2019 Ford Mustang Mach-E First Look

2019 Ford Mustang Mach-E First Look

How serious is Ford about electrifying the automobile? 11.5 billion into the development of 40 new BEVs, PHEVs and Hybrids. And the first of those pure battery-electric Fords is a stunner: the new 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, a 2-row SUV with a promised range of up to 300 miles. An electric Mustang SUV? As odd as it may seem, Ford has indeed built an electric Mustang SUV. Long story short, Ford didn鈥檛 want its first new-from-the-ground-up electric car (remember, the old Ranger EV and Focus EV were reconfigured gasoline models) to be just another bland 2-row crossover. Let鈥檚 take a closer look at this new 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, which just made its world debut in Los Angeles and goes on sale in the fall of 2020 in all 50 U.S. A key distinction: Ford considers the Mach-E to be a true Mustang SUV, not a Mustang-inspired SUV. Ford says the Mach-E鈥檚 standard 76-kWh battery will provide 240 miles of EPA range. A 99-kW extended-range battery pack also will be available, delivering over 300 miles of EPA range in rear-wheel-drive (RWD) models.

One thing鈥檚 guaranteed: This new electric Mustang SUV will be one fast pony. With the extended range battery, the all-wheel-drive Mach-E will produce 332 horsepower and 417 lb-ft of torque, meaning it should hit 60 mph more quickly than the base Porsche Macan. Although we don鈥檛 have specific numbers yet, two special performance versions of the Mustang Mach-E will be even quicker. The Mach-E GT, expected to arrive in the summer of 2021, should hit 60 mph in the less than 4 seconds, making it quicker than a Macan Turbo. A GT Performance Edition of the new Mach-E Mustang will rocket off the line even more quickly, hitting 60 mph in the mid 3-second range, a time comparable to the Porsche 911 GTS. Both high-performance Mach-E GTs are expected to produce 459 horsepower and a whopping 612 lb-ft of torque. The battery packs, built by Ford with pouch-style lithium-ion cells from LG Chem, are secured inside a waterproof case surrounded by crash-absorption material. For enhanced performance and improved charging, the battery packs are liquid-cooled. The standard pack, says Ford, has 288 cells. The larger battery pack, which weighs a substantial 1,280 pounds, has 376 individual cells.

The RWD Ford Mustang Mach-E relies on a single 210-kilowatt electric motor mounted between the rear wheel, while the AWD Mach-E also has a 50-kilowatt electric motor in front. The electric motors, which are oil-cooled for longevity, have been developed by Ford. Even when equipped with the front motor, the Mach-E Mustang has a trunk in front, accessible under the long hood. Note: This plastic-lined front trunk (or 鈥渇runk鈥?, which at 4.8 cubic feet is large enough for a compact roller bag, boasts a drain, which means it can be filled with ice and used as a cooler at your next tailgate. It鈥檚 the same size in the RWD and AWD models. The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a 5-seat SUV, and even though it has a sloping roofline the headroom in back is pretty good, enough for folks 6-foot-2 or shorter. Three across the back bench will be tight, but there鈥檚 an overall feeling of spaciousness inside this Mustang SUV, created in part by the long wheelbase and flat floor.

A handy console on the front floorboard has an upper shelf for phone charging and an open lower area that can swallow a couple of purses with ease. To minimize clutter, Ford, in a manner not unlike Tesla, has employed a large 15.5-inch portrait-oriented control screen on the Mach-E鈥檚 center stack. Ford says this highly configurable touch screen is human centric, not screen centric, their way of saying the interface gets easier as it learns driver tastes and tendencies. While we hope this is true, we鈥檙e pleased to see a knurled metal volume knob at the bottom of the screen. We also like having a gauge cluster in the traditional spot, right in front of the driver. It鈥檚 digital, it features all the requisite driving vitals, and it鈥檚 complemented by a fabric-covered double-brow sound bar that spans the width of the dash and evokes the early Mustangs. A nice touch, for sure. Mustangs have always been about beautiful proportions, and the Mach-E succeeds.