Ford

Mustang Mach-E

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a five-door SUV that is the company’s first ever purpose-built electric vehicle. With dynamic styling and excellent driving dynamics, the car is packed with technology and available in Standard or Extended range with rear or all-wheel drive.

The good

Styling, handling, running costs and great range

The bad

Doesn't look like a Mustang as we have come to know them

Tech Specs

Price from

£41,330

Combined Fuel up to

Range of up to 335 miles

0-62 from

5.8 seconds

max speed up to

111mph

co2 from

0g/km

Test Drive

Ford Mustang Mach-E RWD – Extended Range (2021)

Mention electric cars and the first thing people come back with are ‘range anxiety’ and ‘infrastructure issues’ which are a real enough concern, but if a car can travel more than 350 miles between charges that should calm any fears.

And that’s exactly what the Ford Mustang Mach-E extended range model can do. In fact, the official WLTP figures show that this rear-wheel drive car can deliver 379 miles on a single charge. And when you factor in the competitive price-tag, it is quite a catch.

The Mach-E is Ford’s first all-electric vehicle designed from the ground up and, despite carrying the Mustang name and badging, it is nothing like the powerful V8 muscle cars that we have come to love over the years.

Instead, it’s a classy looking five-door SUV that will compete in an ever-increasing segment with opposition from Kia, VW, Tesla, Volvo and many, many more.

Driving the Extended Range Mach-E is a 99kWh battery that offers a power output of 294PS and 430Nm of torque. And that translates into impressive performance figures with a 0-62mph sprint time of 7.0 seconds and maximum speed of 111mph.

It costs £46,380 although the price on our test car increased by £1,150 as it featured exclusive paint in a striking Rapid Red shade. And although it’s not bold and brash in its design, there’s no denying the fact that the Mach-E is a great looking car. There are Mustang design cues at every turn with a long bonnet, the iconic Pony badging, signature lighting, push button doors, privacy glass, a brace front grille design, body coloured bumpers, black wheel arches and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Move inside and its impossible not to notice the huge 15.5-inch upright infotainment screen in the centre of the dashboard. This is the car’s nerve centre and, like most smartphones, it features pinch, zoom and rotate functions. It offers full access to the Ford SYNC technology with navigation, voice recognition and a number of other services thanks to an embedded modem.

The eight-way powered front seats can be heated, along with the steering wheel, and the vital driving data is displayed on a 10-2-inch screen behind the steering wheel.

Creature comforts are plentiful and include a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system with dashboard soundbar, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, a smartphone charging pad, advanced park assist, a full panoramic sunroof and plenty more besides.

With its single speed transmission, the acceleration out the starting blocks is instant and there are drive modes called Whisper, Active and Untamed that alter the characteristics and handling of the car. They certainly beat the standard Eco, Normal and Sport tags.

It doesn’t feel quite so brutal compared to some rivals, but the all-round performance is impressive with assured grip through tight bends and a nicely composed and balanced ride. The steering is well weighted and the all-round visibility is also good.

In busier traffic, there is a button to activate the one-pedal driving and that is beneficial in stop/start traffic working well to bring the car to a complete standstill when necessary.

Comfort levels are high and there is ample space for a trio of passengers in the back. In addition, the boot is well sized and can swallow 402 litres of kit – this capacity increases to 1,420 litres with the rear seats dropped.

There is a further 81 litres of storage space beneath the bonnet and a number of convenient compartments scattered throughout the car

The Mach-E also boasts a wealth of safety kit as standard and it scored a maximum five stars when tested for its Euro NCAP rating. It features the likes of intelligent cruise control with stop and go, lane keep assist and lane departure warning, pre-collision assist, automated emergency braking and lots more besides.

Charging the Mach-E will very much depend on the power source, but on a fast charger it takes just 45 minutes to get from 10 to 80 per cent.

On the downside, there are a couple of gripes that I picked up on throughout the week. Firstly, in such a well-crafted cabin, it was disappointing to find so many rough surfaces beneath the steering wheel when trying to adjust it. Secondly, when travelling with four occupants, all wearing their seatbelts, the car kept beeping at me that the seatbelts were not fastened – how annoying does that get after 10 minutes! Thankfully, it only happened once.

But those issues aside, the Mustang Mach-E is quite a car. It looks amazing, drives beautifully, is practical, packed with tech and can run and run between charges.

Test Drive

Ford Mustang Mach-E – First Drive (2021)

Mention the Mustang name to anyone and it immediately conjures up images of loud, V8 muscle cars powering their way down a US highway, but now the all-new Mustang Mach-E is a real game-changer for the brand.

Firstly, instead of the sporty, low-slung, streamlining of the regular Mustang, the Mach-E is an SUV and secondly, it’s the first production Ford developed from the ground-up to deliver pure-electric, zero emissions driving.

Costing from £41,330, the five-door, five-seater is on sale with either a 68kWh battery for standard range of up to 273 miles between charges or an 88kWh battery for an extended range of 335 miles.

Customers can choose between models with a single motor for rear wheel drive or twin motors on all-wheel drive versions. Initially, a First Edition model was available but that has now sold out.

First impressions are vitally important and although the Mach-E may not look like a traditional muscle car, it still boasts lots of Mustang hallmarks with its long bonnet, signature lighting and iconic Pony badging. Open the front doors (via a neat push button rather than a handle) and the word ‘MUSTANG’ sits proudly on the sills.

Moving inside, the interior is a classy affair with the main focal point being a Tesla-esque 15.5-inch portrait touchscreen with pinch, zoom and rotate functions. But, unlike the Tesla and to Ford’s credit, the Mach-E has the very basic driving information such as speed and range on a neat 10.2-inch screen behind the wheel so you need not take your eyes from the road.

The upright touchscreen is certainly the main nerve centre of the car and features Ford’s latest SYNC technology that enables more than 80 vehicle settings to be customised from seat position and cabin temperature to ambient lighting. The clever technology learns from your day-to-day driving habits and regular navigation routes. And it will get better with time as the system automatically receives regular over-the-air updates with the latest software improvements.

We tested the high-end Mach-E Extended Range model with all-wheel drive priced at £57,030. This car could complete the 0-62mph sprint in just 5.8 seconds and maxed out at 111mph. With its larger battery pack, the driving range between charges is 335 miles under WLTP testing.

This is the daddy of the Mach-E line-up and has styling to match with a black front grille, black bumpers, privacy glass, 19-inch black alloy wheels with red brake callipers. It also features powered mirrors with a puddle light Mustang logo.

The interior is clutter-free and upmarket with the likes of heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, sporty black seats with red stitching and a chunky gear selector.

When it comes to performance, the acceleration from a standing start is instant with impressive levels of torque and the Mach-E easily copes with delivering short bursts of firepower to overtake slower moving vehicles.

On the twisting country lanes, the road holding is confident and assured with minimal body sway into tighter bends. The steering feels perfectly weighted and the cabin is nicely refined as there is clearly no engine noise.

You can choose from three drive modes called Whisper, Active and Untamed (which is certainly more imaginative than Eco, Normal and Sport) and these alter the characteristics of the car and how it behaves.

For example, the Untamed setting is for more adventurous driving with enhanced throttle response, sharper steering and sporty orange lighting to add to the excitement. Whisper is for calmer motoring and city centres and, finally, Active is ideal for day-to-day use.

If the silent running seems a little strange, you can control the sound within the car to match the performance via a Propulsion Sound feature that is activated via the touchscreen.

In addition, a one-pedal feature can be introduced and that increases the regenerative braking as you lift your foot off the accelerator. This is great for busy town centres with lots of stop start driving.

The Extended Range models also feature a Technology Pack as standard that introduces a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system with dashboard sound bar, a full panoramic roof, advanced active park assist and a number of extra safety features.

We also took the Mach-E Standard Range with rear-wheel drive model for a test run. This car was priced at £41,330 – increased to £42,480 due to the exclusive Star White paintwork. It could reach 62mph from a standstill in 6.9 seconds and also topped out at 111mph. The driving range on this car is 273 miles between charges.

Once again, this Mustang Mach-E was a pure delight to drive. The comfort levels are excellent with ample room in the back for three passengers and the driver visibility also impresses. Ford expects this model will be the best-seller here in the UK.

Storage options on the Mach-E are good with a boot that can swallow 519 litres of kit, increased to 1,420 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat. There is also room for a further 81 litres of goodies beneath the bonnet, and throughout the cabin are practical door bins, a glovebox, seatback pockets, front and rear cupholders, a central cubby box and a drop-down sunglasses compartment.

The Mach-E has not yet been tested for a Euro NCAP safety rating, but it is packed with safety systems, including pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, intelligent adaptive cruise control with stop and go and lane centring, lane keeping assist with blind spot assist, distance alert, evasive steer assist and plenty more besides.

Charging times will very much depend on the power source, but on a fast charger it takes 45 minutes to get from 10 to 80 per cent.

All in all, the Mach-E may not be a Mustang of old, but is a hint of what’s to come with a view to a much cleaner future. And if this is a true example, then the future looks pretty good indeed.

However, in the meantime, for the real thrill-seekers out there, a range-topping Mach-E GT model with a 0-62mph sprint time of just 3.7 seconds, will be on sale either at the end of this year or early 2022.

For more information, visit Ford here.

For more Ford reviews, visit Carjourno here.