Review: Ford Mustang Mach-E

Ford’s first fully-fledged electric car was a bit late to the EV party when it arrived in UK dealerships in 2021.

However, with its combination of style, performance, driver engagement and practicality, the Mustang Mach-E has been worth the wait.

First, let’s deal with the elephant in the room. It’s badged as a Mustang, but ultimately this is an electric SUV competing with the likes of the Volkswagen ID.4, Skoda Enyaq iV, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Toyota bZ4X and Kia EV6.

Whether you agree with Ford’s decision to market the Mach-E as a Mustang or not, there’s no denying that the muscular styling is distinctive and there are enough design cues to legitimise the comparison with the automotive icon.

Signature elements include the long, powerful bonnet, rear haunches, mean headlights and trademark tri-bar tail-lights.

The Mach-E’s designers should also be commended for having the confidence to go their own way in certain areas. For instance, the door handles don’t pop out. In fact, there are no handles. Instead, you press a button on the B or C pillars and pull a streamlined ‘E-Latch”.

So while its “pony” badging and sculpted design are a nod to Ford’s iconic Mustang, the similarity ends there because this muscle car is smooth, swift, silent and emits zero emissions.

Priced from £50,830, the Mustang Mach-E is available with rear or all-wheel drive and two different battery sizes (70kWh and 91kWh), delivering a range of up to 379 miles.

The entry-level Standard Range RWD (rear-wheel drive) develops 265bhp and delivers a 0-62mph time of 6.9 seconds and the official range is 273 miles.

The Standard Range AWD (all-wheel drive) has the same 70kWh battery and power, but with a motor driving each axle. Acceleration is slightly quicker (0-62mph takes 6.3 seconds), but the official range drops to 248 miles.

The Extended Range RWD model has 290bhp, but with a heavier 91kWh battery pack to lug around, it’s fractionally (0.1 seconds) slower than Standard Range models. Its official range is an impressive 379 miles.

The Extended Range AWD packs 346bhp from its dual electric motors, so acceleration is a swift 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds, while the claimed range is 335 miles.

If you want more performance, then go for the top-of-the range Mustang Mach-E GT which has more powerful electric motors giving a combined 480bhp and 0-62mph of just 3.7 seconds, thought the range drops to 310 miles.

I tested the Mach-E AWD Extended Range, which is arguably the best all-rounder in the line-up.

Range on this model is officially up to 335 miles, so in everyday driving, 300 is achievable, but be aware that could drop to a still respectable 250 miles in the winter.

A typical charge of 10-80% can be reached in as little as 45 minutes via a rapid 150kW charger. Or to look at it another way, it’s possible to add 73 miles in 10 minutes, though most owners will simply plug in from home and charge overnight.

As you’d expect from a sporty EV, the Mach-E’s acceleration is instant and rapid, though not quite as unnecessarily gut-wrenching as some electric rivals. For the record, torque is 428 lb-ft (580Nm) – more than worthy of the Pony badge.

You can choose from three drive modes: Active, Whisper, and Untamed. Active is your default setting, Whisper is “the most relaxing way to enjoy Mustang Mach-E” and Untamed unleashes the car, sharpening the steering, enhancing the throttle response and boosting the fake interior engine noise.

Despite its two-tonne weight, the Mach-E is surprisingly agile on more challenging roads, delivering a degree of driver engagement often missing in the EV sector.

Body control is impressive, thanks to the relatively firm suspension set-up, meaning it will stay flat in faster corners. The downside od this is that the ride may be too firm for some buyers, so make sure your test drive covers a variety of roads.

That said, traction is superb, as is the grip, while the steering is quick – just as you’d expect from any Fast Ford.

However, EV technology hasn’t been allowed to completely sanitise the driving experience, because even in all-wheel drive form, it’s possible to get the rear to step out.

Meanwhile, the brakes are strong and more progressive than some – a weak point in many EVs.

Inside, there’s a 15.5-inch portrait-mounted infotainment touchscreen in the centre console, plus a smaller 10.2-inch digital cluster behind the steering wheel for basic driving information, such as speed, battery percentage and remaining range.

Apart from the screens, the cabin has a familiar Ford feel, so while it’s a pleasant and comfortable enough place to be, it doesn’t quite have the premium feel of some competitors.

There’s plenty of room for five adults and rear passengers have space to rest their feet under the front seats, which isn’t always the case in a flat-floored EV.

Boot capacity is a reasonable (but nowhere near class cleading) 402 litres, expanding to 1,420 litres with the rear seats flipped. The front trunk (or frunk) has a further 81 litres, which is ideal for storing your charging cable.

So, all in all, the Mach-E is an impressive addition to the electric SUV scene. And frankly, when your biggest gripe is subjective (I couldn’t find a comfortable spot to rest my left foot), it’s a job done well.