The Mustang Mach-E is Ford’s first dedicated, from-the-ground-up electric vehicle. Unlike the Mustang muscle car, the Mach-E is a five-passenger SUV with available all-wheel drive. Its combination of style, practicality, and a fun-to-drive nature makes it one of the most enjoyable EVs on the market.
Like most EVs, the Mach-E is quick off the line, even if it has a bit less of a snap-your-head-back sensation than a Tesla Model Y. It has plenty of giddyup, though, as evidenced by its sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, and it provides a seemingly effortless forward shove anytime you step on the accelerator pedal. The “Unbridled” drive-mode, one of three available settings, adds artificial engine sounds if you need more excitement.
The version we purchased, with an 88-kilowatt-hour extended-range battery and all-wheel drive, has an EPA-rated 270-mile range. For 2023, Premium models with the extended-range battery are EPA-rated for 290 miles of range; we saw 299 miles in our own 70-mph highway range test. That’s decent for an EV but short of the Model Y’s 326-mile range, its most direct rival. It takes over 10 hours to charge the Mach-E’s battery from near empty through a 240-volt connection. Owners can plug into a 14-50 NEMA type outlet using the supplied mobile charging cord and avoid investing in a home charger.
Handling is taut and agile, with quick steering and minimal body lean, which makes it good fun to take the Mach-E through fast corners. Although the ride is rather firm and it gets choppy on rougher roads, it’s not punishing like the Model Y, and it stays mostly settled.
Taking a page from Tesla’s playbook, the Mach-E’s dashboard is dominated by a giant 15.5-inch vertical touch screen that provides audio, phone, and climate functions, as well as finding public charging stations. It takes time to get familiar with all the menus, and even popping the power liftgate is a three-step adventure through the screen. We also don’t like the two-step, push-button door latches, which are fussy and gimmicky to use.
The driving position is roomy, aided by a low center console and well-padded armrests. The front seats are plush, but would benefit from larger side bolsters and more thigh support. The rear seat is mostly spacious with good headroom, though foot space under the front seats is a bit tight. We found the seatback comfortable, but the flat bottom cushion could use more contouring to give better leg support.
All Mach-Es come with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, and automatic high beams. The BlueCruise active driving assistance system is available.