Ford wants to reconcile tradition and the electric present and is naming its first pure electric car after its sports car legend Mustang. But for all its nostalgia, the Mustang Mach-E is above all an SUV in a coupé dress.
After a long deep sleep, a giant car suddenly woke up. The first handsome electric car from Ford is packed in a dress made of SUV with a sporty slant, garnished with optical attributes of the classic sports car Mustang, from which the new Mach-E inherited its first name. More than a year has passed since the world premiere on two continents, until the Ami is now ready to start and test in Germany.
The Mustang is a pretty normal SUV. Granted, one of the special kind that the designers have given some typical features of the real Mustang, for example the radiator grille, the front wheel arches that bulge into the bonnet and the extravagant rear lights.
It's not just the engine that is electric
The reference to the classic is almost a blasphemy for the real fans of a Mustang, for the marketing specialists at Ford a welcome sales aid to attract skeptical lateral thinkers in electronics. The logo with the galloping wild horse is even allowed to displace the Ford plum on the front and rear of the Stromer. The paper form sounds impressive: Depending on the size of the battery, the Ford delivers a reasonable range of a good 400 kilometers up to 610 kilometers, thanks to its mid-range size of 4,71 meters, it does not get stuck even in narrow old towns in Europe and can dock with fast charging stations. And attracts with good basic equipment with significantly more moderate prices than the similarly sized electric SUVs from Mercedes, Audi or Jaguar.
Nice gag when you get in. When you press a discreet button in the center pillar, a kind of door handle slides out of the smooth side skin; at the rear entrances with a button on the C-pillar, these even jump open a hand's breadth without handles. Later, a smartphone will replace the analog fingers crossed. The huge central monitor is extremely modern. The classic displays are limited to a flat rectangular display behind the steering wheel. For 62.900 euros there is all-wheel drive thanks to two motors with a total of 258 kW / 351 hp, which get their feed from a battery pack with 88 kW / h, which should be enough for a 540 kilometer ride. Of course only when trotting, when galloping it is naturally considerably less.
If the German rivals mostly name their various driving programs “Eco”, “Comfort” or “Sport”, Ford gets creative. "Tame", "Active" or "Temperamental" is written on the three buttons on the mega monitor. Since the personal mode is infected by the model name "Mustang" and the test track leads straight to the motorway, the temperament comes into play. If the sound button on the touchscreen is activated beforehand, there's something for your ears in the interior. Depending on the position of the accelerator pedal, an amazingly real eight-cylinder noise swells up and down. The acousticians mixed a perfect fake sound. Don't worry, the environment will be spared.
You can tell the horsepower
Later on the flat country roads through the Brandenburg area around Berlin, the tame attitude comes into play. Sovereign and almost silent gliding, the navigation system converts the speed limits detected by the camera into the activated distance radar. So the Mustang at the town sign sometimes braces itself very vigorously against the danger of the radar traps lurking everywhere. Other manufacturers can do this better, where the navigation system looks further ahead and already adheres to the limit on the sign.
Despite its 2,1 tons, the Mach-E also cuts a fine figure in the curve twist. Batteries sunk deep into the floor of the car ensure a low center of gravity and, together with the usual assistance system, make it easier to get around in a stable manner. It is helpful that the electronics always deliver the drive power to the axle where it is needed. Fans of the old Mustang school may find the chassis or steering too gentle. Future “riders” will in any case prefer to enjoy the comfort and lightness of foot than the contact between the accelerator pedal and the floor pan. E-drivers are different.
The Ford can do that, if you let him. The sprint of 100 km / h is completed in just under six seconds, the enormous, jerk-free pulling power enables low-risk overtaking in the electric age. The Mach-E only switches off the electricity at 180 km / h. So if you are in a hurry, you will not be lost in Mach-E. However, the intended target should not be too far away, because when romping around, the range display counts down rapidly. Charging is then carried out on a "fast" column with up to 150 kW. The aim is to bring the battery back into shape from 45 to 10 percent of its "tank content" after a 80-minute stop.
The short list of surcharges is encouraging. Since the Mach-E is already well set up, there are only two packages. The smaller one for 2.000 euros includes a 500-watt sound system with ten loudspeakers, a 360-degree camera or an electrically opening tailgate. Package 2 for another 1.000 euros more also includes a panoramic roof. The assistance systems and the various details that serve to network with the digital environment are always in series. The Ford gets its updates via WLAN or its own SIM card and offers its own app for various remote controls (e.g. windows, charging or preheating the interior).
Welcome to the present is the new motto of the long hesitant giant from the USA. The new Mach-E only serves as the first fragrance brand. Since Ford will soon be able to use the VW electrical kit, more electric vehicles will follow for Europe. For example, a smaller SUV coupe between Fiesta and Focus.
Technical data
Five-door mid-range SUV with five doors; Length: 4,71 meters, width (without exterior mirrors): 1,88 meters, height: 1,62 meters, wheelbase: 2,98 meters, trunk volume: 402 - 1.420 liters at the rear + 81 liters at the front, empty weight: from 2.182 kg
Two electric motors, 258 kW / 351 PS, maximum torque: 580 Nm. All-wheel drive, lithium-ion battery with 88 kWh (net) consisting of 376 lithium-ion cells; Range according to WLPT: 540 km, maximum charging power: 150 kW, charging time from 10 to 80 percent: 45 minutes. 1-speed automatic, 0-100 km / h: 5,8 s, Vmax: 180 km / h (limited); Standard consumption (WLTP) 18,7 kWh / 100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 0 g / km, efficiency class: A +, price: from 62.900 euros
With 68 kWh battery (net), 198 kW / 269 PS, 400 km range and 115 kW charging power from 54.000 euros.
With rear-wheel drive: an electric motor, 198 kW / 269 PS (68 kWh battery) or 216 kW / 294 PS (88 kWh battery). Range: 440 km or 610 km, maximum torque: 430 Nm. Prices: 46.900 euros or 54.475 euros.
In brief
Why: An impressive electric car with good equipment
Why not: Because a “real” Mustang cannot be replaced
What else: VW ID 4 and all the other e-mobiles. In addition to that, the high-flyer of the Mustang with the abbreviation GT, which will appear later. It shows off with 358 kW / 487 hp and can spurt to 100 km / h in four seconds.
When does he come? Good to have
