The Mustang Mach-e may be the most important car Ford has launched in a generation.
It’s the company’s first mainstream fully electric car. Drawing on the iconography of one of the most famous muscle cars of all time, the Mustang Mach-e aims to topple Tesla from its spot at the top of the electric car tree.
I was invited to Harrisons Ford dealership in Kirkcaldy to take the Mustang Mach-e out for a spin. In the flesh it’s a very handsome car, with a flowing, muscular stance and much better proportions than the slightly bulbous Tesla designs. Unlike the original Mustang, the Mach-e is an SUV.
Buyers can choose from a 76 or 99kWh battery, and from rear or four wheel drive. Prices start at just over £40,000 for the entry level rear wheel drive version with the smaller battery. Range is excellent too. Rear wheel drive models can cover 273 miles (smaller battery) or 379 miles (larger battery) according to official WLTP figures. For four-wheel drive models those figures are 249 and 336 miles.
That gives it one of the best ranges of any electric car currently on sale.
It’s not short on power either. With 266bhp on entry level models and up to 346bhp on higher spec versions even the slowest Mustang Mach-e does 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds. A 480bhp GT version costing £75,000 is due to join the range soon.
Inside there’s a clever 15.5in touchscreen that learns each driver’s preferences over time.
It’s very spacious and will comfortably seat five adults. There’s a 519 litre boot and 80 litres under the bonnet, with a divider for storing charge cables and a drain so you can wash out muddy kit.
I put it through a mixed route on the A92 and country lanes around Lochgelly and Aucthertool.
The Mustang Mach-e is easy and fun to drive. Plenty of power means it surges forward with a dab of the throttle, and there are various driving modes to play with. It will cruise easily at 70mph and handles very well for a car weighing more than two tonnes, thanks to a low centre of gravity.
The £40,000 Mustang Mach-e is a similar size to the £65,000 Jaguar I-Pace, better looking than the £80,000 Tesla Model X, and has a longer range than either of them.
Ford has absolutely nailed this one.
