Ford All-Electric Mach-E: a “Mustang” in name only

Ford engineering executives took part in teleconferencing tournaments this fall to support the company’s first mass market EV, which will be built in Mexico, with global sales expected to be around 50,000 in the first year. They explained how, at the end of the design phase, Vice President Jim Farley (now CEO) sent the team back to the drawing boards with the order to do the project I no longer called Mustang-ish – laughing windshield, faster hatch , black- C-pillar – until finally someone suggested they call it just a Mustang.

Really? Did this four-door hatchback with the bod father scream Mustang at the driver? That’s … surprising. Ford executors repeat this story as if it were not a parable of creative laziness.

Don’t be a killjoy. Some of the Mustang’s themed features are charming: three-bar taillights; illuminated mustang logo galloping in the nose (GT cutout and above). The three modes of operation are “Whisper”, “Employment” and “Unbridled”. Oh, darling! The latter mode corresponds to a typical sporty mode, putting a sharper edge on the acceleration response and adding weight to the feeling of direction. Unbridled mode also allows a certain amount of wheel rotation, both on the front and rear axles, so you can ride a little … sorry.

Idiomatic note: in cars on the British market, the sport mode is called Untamed. Grrr. Not a word about the upholstery with a torn corset.

Beneath the floorboards are bag-type lithium-ion battery packs, arranged in either 68- or 88-kWh packages (standard and extended range), for which LG Chem has to charge a fairly large penny. The basic MSRP comes in at $ 42,895 (RWD, 230 miles) before any federal, state or local incentives. Our version with two engines, all-wheel drive, with a larger battery (range of 270 miles) had a solid prize of $ 56,200. It’s $ 6,300 more than the Y Long Range AWD.

Talk about nostalgia. Mach-E’s low price reflects Ford’s repeated insistence that, among its other wonders, the program must generate a profit from the gate. Why? It took years of investment and rivers of red ink until Tesla turned the corner on profitability.

Ford’s primary endeavor, while worthy in many ways, is not in the Teslas range, support for fast charging, refinement, brand value and driver assistance. So where does Ford get more revenue from? This needs a $ 10,000 haircut.

Notwithstanding monthly payments, Mach-E feels great. The cabin is bright and airy (thanks to the panoramic roof along its entire length), buttoned and cleverly arranged. The centerpiece of the interior, the 15.5-inch vertical touch screen, is a sight to behold, like a printed edition of the infotainment. It is loaded with the latest version of Ford’s SYNC 4A interface, which works quite well. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging … you know the drill.

The EV mechanism is serene and refined, slow or fast. However, against the acoustic background of an engine and the missing transmission, the remaining sources of cabin noise – the screaming of tires, the wind around the exterior mirrors – can make their way through the well-ordered hum. If the silence becomes too great, drivers can activate a synthesized performance sound that swells in the cab, rising and falling in tune with the torque. Some people call me Space Cowboy, yes …

Mach-E also offers the selectable option of driving with a single pedal, which increases the traction / deceleration regression of the vehicle under running to the point where drivers rarely have to apply the brake pedal. It works great. The only problem I had behind the wheel was the slight touch of the brake pedal in two-pedal mode.

Ford can be correctly understood for the exploitation of the Mustang brand, but also the gambling with it, I bet the new car is charismatic enough to change the generational conversation, from track bars and five-speed Tremec to amps and watts.

In this work Mach-E has a natural ally: acceleration. With a fun function from 0 to 60, ranging from 6.1 seconds (Extended Range, RWD) to 3.5 seconds targeted (GT Performance Edition eAWD), even the slowest Mach-E will firm up, sing and whistle on a whim or whistle. Our AWD Extended Range tester – with 346 hp and 428 lb-ft of front and rear electronic engines – could rise to 60 mph in less than five seconds. Maybe they named him Zephyr.

On the highways, our garnet red tester has grown effortlessly to take advantage of traffic openings, a towless device that takes advantage of the standing gases around us. Mach-E reserves to exceed the V delta do not begin to run out until about 90 mph.

If Mach-E actually makes converts – if that old-school Mustang fan wandered into a showroom, scratching his belly, thinking of Mach-E, right? What the hell, I’m going to give it a go – it will be in those first few miles of test drive, when they experience fine control torque, the zero-lag acceleration response that makes electric vehicles feel so fast.

For efficiency reasons, gas Mustangs usually move in a state of semi-drowsiness – in high gear, at low speeds, with a fully sedated throttle response. But suppose there is a sudden issue of honor and you have to throw it down. From the moment you hit the pedal, it can take several hundred milliseconds for a gas engine to move from the turbos to the output shaft. Meanwhile, a concatenation of clutches, gears, shafts and axles must be quickly reorganized by their electromechanical owners.

At that point, Mach-E is already putting couples down. Mustang people might like that.

2021 FORD MUSTANG MACH-E ER EAWD

Base price: $ 49,700 ($ 7,500 tax credit available)

Price, as tested: $ 56,200

Power group: Alternating current synchronous motors with permanent magnet mounted on the front and rear axle; 88 kWh lithium-ion battery pack; AWD

Power / Torque: 346 CP / 428 lb-ft

Length / width / height / wheelbase: 185.6 / 74.1 / 64.0 / 117.5 inches

Weight: 4,838 pounds

0-60 mph: 4.8 seconds

DC fast charge: Up to 150 kW

EPA Estimated Range: 270 miles

Loading space: 29.7 cu. ft.

Write to Dan Neil at [email protected]

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