An electric vehicle foreshadows a future when range is secondary to how you drive it, and the Ford Mustang Mach-E is our EV of the year.
The Mustang Mach-E was named Car of the Year, given the title of Car and Driver, for its power, stability and range. If a car maker wants to turn people from electric skeptics to electric evangelists, it’s hard to imagine a better car for the job than the Mustang Mach- E. It’s signed by Ford, comes in the familiar shape and size of crossovers that people love, at a price that rivals gas-powered alternatives, and with an eye-catching design. The Mustang Mach-E has range and charging speed to eliminate the most vocal criticism of EV electrification,
And thanks to Electrify America ‘s recent work, there is a nationwide freight network that makes long-distance interstate flights not only possible but affordable. For new EV converts, the Mustang Mach-E experience isn’t much different from driving a gasoline-powered SUV, which sounds exotic, yet the experience is futuristic enough to be exciting. It’s the right vehicle to bring drivers through this watershed moment as electric vehicles transition from the right alternative to the new normal.
Ford and beyond?
Best of all, the Mustang Mach-E is fun . It moves us beyond the argument that we should drive electric vehicles because they are better for the environment and suggests a simpler and more fundamental truth: Electric vehicles can be just as rewarding to drive as their gas counterparts. The Mustang Mach-E strikes a fine balance between functionality and gusto, landing in the space that Mazda often works in. Ford built an electric car for kids’ hauls, Costco runs, and the daily commute, but that doesn’t strip the spirit of driving.
You don’t attack a road in a Mustang. You set a fast pace and find the flow in a smooth plateau of torque as you switch between acceleration from foot to ground and fine-tuning of regenerative braking while driving with a single pedal. The all-wheel drive and large battery version also produces 346 horsepower and hits 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. On the city streets, harnessing this power is exhilarating. Also, the Mustang Mach-E rolls out of 25mph corners and zips through slow delivery trucks. And the payment arrives as quickly as your foot can request.
Ford adds drama with a synthetic soundtrack of a massive engine roar that’s been turned into a distorted sound. The streaming audio doesn’t read like a combustion engine and it’s not exactly sci-fi stuff either. But based on how many drivers were satisfied with keeping audio enabled, it seems Ford has gotten the closest of any automaker to figuring out what an electric car should look like.
Why Ford Mustang Mach-E
Unlike many nose-heavy gas competitors, this family crossover is surprisingly neutral if you push the speed into corners, and the fast steering puts the Mustang Mach-E exactly where you want it. Mounted with an 88.0 kWh battery underground, the body stays flat and passengers stay upright as the car sways around bends as if planted like a hundred-year-old oak. On Michigan’s nastier roads, though, the Mach-E bounces in a way reminiscent of other Mustangs, whether two-door or four-legged. Ride quality is the only aspect that Ford sometimes lets us down on.
The Mach-E cruises on a 70 mph highway with noticeable isolation. For passengers, the outside world feels like a 68dB breeze. The seats are very comfortable, and the driving position accurately divides the difference between a car and a crossover. You sit relatively high in the high position many buyers want, yet your legs extend out in front of you, as in a car, thanks to the battery under the floor. Rear seat space is ample, and the deep luggage rack is roomy despite the fastback roofline.
Ford Mustang Mach-E design
Ford apparently borrowed some ideas from Tesla: a fixed panoramic glass roof, funky door handles, and a vertical center screen. While these highlights aren’t particularly original, Ford has managed to make cabin design feel fresh without resorting to gimmicks or trying to pass cost-cutting measures as innovation as Tesla does. And unlike the Model Y, for example, there is no learning curve for driving Mach-E. The gear selector does not double as a cruise control switch, as on the Teslas. There is a simple instrument cluster in the driver’s field of view. And if we have to live with touch screens in our cars, they all have to be that big. The 15.5-inch Mach-E screen replaces the virtual buttons so that they are easy to click, and the interface is logically designed.
All of these strengths would be moot if the Mach-E did not have enough range to buy. According to EPA estimates, Ford is good for 270 miles on a full charge, and at 75 mph in our hands, it was only 20 miles away from that number. In our car and driver range tests, only the Tesla Model S covered it with more space. It’s no coincidence that the Model S is the only electric car currently on sale with a larger battery.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Winner Of C&D 2021 EV Of The Year AwardThe publication chose the Ford Mustang Mach-E as its 2021 EV of the Year, which comes as no surprise since it’s one of the most compelling new entrants in the space, plus it’s a Mustang!
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