can even turn on artificial engine noise!
To charge the Mach-E, you can use a regular 120-volt outlet which adds about three miles of range per hour; a Ford Connected Charging station with a 240-volt outlet that adds 30 miles per hour; or the Ford mobile charger which is included with the vehicle that can add 20 miles per charging hour on a 240-volt outlet. These charging times are longer than many other EVs so that does require planning.
When you’re on the go, Ford also gives customers access to the the FordPass Charging Network – the largest public charging network in the country with more than 13,500 charging stations (and more than 40,000 charge plugs) and growing, including DC fast chargers. Ford says the Mustang Mach-E with an extended battery and rear-wheel drive can add about 61 miles of range in about 10 minutes while charging on a DC fast charging station. The standard-range Mustang Mach-E is estimated to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 45 minutes while charging on a DC fast charging station.
The Mach-E has an upscale interior with a beautiful fit and finish. Mustangs aren’t known for having up-to-the-minute tech but the Mach-E has lots of it including a ginormous 15.5-inch SYNC 4 touchscreen command center with vertical display that dominates the center stack. It looks and works like a large tablet.
Seats are comfortable and supportive and there’s enough room for adults in both rows. The cabin is airy due to the huge panorama glass roof which is standard on my tester.
You can use your phone as the vehicle key. You can pre-heat or -cool the cabin, set charge times, and control other features through your smartphone.
Standard features include a rearview camera, synthetic leather upholstery, 0.2-inch digital instrument cluster, the SYNC 4 infotainment system with a 15.5-inch touchscreen, navigation, six-speaker audio system, satellite radio, Bluetooth, two USB ports, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, wireless device charging, and a Wi-Fi hot spot.
Available features include surround-view parking camera system, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, nine-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system and panoramic sunroof.
Standard driver assistance technologies include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane centering assist, blind spot monitoring, evasive steering assist, rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, reverse brake assist, traffic sign recognition, and MyKey, which lets you set speed and audio limits for your teenage drivers. Intersection Assist is also standard. This new technology detects oncoming traffic while the driver is attempting a left turn.
Available driver assistance technologies include parallel and perpendicular park assist.
Ford’s SYNC 4 infotainment system is one of the best ones available. It’s intuitive with logically-arranged menus, is easy for the driver to see, looks great, and responds quickly to touch and voice commands.
The Mach-E has respectable cargo space with 29.7 cubic feet with both rows of seating in place and 59.7 cubes with the rear seats folded. The cargo area is wide which makes it easy to load large items. A hands-free power liftgate is available. There’s more storage in the front trunk, or frunk, as Ford calls it. (This is where the engine is in a traditional car.) The frunk has a drain so you can fill it with ice and use it as a cooler when tailgating!
The good:
Athletic performance you expect in a Mustang
Long driving range
Available with AWD
Upscale, comfortable cabin
Excellent infotainment system
Lots of standard and available features and tech
Decent storage space including the front trunk (frunk)
The not-so-good:
Can take a long time to charge
Pricing info:
My tester starts at $47,000. The extended range battery with AWD is $7,700. Destination charge is $1,100 bringing the grand total to $55,800. A $7,500 federal tax credit is available.
Bottom line:
Ford successfully brings the iconic pony into the electric age. The new Mach-E is a lot of fun and delivers the acceleration and nimble performance you’d expect in a Mustang. It looks great, with many Mustang styling cues, has an upscale interior with lots of tech, and also offers the practicality most consumers want with room for passengers and gear. The Mach-E is an impressive addition to the Ford line-up and stands out among other EVs.
