MOTORS: Ford Mustang Mach-E is a triple crown champion with a dual personality
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It seems like a contradiction – the name shouts classic muscle car but the tell-tale green label on the number plate shows there’s an environment-saving electric motor under the surface.
In fact this Ford Mustang has not just one but two electric motors to give it power to all four wheels and confidence on the open road.
This car has a dual personality mixing misty-eyed memories of Steve McQueen throwing his burbling green machine through, round and over the streets of San Francisco in the 1968 ultimate car chase film Bullitt with the latest clean electric powertrain.
It is a remarkable car, not least for its breathtaking £66,000 price tag, but also for the fact that it holds not just one, but three Guinness World Records, on a 840-mile drive from John O’Groats to Lands End, for the least amount of energy used, the shortest overall charge time and making only one brief charging stop on the 27-hour journey at an average speed of 31mph.
It was a remarkable achievement and helped prove that electric cars are not just for short trips across town, but with careful planning can also make long cross-country journeys.
The featured test car was in Premium spec with extended range which means that somewhere over 300 miles should be possible on a full charge, depending on the conditions, whether you’re switching on lights, wipers, air con or heating and how heavy you are with your right foot.
Inevitably comparisons are being made with the Tesla but the Mach-E is more engaging to drive, has more personality and stands out more than the Tesla, which I think looks bland as it becomes more commonplace on the road.
Driving it is effortless with three driving modes – Active is the default, while Whisper is more eco-focused and Untamed prioritises performance. All three alter the accelerator and steering responses, as well as changing the cabin lighting and for a bit of fun, the Untamed setting adds a fake V8 engine sound through the cabin. One pedal drive activates the regenerative braking and with careful use, the left pedal can be virtually disregarded with the car coming to a complete stop just by lifting the throttle.
While the interior is superbly finished, it looks fairly spartan, because almost everything is controlled through the huge central 15.5 inch tablet-style touchscreen, which dominates the interior. The driver’s display screen is small and shallow with only basic range and speed information but that is all you need.
Standard equipment is comprehensive and the test car came with heated powered front seats and steering wheel, wireless device charging pad, adaptive cruise control, rear view camera, 10-speaker B&O audio system with dashboard sound bar, panoramic glass roof and powered tailgate. The only option on the test car was the Space White paintwork which added £800 to the not-insubstantial price tag.
Externally, there are no door handles. You press a power button on the door pillars and it opens automatically but it’s a bit disconcerting for anyone who’s used to a conventional handle. There’s even a set of digital numbers built into the pillar which means you can still open the Mach-E if you’ve forgotten your keys.
A rapid charger should boost your battery to 80 per cent in less than an hour but a standard home wall unit will take an overnight charge to do the same.
With a flat floor in the back, interior space for passengers is generous and while the rear boot isn’t the biggest, there’s a bonus bin under the bonnet for the charging cables.
Some of the buttons on the steering wheel are familiarly Ford but I was delighted that a simple double-click turns off the irritating lane departure system and I love the quirky line below the digital speedo.
You may feel like you’re flying but it cheekily reads “ground speed”.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD Extended Range 1-Speed auto
PRICE: £65,405 (£66,205 as tested)
ENGINE: Twin 91kWh electric motors, four-wheel drive
POWER: 351 PS
TORQUE: 580 Nm
TOP SPEED: 111mph
0-62mph: 5.8 secs
RANGE: 341 miles
