When Ford launched its first fully electric car they gave it one of the company’s most iconic names. The Mustang Mach-E is named after the legendary muscle car made famous by Steve McQueen in Bullitt.
That’s a bold move for a car that is an SUV rather than a coupe and that is powered by an electric motor rather than a 5.0 litre V8.
Its muscular looks helped justify the decision, however, as did the 360bhp its electric motor produced.
Not content to rest on their laurels, Ford have upped the ante with the new Mustang Mach-E GT. This increases power by a hefty 120bhp, giving the car a massive 480bhp.
Electrifying speed
That actually makes it faster than the Mustang Mach 1 coupe, which is the quickest version of the petrol Mustang coupe sold in the UK.
And with an astonishing 860Nm it has more torque than a Porsche 911 Turbo S. This instantly available pulling power means that no matter how many passengers and how much luggage you pack into your Mustang Mach-E it will still take off from the line like a rocket.
It will sprint from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and even that number doesn’t do justice to how quick it is. Full power is delivered the instant you put your foot down. The acceleration pins you back in your seat and makes your stomach tingle.
It’s so fast, in fact, that you’re unlikely to use its full potential very often at all, apart from showing friends how ridiculously quick it is.
Even just using half throttle it will still complete overtaking manoeuvres in a couple of heartbeats.
The standard Mustang Mach-E starts at just over £50,000 and the GT version costs £74,460.
Charging
Now for the question everyone asks about electric cars. The Mustang Mach-E GT’s official range is 310 miles. That’s around 25 miles down on the standard Mustang Mach-E.
In real world driving you can expect around 250 miles and in a Scottish winter even less. I charged the Mustang Mach-E GT up to 100% and the readout said I had 197 miles of range.
Range predictions are based on how the car’s been driven over the past few months and my Mach-E had been in the grubby mitts of numerous heavy-footed Scottish motoring journalists. A careful owner might be able to eke out a few more miles.
However, 200 miles in winter and 250 in summer should be plenty for most journeys. The only issue is the charging infrastructure remains patchy and unreliable.
We took the Mustang Mach-E on a trip from Dundee to Plockton, near the Isle of Skye. The rapid charger at Roybridge was broken so we had to take a detour to Fort Augustus and plug in there for 45 minutes.
During our holiday we plugged in at Kyle of Lochalsh then walked across the Skye Bridge to Kyleakin. When we left the car it was charging nicely, but after a few minutes and for no particular reason it stopped charging and instead of returning to a fully charged car we only reached around 40%. We had to find another charging station and plug in again before heading for lunch.
It’s needless niggles like this that make electric car ownership more of a pain in the backside than it should be.
Practical
None of this is Ford’s fault, however, and the Ford Mustang Mach-E is a very impressive car. On top of being ridiculously fast it’s extremely roomy and practical.
The boot is a useful rectangular shape and feels bigger than its 402 litre figure suggests. There’s also an 81 litre ‘frunk’ under the bonnet that is useful for storing the charging cables.
Rear passengers have plenty of leg room, although the car’s stylish sloping roofline means very tall people will find headroom a little restricted back there.
Four wheel drive helps the car grip on wet roads, although the GT model has so much power that hard acceleration still makes the car squirm and wriggle. If you can life with the firm and slightly twitchy ride it’s very refined and comfortable on long drives.
Charging issues aside I thoroughly enjoyed my week with the Ford Mustang Mach-E. It’s one of the best looking electric cars. It’s thrillingly quick. And it’s extremely practical.
Facts
Price: £74,540
0-62mph: 3.7 seconds
Top speed: 124mph
Range: 310 miles
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
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