Ford and Tesla are locked in a heated electric battle for the best-selling, battery-powered cars. I was able to test drive Ford’s all-electric Mach-E Mustang Mach-E GT, its flagship all-wheel-drive Mustang Mach-E GT. It was a stunning vehicle.
It is brave to call the essentially an electric SUV crossover Mustang a Mustang, the legendary V8 petrol motor muscle car of the corporation.
The first Mach Es were great, but the new GT is better. I drove the new Mach-E GT, which was slightly more powerful, around the unspoiled Croatian region Istria.
It shifts. In addition to Whisper mode (for relaxed driving), Active (the default comfort setting) and Untamed (for a full-on sporty drive), there is now Untamed Plus for even more speed when on the track.
Sparks will fly: Ford’s Mustang Mach-E GT is Ford’s fastest-accelerating five-seater.
Ford has cunningly taken the best of the stylish, minimalist Tesla and added raw Ford passion to make it less purist, with some handy user friendly touches. These include a smaller screen located in front of the steering wheels.
The Mach-E GT is a fast car. The Mach-E GT’s dual electric motor and all-wheel drive allow it to reach 62mph in 3.7 seconds and reach a top speed at 125mph in 125mph. This Ford five-seater is the fastest-accelerating European five-seater, with 487hp. It isn’t quite as fast as Ford GT supercar but it does have 15% more torque than its lower-slung sibling.
It is also calibrated to deliver more power to rear wheels than other all-wheel-drive variants. Ford claims the front motor is independent and provides extra power and traction for the front-wheels, resulting in seamless acceleration and enhanced cornering ability.
I could definitely feel myself being pulled back into the cossetting seats like an astronaut during lift-off. But it’s a controlled power. It never feels overwhelming or scary.
It handles well on twisting mountain roads and feels taut and muscular. This is what you would expect from a sporty crossover with a powerful petrol or diesel engine.
However, the adaptive safety brake kicked in on a particularly tight downhill hairpin bend. This was approached at a judicious speed. Evidently, all the drivers involved in the launch felt the same. It could be that the settings were a bit too cautious or that there was a problem with early production cars.
Its versatility in different driving modes is excellent. The ‘active’ setting is great for general driving, and it’s a good combination when you want to combine cruising with some performance. Winding it up to ‘untamed’ takes it up a notch and is fun for a bit more driver involvement – but can be a bit wearing over time on a long journey. Switching between the two is my favorite plan.
It’s also long-legged on motorways, and it tootles well in town.
Charging to 80 per cent takes 45 minutes and all that will set you back from £65,080. There is ample storage, with 402 litres in the rear expanding to 1,470 litres with the rear seats down, plus another 100 litres in the front trunk. An app converts the smartphone to a key.
Ford wants to create an electric Mustang family that is more coupe-like, with a two-seater version or even a seven-seater.
Entry-level Mach-Es start at £41,330 for a rear-wheel-drive 294hp that accelerates from rest to 62 mph in 6.1 seconds, and a 351hp all-wheel-drive from £49,650 that covers the same ground in 5.1 seconds.
Orders for GT will arrive in the new year, and orders placed now will be fulfilled by spring.
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