New Ford Mustang Mach-E Ride Review

New Ford Mustang Mach-E Ride Review

Sitting in the back of a camouflaged Mach-E as it鈥檚 driven around an airfield on the outskirts of Los Angeles is a surreal experience, but it does give a taste of what this all-new, pure-electric SUV has to offer. When it goes on sale at the end of 2020, it鈥檒l be offered with both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive as well as two battery options. The first thing that really strikes you about being a passenger in the Mach-E is how much space there is. Even with the optional fixed glass roof, there鈥檚 room for someone well over six-foot to stretch out, even when sat behind a tall driver. It鈥檚 usefully more spacious than Jaguar I-Pace, for instance. It shifts, too. Ford claims 0-62mph in under seven seconds for this Mach-E variant, but it feels way faster than that; the trademark, instant punch of electric acceleration never more shocking than as a passenger. There aren鈥檛 any claimed 0-30mph times yet, but we鈥檇 say it鈥檚 got to be substantially under the three-second mark for this variant. The suspension on the prototype car feels quite stiffly sprung yet well damped. There鈥檚 not much body-roll, even through a heartily-driven slalom course, and while expansion joints send a noticeable thump through the car, it doesn鈥檛 feel brittle or jarring. Ford has gone to great lengths to try and make this SUV live up to the controversial Mustang badge. While the concept of such an iconic performance badge being on an SUV is going to irk plenty of enthusiasts, even from the back seats the Mach-E does have a sense of being fun. Is it good enough to justify the pony on its nose, and to warrant the famous Mustang becoming a brand more than a model? That judgement call will have to wait until we鈥檝e driven the finished article.

When viewed from a rear three-quarter or hard side angle, the improvement is hard to miss. Problem is, neither is that new and much larger circular emblem. Lights: The eyes have it and up front, the headlights are a nod to the 1970 Mustang, though the twin stacked vent/turn signal has been positioned to the inside of the light, instead of on the outside corner. At the rear, Ford has wisely kept the traditional three-bar vertical arrangement, but added another retro twist: The LEDs inside fire sequentially when the turn signal is engaged. Aero: While much of the new styling was done to keep the retro feel, Ford stylists also wanted to improve aerodynamics and reduce wind noise. So they also made a number of subtle tweaks that you'd have to look hard to see. For instance, the radio antenna, which used to be up front by the A-pillar, has now been moved to the rear fender.

Side mirrors were heavily reworked, while the windshield wipers were made flatter and squirters moved from the top of the hood to under the rear edge. Interior: Second only to the exterior changes is what Ford's design team did with the interior. While it's not quite an Extreme Makeover, Mustang Edition in here, the changes are sweeping and noticeable right from the start. As with the exterior, there was no drastic change in the styling direction of the interior. It's still an exercise in contrast. Our GT had black dash and door surfaces, offset by tastefully executed aluminum panels and chromed plastic trim rings. Gone is the creaky, hard plastic dash. In its place is a much softer, one-piece unit molded from thermoplastic olefin (TPO). Ford claims going from multipiece to single and hard plastic to TPO cures the creaks and squeaks of the previous Mustang. We won't know until we spend more time with the car, but at the very least, the new panel is much nicer underhand. Other upgrades: the e-brake handle appears less bulky and is positioned back a touch.

A/C vents are now circular at the sides and rectangular above the radio/HVAC controls (both of which feature much nicer buttons and knobs). Cruise control buttons are now joined by audio controls on the steering wheel, flanking a much classier metallic galloping horse emblem (which replaces the cheap plastic GT disk). Another pleasant touch, there is now a hood release button just ahead of the shift lever. Tech: As with much of the Ford lineup, Mustang receives Sync -- the voice-activated communication and entertainment system Ford developed with Microsoft. Bluetooth connectivity is now an option as well. Mustangs can now be had with dual zone climate control as well as a reverse camera. Like all new Fords, refueling is made a bit easier with the EasyFuel capless fuel-filler system. Last but not least, Mustang now has AdvanceTrac electronic stability control standard on all models. On GT Premium models, Ford says this system offers a unique calibration that allows for more spirited (read: sideways) driving. The system supposedly allows for burnouts too.