Yes, the Mustang nameplate is being used on an electric. But Ford says the Mustang Mach-E does justice to the original muscle car in design and performance.
Ford has revealed the all new Mustang Mach-E – the firm’s first electrically powered SUV. Ford claims the styling and performance has been inspired by the legendary muscle car it bears the name of. In essence, its actually an SUV version of the Mustang, however, in an EV form this time. This is the first production car to emerge from Ford’s Team Edison, a 70-strong Detroit group tasked with designing the firm’s next-generation EVs.
At launch, the range topping version produces 337bhp, but there’s also a GT model producing 465hp due at a later date. The new Mustang Mach-E intends to expand the Mustang nameplate into a full model line of electric cars. The Mach-E moniker is inspired by the first-gen Mustang’s Mach-1 variant.
As Ford rightly claims, you can spot several design elements that connects the Mach-E to the original muscle car. Look at the head lamps and the tail lamps for instance, the badge and also several lines along the body of the car – they all scream Mustang. Murat Gueler, Ford’s European design chief said: “The approach was to put this car in a unique spot: only Ford can do Mustang. In the next few years there will be hundreds of EV nameplates, but with Mustang we can load up with emotion and drama.”
If you look closely, the car does not have conventional door handles. Instead, it gets buttons that pop open the doors and small holds protruding from the front doors. Owners can even use their smartphones as keys, or use a keypad built into the B-pillar. The SUV sits on either 18-inch or 19-inch wheels, depending on the model. It also gets adaptive LED headlights and red brake calipers, while limited-edition First Edition models also gets a panoramic roof.
The Mach-E is even more radical on the interiors. It features a huge 15.5-inch Tesla-style vertically mounted touchscreen which has a rotary dial fixed onto it using special glue. Most of the car functions are controlled via the screen and it uses Ford’s latest Sync 4 operating system that can also accept over-the-air updates. The driver also gets a 10.2 inch digital instrument cluster and the only physical buttons in the car are the few on the steering wheel.
The Mach-E sits on a new platform for EVs, called the Global Electrified 2, or GE2. It is an extensively reworked version of the C2 architecture that is used in the latest Focus as well. The designers of the car have even designed the platform’s dimensions keeping in mind the wheelbase and extended bonnet, which was considered an iconic Mustang design feature. Dimension wise, the car measures 4,712mm in length, 1,881mm in width and 1,597mm in height. That puts it right between the Jaguar I-Pace and the Mercedes-Benz EQC. The kerb weight of the SUV ranges from 1,993kg to more than 2,218kg.
The Mustang Mach-E will come with two battery pack sizes and three power outputs. The base version gets a single motor driving the rear wheels, with either a 75kWh battery and 258hp motor or a 99kWh battery and 289hp motor; both produce 416Nm. It has a claimed 0-100kph time of under 8.0sec and a WLTP range of around 450km and 595km, respectively.
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Then there’s the twin-motor, all-wheel-drive version which is offered with either a 75kWh battery and 258hp or a 99kWh and 337hp; both versions provide 582Nm. It has a sub-7.0sec 0-100kph time, with estimated ranges of 419km and 540km, respectively. Charging is available through an AC home charger or via DC fast chargers at up to 150kW. All models having a limited top speed of 179kph.
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Ford hasn’t given a full range of performance figures yet, but Team Edison’s Dorit Haas said it was “meant to be like a sportscar.” She added: “This is a performance EV. Not just in a straight line, but in terms of handling and agility – the ride is very important.”
