Ford’s all-electric Mach-E: a ‘Mustang’ in name only

Ford’s engineering executives were on teleconferencing press tours this fall in support of the company’s first mass market EV, which is being built in Mexico, and world sales are expected to be around 50,000 in the first year. They explained how Vice President Jim Farley (now CEO) sent the team back to the drawing boards late in the design phase with instructions to make the then nameless project more Mustang-ish – more raked windshield, faster hatch, black – C- pillar out – until someone finally suggested they just call it a Mustang.

Really? This high-seated four-door hatchback with the dad-bid shouted Mustang for driving? This is … amazing. Ford drivers repeat this story as if it were not a parable of creative laziness.

Not to be a killjoy. Some of the Mustang-themed features are charming: the three-taillights; the illuminated galloping mustang logo in the nose (GT finish and higher). The three drive modes are ‘Whisper’, ‘Engage’ and ‘Unbridled’. Oh, honey! The latter mode is similar to a typical sports mode, which offers a sharper lead on the throttle and increases the steering feel. The unmatched mode also allows a certain value of turning the wheel, on both front and rear axles, so you can drive around a bit … sorry.

Idiomatic remark: in the UK market, the sport mode is called Untamed. Grrr. No word on upholstery with torn bodices.

Under the floorboards, blocks of plug-in lithium-ion batteries are plugged in, which consist of 68 or 88 kWh packs (standard and extensive range), for which LG Chem has to charge a nice penny. The base MSRP is $ 42,895 (RWD, 230 miles) before any federal, state or local incentives. Our two-engine four-wheel-drive version with a larger battery (270-mile range) received a hefty premium of $ 56,200. That’s $ 6,300 more than the Model Y Long Range AWD.

Talk about nostalgia. The strong price of the Mach-E reflects the Ford management’s repeated insistence that the program, among other miracles, should make a profit out of the gate. Why? It took years of investment and rivers of red ink before Tesla brought profitability around the corner.

Ford’s first-year effort, while worthy in many ways, falls short of the Teslas in its range, fast support, sophistication, brand value and driver assistance. Where’s Ford going to charge more then? This thing needs a $ 10,000 haircut.

Nevertheless, the Mach-E feels good. The cabin is bright and airy (thanks to a full-length panoramic roof), knotted and cleverly furnished. The centerpiece of the interior, the 15.5-inch vertical touchscreen, is something to behold, like a large-print version of information. It’s loaded with the latest version of Ford’s SYNC 4A interface, which works very well. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging … you know the exercise.

The EV mechanism is quiet and refined, slow or fast. Yet, against the acoustic backdrop of a missing engine and propulsion, remaining sources of cabin noise – tires howling, wind around the exterior mirrors – can worm through the well-ordered hum. If the silence becomes too much, drivers can turn on a synthesized execution sound that swells, rises and falls in pitch with the torque in the cabin. Some people call me the Space Cowboy, yes …

The Mach-E also offers the selectable single-pedal steering option, which increases / slows the car’s rain to a halt to a point where drivers rarely have to engage the brake pedal. Works great. The only dispute I had with the drive was the slight touch of the brake pedal in two-pedal mode.

Ford may rightly be characterized by the use of the Mustang brand, but he also gambles with it, betting that the new car is charismatic enough to change the generational conversation, from rails and Tremec five-speed to amplifiers and watts.

In this work, the Mach-E has a natural ally: acceleration. With a 0-60 fun feature ranging from 6.1 seconds (Extended Range, RWD) to a targeted 3.5 seconds (GT Performance Edition eAWD), even the slowest Mach-E will zip, sing and hiss on ‘ a blow or whistle. Our extensive range of AWD testing equipment – with front and rear e-motors totaling 346 hp and 428 lb-feet – can elevate itself to less than five km in less than five seconds. They might have called it the Zephyr.

On the highways, our pomegranate-red tester effortlessly waved to grab into the traffic openings, a relentless device that took advantage of the blunt-footed gassers around us. Mach-E’s reserves to catch up with delta V only start to run out at about 90 km / h.

If the Mach-E does indeed make converts – if the old-school theoretical Mustang fan does wander around a showroom, scratching his or her stomach and thinking Mach-E, right? What the hell, I give it a throw – it will be in the first mile of a test drive, if they experience the fine control torque, the zero-delay response that makes EVs feel so comfortable fast.

For the sake of efficiency, gas-powered Mustangs usually sit around in a state of semi-drowsiness – in high gear, at low revs, with the gas quality completely numb. But say now suddenly a matter of honor comes up and you have to throw down. From the moment you step on the pedal, it can take hundreds of milliseconds before a gas engine rolls up, from turbo to output. Meanwhile, a combination of clutches, gears, axles and axles must be quickly reorganized by their electromechanical masters.

By that time, the Mach-E had already placed torque on the ground. Mustang people might like it.

2021 FORD MUSTANG MACH-E ER EAWD

Base price: $ 49,700 ($ 7,500 tax credit available)

Price, as tested: $ 56,200

Driving force: Front and rear axle-mounted AC synchronous motors with permanent magnet; 88 kWh lithium-ion battery pack; AWD

Power / torque: 346 pk / 428 lb-ft

Length / width / height / wheelbase: 185.6 / 74.1 / 64.0 / 117.5 inches

Combat weight: 4,838 lbs

0-60 km / h: 4.8 seconds

DC fast charge: Up to 150 kW

Estimated EPA Series: 270 miles

Cargo space: 29.7 cu. ft.

Write to Dan Neil by [email protected]

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