We try life with the Ford Mustang Mach-E, testing space, power, range and comfort.
Let’s address the elephant in the room first: the famous Ford Mustang is now all-electric. Aficionados will associate the famous badge with high-powered muscle cars sporting huge, screaming engines. For the Mustang to simply whisper as it wafts down the road truly upsets some people. But times are changing, and the Mustang is moving along quietly into its electric future.
We have already reviewed the Mustang Mach-E on our website here, so instead of regurgitating the same points, we thought that we would take a different angle this time. We decided to see how the Mustang would fit into family life; school runs, midweek commute and a weekend drive through the beautiful Wicklow Mountains .
What is the Ford Mustang Mach-E?
The Mustang Mach-E that we had for the week was the Rear Wheel Drive Extended Range. It has a 91kWh usable battery for a WLTP range of 600km, which we would be sure to test out in full!
The car itself sits higher than a standard saloon, yet is not quite as bulky as a traditional SUV. It is still a big vehicle though, coming in at 4.7 metres long and a weight of 2.16 tonnes. But the sloping rear roof lends it a sleeker look than you might expect.
Interior Space
Interior space would be important for us during the week, as we would be using the car for lots of different activities. Despite the overall size of the Mustang, the boot is actually quite small at 322 litres. This is a good bit smaller than the 380 litres available in the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo that we tested a couple of months ago, which is a much smaller vehicle. On paper at least, that’s pretty disappointing, but would it make much of a difference to our lives with the car?
We commuted to Dublin from Drogheda three times in the week. For that, the Mustang was superfluous in size. We did put a fold-up bike in the boot one time, which we were then able to use for going the last 5km through Dublin City Centre. The Mustang swallowed up the bike easily, and the higher loading level made it easy to get in and out.
The real challenge was with family life. We put the baby seat and child seat in to test it out on the school run. In terms of interior space for passengers, the Mustang does very well. There is generous legroom in the back. This can be really important when you add in baby seats. I was able to have my driver’s seat in a comfortable position, and leave enough legroom for the toddler in the back. I’m 6ft 2” so that is a bit of a luxury in the cars that we test!
I wasn’t looking forward to loading up the boot. But in the end, the Mustang easily took a large buggy, kids scooter and a couple of overnight bags. Also, let’s not overlook the Mustang’s very impressive frunk, which expands overall capacity by 100 litres. It’s great to have a separate area for storage. Also, the frunk has a drain hole, making it a great place to store mucky kids wellies or a smelly take-away on a Friday night! When you’re done, just wash it out with a hose!
So despite the small amount of space on paper, it made no difference to our lives during the week. In fact, using the frunk made it a bit easier!
What range does the Mustang have?
We collected the Mustang on a 100% charge. Although the WLTP range is 600km, the on-board computer was suggesting a much more conservative 400km. Over the course of the week, we racked up about 500km, and didn’t need to charge at all! Considering that we did a lot of motorway driving, this was very impressive indeed.
The battery is nearly 100kWh, 91kWh of which is usable. We averaged 16kWh per 100km during the week, which would make a theoretical range of about 569km. If you consider that the average Irish car does 17,000km per year, the Mustang would only need to be charged 30 times. And if you had a competitive night-rate for electricity, that would cost around €350 to €400 for the year!
Is the Mustang Mach-E comfortable?
In a word, yes! It is very comfortable actually. The RWD version we had was on the smaller wheels with big squishy tyres to iron out all the bumps and uneven surfaces on the road. It also takes ramps very well. There is very good travel in the suspension so when you happen upon a ramp that’s bigger than you expected, the Mustang takes it with ease. In fact, it puts many SUVs to shame in this regard!
At any speed, the cabin is quiet thanks to good sound insulation, both in terms of road and wind noise. But most cars at this price point will do that. The electric drivetrain eliminates the noise, vibration and jerkiness that you would normally get with a combustion engine. What elevates the Mustang is the superb Cruise Control system. It is equipped with Adaptive Cruise Control, which means that the car will control accelerating and braking for you as you follow along with traffic. But it goes further than that, as the Mustang will largely steer for you on the Motorway, following the bends in the road. On longer journeys such as Galway – Dublin or Belfast – Cork this is incredibly welcome. You arrive at your destination a lot less tired!
How much is the Mustang Mach-E?
We grew to love the Mustang over the week that we had it, and were not happy at all to be handing it back. But would we run out and buy one tomorrow? Possibly not. The main reason comes down to price. The Mustang Mach-E starts off at €66,667 for the smaller 70kWh variant, which is quite a bit of money. The car we were testing costs €78,000, and you are up to €94,000 to get into the GT version.
The Mach-E does a lot to compete with some of the premium brands that are asking similar prices. In fact, it may well out-do them on some parts of the scorecard. However, there is a lot of competition out there at the moment. For those that are a bit more price sensitive, the Tesla Model Y Long Range will deliver a mere 20km less range, accelerate much faster and have a vastly superior 854 litres of cargo space, and all for around €24,000 less than the car we were testing . The likes of the Skoda Enyaq, Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5 may also offer better value to some customers.
Overall thoughts
We were hugely impressed with the Mustang Mach-E. We found it to be very comfortable and as fast as needs be. The Cruise Control system is so good that we could see it being a deciding factor for some people. Although the boot size is disappointing on paper, it never once annoyed us and we were able to go about life easily while commuting and moving around two young children.
If you are seeking some value for money, there are probably better options out there. But if you have the few quid spare then this has to be on your shortlist. Is really is one of the most enjoyable cars we’ve driven in recent years.
We have loads of reviews on our YouTube channel, so if you are thinking about buying a car soon then check those out! Likewise if you are looking to renew your car insurance any time soon then be sure to get an AA Car Insurance quote online!
