Joining the Ford lineup is one of the biggest product launches of the year: the 2021 Mustang Mach-E. The electric crossover, with deliveries set for December, launches with a First Edition trim. Additional trims, with various power setups and drivetrain layouts and ranges, will follow in 2021. The Mach-E’s Mustang DNA is obvious, with not-so-subtle design elements including a pony logo on the front and tribar taillights that blink sequentially. We’ve collected and highlighted some early Mach-E reviews from the automotive media.
“The drive experience is exceptional. Ford decided late in the game to put the subframes intended just for the GT models into all the Mach-E’s, giving them much more latitude while tuning the suspension, and dialing in a rear-drive bias that performance car enthusiasts crave. When unleashing the torque, it feels confident and manageable, with those brief white-knuckle moments to keep things lively and interesting for drivers capable of safely pushing cars to their limits. Its low-mounted battery, with its low center of gravity, helps you carve up the turns all day, and the battery always seems able to deliver the acceleration you desire. So no, it’s not a literal Mustang, but in my book, it earns the badge.”
— Eric Adams,
“Probably the best decision I made in getting to know the Mach-E was to turn off the propulsion sounds before I left the driveway. I tried them later on, and it sounds all kinds of fake, a bit like a sample of induction engine noise overdubbed and mixed with Pole Position car sounds. And the more you get to know the vehicle, the more they’re completely out of character for the Mach-E.
Once I started filtering out this extreme branding experience and focused on just enjoying the car, things got much, much better. With my choice of leaving the one-pedal driving out of the mix for now and getting a feel for the rest of the car first, the Mach-E sprang forward from stop lights with quiet authority. Speed builds effortlessly in the Mach-E, but I felt it was easy to modulate with the rather long-travel, precise accelerator.”
— Bengt Halvorson, Green Car Reports
“The normal Ford Mustang’s M.O. is pretty straightforward: It’s meant to deliver balanced handling with power that has the capability to overwhelm the rear end. To that end, my First Edition tester holds the party line. With about 332 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque, there’s definitely enough go-juice, but with the majority of the powertrain’s heft located as low as possible, it takes a whole lot of brute manhandling to unsettle the Mach-E. As expected, the instantaneous electric torque makes for exciting starts, but it’s not enough to rip a toupee off an owner’s scalp. Even in its sharpest vehicle mode, there’s still plenty of sensible right-pedal modulation on offer, making it easy to power out of one corner and into the next.
Aside from the exciting starts, the Mach-E feels somewhat tame, as if Ford is aiming for more of a grand-touring-style experience. The suspension’s standard fixed dampers err toward softness, with a bit of body roll in corners and a surprisingly well-cushioned ride on the highway.”
— Andrew Krok, Roadshow by CNET
“The AWD Mach-E I drove for an afternoon stuck to the road like 2½ tons of metal on Pirelli rubber, which is exactly what it was.
My car’s 4,838-pound curb weight made itself felt in incipient push around fast curves and traffic circles, despite the SUV’s sporty 49/51 front/rear weight distribution.
Mass isn’t easily destroyed, unless you’re Richard Oppenheimer, but an adaptive magnetic ride suspension on the performance models coming this summer should at least make some of that weight disappear in enthusiastic driving.”
— Mark Phelan,
“Ford says it has gone to great lengths to make the Mach-E a real Mustang in its driving feel. It’s been several years since we’ve been behind the wheel of any other ‘Stang, so we can’t compare directly. But the stiff structure and long wheelbase for its length give it a good ride, while the low weight of a 98-kilowatt-hour battery pack (88 kWh usable) keep it stuck to the road.
Behind the wheel, even in Whisper mode, the electric steering feels heavy against that of EVs from Asian makers. And while the targeted acceleration of 5.5 seconds from 0 to 60 mph is swift, it’s far from explosive as a Tesla Performance model is. For that, we have to wait for the upcoming Mach-E GT versions, now scheduled to hit the market at the end of next summer, with promised 0-to-60-mph acceleration times of less than 4 seconds.
The one-pedal driving, right down to a full stop, is easy to learn and predictable. We detected a very slight lag after lifting off the accelerator before it kicked in. A Tesla has slightly faster on/off, which allows more precise modulation. That said, it didn’t interfere with our enjoyment and the blending of regenerative and friction braking was absolutely seamless.”
— John Voelcker, Charged EVs Magazine
“Let’s start with the good stuff: the Mach-E is an absolute dream to drive. The handling was balanced and controlled. The acceleration was impressive without feeling showy or dangerous.
There are three driving modes named Whisper, Engage and Unbridled. Each offers specific changes to the driving experience such as steering tweaks, varied pedal feel, gauge-cluster graphics and specifically tuned sound. When I first picked up the car, it was already in Unbridled mode, which is described as the most aggressive driving style.
I really enjoyed the sportiness of this driving mode, but my wife said it made her feel nauseous, so I toggled between Engage and Whisper for most of my time with the car. Engage is said to be the mode that feels most like a Mustang, with tight steering and punchy acceleration. Like Goldilocks, I found it to be just right.”
— Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge
“There are three selectable drive modes. (Ford calls them Whisper, Engage and Unbridled, but we prefer to think of them as Eco, Comfort and Sport.) The sportiest allows one-pedal driving but is maybe too prone to wheelspin, as we discovered when our test drive coincided with some cold, damp fall weather. But all-wheel-drive burnouts strike us as on-brand for a Mustang in the Hoonicorn (and Mach-E 1400) era. We found it to be perfectly competent during a few laps of a parking-lot autocross course that Ford set up for us, although the car’s prodigious weight was evident, particularly in the slalom section.
Unlike the V-8 coupes, the Mustang Mach-E doesn’t traffic in barely sublimated danger. It’s quiet inside, and there’s not so much as a jostle or bump through the steering column no matter how bad the road. The ride is magic-carpet smooth, the isolation almost complete. This is its own kind of triumph in an EV, where the lack of a melodious engine can magnify wind and road noise. And plenty of drivers — especially crossover drivers — are perfectly happy to be isolated from the road. But when we think Mustang, hushed serenity isn’t what comes to mind.”
— Annie White,
“Despite the unpredictable brake feel, up on the same roads where I had tested a Tesla Model Y Performance earlier this year, the Mustang Mach-E felt like a true Mustang. Despite its all-season tires (summers are optional for $250), steering was quick and accurate, and the chassis felt remarkably neutral in the same way a good rear-drive driver’s car is.
Unlike its gas-powered siblings, the Mustang Mach-E is easy to steer with the throttle: crank the wheel through a long sweeper, then come off the throttle a touch before hammering back on it and feeling the rear end step out in a controlled fashion, helping get the nose pointed quickly and lined up for the next corner. Try that in a normal Mustang, and you’re bound to wind up facing the direction from whence you came.
The Mach-E’s suspension tuning is top notch, too. It isn’t easy to manage nearly 5,000 pounds of batteries and steel, yet the only time the suspension lets you feel the weight it’s managing is in tight back-to-back hairpins or after hitting a major midcorner bump. Otherwise, the ride manages to be sporty while also remaining supple and composed — a balance Tesla hasn’t managed to pull off in the Model Y. It’s also worth noting that at launch, every Mach-E rides on traditional suspension systems; later models, like the GT, will get adaptive dampers.”
— Christian Seabaugh, Motor Trend