Ford Mustang Mach-E review

This is Ford’s first all-electric SUV, the Mustang Mach-E. The Mustang Mach-E takes some inspiration from Ford’s legendary muscle car, but goes in a very different direction as the brand’s first all-electric model to go on sale in Europe. Prices start from around €53,000 in Ireland and it has an electric range starting at 440 kilometres, up to an impressive 610 kilometres depending on which version you go for. The Mustang Mach-E goes up against other electric rivals like the Volkswagen ID.4, Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y. Does the Mustang Mach-E live up to its legendary name? We drove it on Irish roads recently to find out. 

Styling:

Starting outside, it’s noticeable that there aren’t any Ford badges to be found anywhere on the exterior of the car. Instead it has the black pony badge as a nod to the original Mustang, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t look like the original car. The Mustang Mach-E is similar in size to other electric SUVs like the Jaguar I-PACE and Tesla Model Y, but it stands apart in the looks department. Up front it has an enclosed grille which matches the body colour, along with distinctive LED headlights and bumper styling.

Along the sides it has sculpted lines with an unusual keypad entry and button system for opening the doors, allowing the driver to tap in a code and push the button for keyless entry, which is clever. As standard, it gets 18-inch silver alloy wheels, but this higher specification model has larger 19-inch black machined alloy wheels with red brake callipers for a sportier finish. Towards the rear there is a pair of Mustang signature tribar taillights, again as a nod to the original Mustang, along with the pony badge and a sloping roofline with a subtle roof spoiler.

There are eight colour choices, and Absolute Black is the default choice, but this optional Lucid Red paint scheme is the one to go for if you want to stand out from the crowd. In Ireland, the entry model is the Standard Range Rear Wheel Drive and it has a 70kWh usable battery capacity with a claimed range of up to 440 kilometres, while it gets 115 kW DC charging. This higher spec Extended Range All-Wheel-Drive model has a larger 91kWh usable battery with a claimed range of up to 540 kilometres and it gets faster 150kw charging and a starting price of over €76,000! There is also a performance-focused GT model coming to the market later this year with Tesla-rivalling performance and a whopping €82,000 price tag.

Inside:

The Mustang Mach-E’s interior is a step away from anything else that we have seen from Ford before. Ford has clearly taken some inspiration from Tesla with it’s design approach to the dashboard, as it gets an enormous 15.5-inch portrait-style touch screen infotainment system. What you don’t get in Tesla models however is a useful 10.2-inch digital driver’s cluster, and volume controls and buttons for controlling the system. The infotainment system is very good, it has a simple layout with clear menus and it also gets wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto built-in as standard.

That said a lot like a lot of other EVs, the climate controls are all touch screen based which can be a bit frustrating at times, while in this right hand drive model the screen does lean towards the passenger seat slightly. Overall though the integration is very good, you can control it with the touch screen or voice search, and it is one of the easiest systems to use on the market right now. The fit and finish of the interior is good, with nice materials used across the dashboard and sturdy plastics throughout the cabin, although there are some scratchier plastics lower down if you look hard enough.  

This higher specification model even has an upgraded Bang & Olufsen sound system with a sound bar built into the dashboard which is a must-have for Spotify lovers. The Mustang Mach-E feels very spacious up front with lots of adjustment available through the electric seats and steering wheel, it’s easy to get comfortable on long journeys. There’s also lots of storage space with a useful storage area and a 12-volt socket beneath the driver’s armrest, two large cupholders and a large wireless smartphone charger pad.

There is also a usb-c charge point and a standard USB charge point, along with another storage tray, while door storage is reasonable too for large water bottles and other items. The centre console has a simple control area with this dial control to select park, drive and reverse and a button for the electric hanbdrake. We would like to have seen another button to control the different driving modes however, you have to go into thee touchscreen system to access that.

The Mustang Mach-e has lots of room in the rear seats thanks to its long wheelbase, with enough room to accomodate three adults, good legroom thanks to the flat floor and good headroom for taller passengers, even with the large panoramic sunroof in our test car. Elsehwere there are and two usb-c charge points on the back of the driver’s seat and passengers seat here which is a nice touch. There’s also separate controls for the climate control further down, two sets of rear ISOFIX mounts, storage pockets on the backs of the seats and a large armrest with two cupholders built-in.

While rear seat space is impressive, boot space in the Mustang Mach-E could be better.  At 401 litres in size, it’s less than you get in the Volkswagen ID.4 for example, which has a 543 litre boot. That said it is a useful space with extra storage underneath the floor for storing other items and a flat floor design for sliding larger items in and out. There is also good storage underneath the bonnet with 81 litres of space to store smaller items such as the charge cables.

Driving:

The Mustang Mach-E sits on Ford’s new dedicated EV platform which will underpin a lot of new electric Ford models in the coming years. As we mentioned earlier, it is available with three options to choose from in Ireland, Rear Wheel Drive, All Wheel Drive and GT.  There’s also two battery choices; the Standard Range which gets a 70kWh battery and the Extended Range which gets a 91kWh battery. We are driving the All-Wheel-Drive Extended Range which gets the larger 91 kwh battery and two electric motors, one powering the front wheels and the other powering the rear wheels. With 350 horsepower it feels very fast in a straight line, the sprint from 0-100km/h taking just in 5.1 seconds and power delivery is thrilling and instantaneous.

Most buyers will care more about range than acceleration however, and from our experience the extended range version that we are tested offers a real world 450 kilometre range, which is good. In terms of efficiency, we achieved around 19 kwh per 100 kilometres of driving for the duration of our test, which was in cold and wintry conditions over mixed driving routes. There are different driving modes including Whisper, which is the most efficient and reserved driving mode, while Untamed increases power delivery with a V8-style driving sound.

Weighing in at around 2.2 tonnes the Mustang Mach-E is a heavy car, and this is noticeable around town, especially over bumps and speed ramps at lower speeds. That said it is one of the more engaging electric cars to drive on the market right now, especially when you drive on twistier roads and over longer drives, where it feels planted through turns. The Mustang Mach-E has an excellent one-pedal driving mode which can be switched on or off through the touch screen system, and it increases regenerative braking and slows the car down to a stop when you lift of the throttle in smooth fashion. It means around town that you rarely have to touch the brake pedal, and driving the Mach-E requires little very effort.

Overall the Mustang Mach-E is very enjoyable to drive, it’s quiet and refined around town, smooth at motorway speeds and it more than enough power for any driving situation.  If you need range above all else, the rear wheel drive extended range model is the one to go for as it has a claimed range of up to 610 kilometres from a single charge, more than you get in rival EVs from Tesla, Jaguar or Audi. If you want outright performance, the range-topping Mustang Mach-E GT will arrive in Ireland later this year, and it has 487bhp abd 860Nm of torque and can sprint from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds which is Tesla Territory. Because of increased power and performance however, range is reduced to 500 kilometres.

The Mustang Mach-E is not fitted with a heat pump for added efficiency in colder weather conditions as Ford engineers stated the extra weight of this system would cancel out any potential benefits. In terms of charging, the Mustang Mach-E Extended range with the larger battery can charge at up to 150kW, so it will take around 30 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% with a high-speed public rapid charger. With a high speed public charger, a 10 minute charge will top up the range by 107 kilometres. While that is good, some of the Mustang Mach-e’s rivals offer better charging speeds, with the Kia EV6, Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Tesla Model Y all offering rapid charging speeds of well over 200kW. It is worth noting that in the smaller battery standard range models max charge speed is lower at 115 kW. With a standard 11kW charger at home, it will take around nine hours to charge the Extended range version to 80% over night.

There is lots of safety tech to get accustomed to including advanced driver assist systems which alert you to different scenarios out on the road, but in an intuitive way. The Mach-E gets a lot of assistance systems as standard including lane keeping aid and departure warning, pre-collision assist, distance alert, automated emergency braking, evasive steer assist and lots more.

Models:

The Mustang Mach-E is available in three different model versions in Ireland, Rear Wheel Drive, All Wheel Drive an GT. The entry standard range rear wheel drive starts from €53,100 a claimed range of up to 440 kilometres of range and it has a lot standard equipment including 18-inch alloy wheels, LED front and rear lights, body coloured bumpers and heated mirrors, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, dual zone climate control, the 10.2-inch digital driver’s display and 15.5-inch touch screen system, navigation with voice search, wireless phone charging, the keypad keyless entry system, a heated windscreen and lots more.  

The extended range rear wheel drive model with the claimed range of up to 610 kilometres starts from €64,400. The all-wheel-drive standard range model starts from €68,550, while this all-wheel-drive extended range model demands a starting price of over €76,000. It is worth noting that range is less in the all-wheel-drive versions, the claimed range in this is 540 kilometres, versus 610 in the rear wheel drive version.

All-wheel-drive models get some key upgrades including larger 19-inch alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlamps, black side cladding and wheel arches, 8-way seat adjustment, a reversing camera, electric tailgate, 360 degree view camera, the upgraded Bang & Olufsen sound system, advanced active park assist and lots more. The range-topping GT model which arrives in Ireland later in 2022 starts from €82,100 and it leaves little to be desired with larger 20-inch alloy wheels, wheel lip mouldings, black door cladding, GT performance seats, upgraded sports suspension and lots more.

Outro:

So should you buy the Ford Mustang Mach-E? If you are searching for a good all-round electric crossover that is fun to drive, offers class-leading range in the larger battery versions, and that is comfortable and capable, it is definitely one to consider. That said, if you are expecting this car to share lots in common with the original Mustang you will ultimately be left disappointed, as this is an entirely different proposition, while some of its rivals offer better ride and interior quality. That said, the Mustang Mach-E offers something different to any other electric car on the market right now in how it looks, drives and feels, and for that reason it should prove popular in the coming years. .