Ford Mustang Mach-E - Electric motor, drive and performance
The Mustang Mach-E offers sharper steering and better body control than some rivals, while the GT model is blisteringly quick in a straight line
Anyone that drives an all-electric car for the first time will notice the instant acceleration on offer, with some family cars such as the Tesla Model 3 and Jaguar I-Pace delivering supercar-beating sprint times.
Ford has dialled things back slightly for the core Mustang Mach-E range, although it still packs enough performance to keep things interesting. The response from a flex of the right foot is still instantaneous, just not as brutally fast as some rivals - which is perhaps a good thing in a family SUV. We found the Mach-E still offered the most engaging drive, particularly on twisty B roads, compared to its Volkswagen ID.4 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 competitors.
There’s certainly enough power and straight line oomph to keep you firmly pressed into your seat, however. The Mach-E is also one of those rare gems that is able to cover ground quickly, with no loss in levels of refinement or comfort. The ride is maybe a little firm over the worst lumps and bumps, but that's only really felt at slower speeds.
The 480bhp GT model is a slightly different animal in a straight line, with its 860Nm of torque helping it to deliver real punchy performance. The GT also features Ford’s MagnaRide 2 adaptive suspension set-up and bigger 385mm Brembo brakes.
Ford has included three driving modes for the Mach-E: Active is the default setting, followed by the eco-focused Whisper mode, and Untamed which prioritises performance. Each one modifies the throttle and steering responses, along with changes to the cabin lighting. The Untamed setting also adds a fake V8 engine sound in the cabin, although the less said about that the better.
We found that throttle inputs when in Whisper mode were noticeably easier to manage and the delivery of power and torque was much smoother - it’s our favourite configuration.
0-62mph acceleration and top speed
An entry-level 265bhp Mustang Mach-E buys you a rear-wheel drive model with a 70kWh usable battery and a single electric motor. 0-62mph is taken care of in 6.9s, with all cars in the range limited to a top speed of 111mph.
Although lacking the sure-footedness of an AWD set-up, the base car offers more agility and just enough adjustability on the throttle through corners. Upgrading to the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Standard Range model brings an increase in torque - a whopping 580Nm instead of the RWD version’s 430Nm. Consequently, straight line performance improves with the 0-62mph benchmark covered in 6.3s.
The Extended Range RWD car utilises a bigger (91kWh usable) battery and is the slowest sprinter in the Mach-E lineup, taking 7.0s to reach 62mph from a standstill. Those seeking extra pace might be interested in the 346bhp Extended Range AWD model which takes just 5.8s, although the 480bhp Mach-E GT is seriously quick - capable of 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds.
