I have a Mustang Mach-E. What do you want to know?

tester (Forum Supporter) said:

Why is not named Mercury, Thunderbolt, Lightning, or anything other than Mustang? The Probe name plate is available. Take a pick guys, anything else would have been preferable. 
 

At least they didn't try to call it a Shelby or a Cobra. 

I know you probably aren't the person to answer this, but...when do we get a coupe version?

I love the idea of an EV. I actually really want one, but not an SUV, CUV, Crossover or medium-to-large sedan. An EV fits really well with my lifestyle, and my ideology. The problem is that I'm a coupe guy, a sports car person...and there's nothing on the market for me in an EV in the sub $2 million price bracket....WTF?

ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) said:

I know you probably aren't the person to answer this, but...when do we get a coupe version?

I love the idea of an EV. I actually really want one, but not an SUV, CUV, Crossover or medium-to-large sedan. An EV fits really well with my lifestyle, and my ideology. The problem is that I'm a coupe guy, a sports car person...and there's nothing on the market for me in an EV in the sub $2 million price bracket....WTF?

Because the profit margin isn't there right now.  It may never be.  Who knows.  I'd be willing to bet that in 15 years, we're not allowed to drive.  We'll call an electric box to pick us up with an app on our neural-link and be happy about it.

ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) said:

I know you probably aren't the person to answer this, but...when do we get a coupe version?

I love the idea of an EV. I actually really want one, but not an SUV, CUV, Crossover or medium-to-large sedan. An EV fits really well with my lifestyle, and my ideology. The problem is that I'm a coupe guy, a sports car person...and there's nothing on the market for me in an EV in the sub $2 million price bracket....WTF?

I have similar feelings, and would love to see the Alpha Ace-PE make it to production for a reasonable price:

https://www.alphamotorinc.com/ace-pe

Does it creep forward when you take your foot off the brake? Can you disable this like you can on the Tesla? Does it have regenerative braking by lifting off the accelerator, or is it like a Prius where you only get regen when you press the brake pedal? And is this (like Tesla) configurable? 

Is it a mustang or is it just ford sticking to there decision that they are only making trucks and mustangs. 

ddavidv said:

Keith Tanner said:

You guys really need to get over the nomenclature.

Not happening.

The incredible lack of comprehension the marketing and management had for mis-using the name of their most iconic product means it doesn't exist to me. If GM called an electric Tahoe a Corvette, would that be okay?  

So we used to call this a 'Vette. Somehow, it failed to detract from the awesomeness that was a late C3 Corvette ;) 

The Mach E has one of the sexier shapes in the EV world (Hyundai has skipped curvy sexy for futurism) and it certainly has some performance. 

Much, MUCH more interestingly for the context of the story, JG is putting out feelers for a Model 3 Performance to do a little track testing...

ae86andkp61 (Forum Supporter) said:

I know you probably aren't the person to answer this, but...when do we get a coupe version?

I love the idea of an EV. I actually really want one, but not an SUV, CUV, Crossover or medium-to-large sedan. An EV fits really well with my lifestyle, and my ideology. The problem is that I'm a coupe guy, a sports car person...and there's nothing on the market for me in an EV in the sub $2 million price bracket....WTF?

This is the driod you are looking for.

Okay everybody, sorry for the delay--it's been a busy weekend to say the least. Over the past 48 hours, I've acted as an ambulance, had a surprise dinner invitation an hour away, spent a full day driving around far from my home charger, and generally had a busy weekend. 

And I did it all in the Mach-E, racking up a few hundred miles in the process. Time to start answering your questions. 

Crxpilot said:

Would previous buyers of Mustangs see/drive this and think, "Yeah, that's my next Mustang!"?  Is it a continuation of that model line or is it jarring and out of place?

It depends--the Mustang until the latest generation has just been a pretty normal daily driver with some cool elements added on top. With that mission statement, this is definitely a Mustang.

But it's no Shelby and people buying Mustangs for the track won't see anything here for them. I'm surprised this platform doesn't have a Lincoln badge, honestly. 

yupididit said:

@ $55k how loaded is it? 

Slightly. You get a big screen, wireless carplay, fancy leather, big battery, great stereo, etc. But it doesn't drive itself, the seats aren't air-conditioned, and there are bigger wheels available. It's like an extremely loaded Honda or a barely loaded Mercedes. 

BlueInGreen - Jon said:

Can it do a burnout?

It is a "Mustang" after all 

 

I couldn't figure out how to disable the traction control, but it did step out on me in the rain. It's heavily rear-biased. 

mdshaw said:

I've wondered about how the a/c works in ev's & how it affects range in this Florida heat. 
A friend test drove a Leaf in cold weather & if the heat was on, range was drastically reduced, but that was a few years ago. 

Barely. As Keith noted, A/C is far more efficient than a resistive heater (which very few modern EVs have). On an hour-long trip down the highway, A/C is worth maybe a 3-4 mile hit. It's the same basic system (and range hit) that a gas car would experience. 

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

Does it have drag pack options? Like launch mode and other stuff?

How does the interior size compare to a similar ford ice vehicle (edge maybe?)

Are there lots of gimmicky things to keep reminding you over and over that you are green and saving the earth, or is it mostly just a normal car?

Fun to drive?

It doesn't have any "fun" options. This Mach-E was clearly specc'd to be a normal car. 

I'd say it's exactly equivalent to an Edge, though packaged better with more legroom. 

Nah, it just drives like, well, a car. It's a ton of fun--great steering feel, adequate power, and no annoying shifts. 

mdshaw said:

Also how many wot digs can you do before the batteries start over-heating & it limits the power?

What happens when the power is decreased?

Does it have a secret V8 in cabin sound button? 

 

More than I was able to do on the street. I never had any issues even driving it like an idiot. 

Not sure--I bet it's harder to overheat and less consequential when it does compared to a 335i or equivalent turbo track car.

Yes it does! Pushing a button pipes in an artist's rendition of what a fast EV should sound like. Sort of a grumbly manly computer fan noise is how I'd describe it. It's stupid.

wvumtnbkr said:

Can it do uncatchable power drifts that eats people while leaving from cars and coffee?

No--the stability control seemed firmly set on "keep pedestrians alive" mode.

Definitely gone now said:

wvumtnbkr said:

Can it do uncatchable power drifts that eats people while leaving from cars and coffee?

For that matter, will the vehicle allow you to do anything "out of control", or it is just "go fast in a straight line, that is all"?

 

next question: is it the awd model, if so, how does it handle awd things on dirt. (Snow would be preferred, but you're in Florida). 

I only drove on the street, but this doesn't have the clearance to do any actual off-roading. Think of it as a fast station wagon (because it is) and the AWD makes more sense. It's there to put the power down off the line rather than to get you up that mountain pass. 

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

How does it compare to the Leaf you sold us?
i.e. sleepywife and I like the Leaf.  It's spunky and "fun"... if not "fast"... and the silent driving, and regen braking is "refreshing".  Does the Mustang MachE exhibit any of these characteristics?
If you "get in it" to... uh... get around a knucklehead... how does it respond?  Do you 'feel' it in your inability to get home?

How many laps of the FIRM can it do "flat out"... before overtemp?  before you need to recharge it?
laptime?
if you were the type of person completely disinclined to buy a Tesla (for many various reasons)... would the MachE be at all a viable alternative a track car compared to a Model3?
 

Are there any "annoying" bits?  Is Ford being intrusive about data collection?

edited to add/refine questions

Compared to the LEAF: It's sort of like Mercedes drove a LEAF and said "okay, build this but bigger and faster." There are far more simliarities than differences. Except the LEAF rides way better--the Mach-E is oversprung and underdamped, which makes great handling at the limit and a miserable ride around town. 

Is it a Tesla fighter? Well, no. Teslas are way easier to charge on long trips if you care, which is a huge benefit, and more importantly you can buy them. Mach-Es require interacting with a useless Ford dealer, at least around me. It's nearly impossible to actually buy one. Teslas can be ordered from your phone and delivered to your house. 

Appleseed said:

Did the press packet from Ford finally explain the idiotic name?

I don't understand why it matters. My first car was a Spitfire, which didn't have a gun or wings. Then I had a 325is, which is just number soup. So what if it has Mustang written on it? Why does that affect my life?

tester (Forum Supporter) said:

Why is not named Mercury, Thunderbolt, Lightning, or anything other than Mustang? The Probe name plate is available. Take a pick guys, anything else would have been preferable. 
 

Because naming it wrong has gotten them more free marketing than all of those other names combined. 

Plus, well, it looks cool. 

Ford clearly realizes they have an asset in the Mustang name, and seem to be building that out into its own little brand/niche/etc. Hyundai did the same with Genesis and it seems to have worked well. I'm curious/excited to see what else has Mustang on it over the next decade or so.

rob_lewis said:

How much does it differ from any similarly sized ICE SUV of that type?  If you didn't know it was and EV, would it act/drive/seem like any other car?

Not sure how your weather is down in Florida over the next few days, but how much impact does full tilt A/C have on battery life?  It's 100+ here in Texas this week, with something like pea soup humidity.  My A/C in the car runs full blast for most of the drive.

I'll second the "you're driving an EV" type of stuff.  Does it distract or blend into day to day driving?  Along with that, how are the HVAC/Stereo/etc controls?  Probably more Ford than Mach-E specific.  In the Explorer we rented, the HVAC controls seemed to have been designed by different committees that never talked to each other.

-Rob

I got out of the Mach-E and jumped into a brand new Acura RDX A-Spec. It's one of the better small SUVs, though the drivetrain isn't quite as great as its European competition. 

I hate it. Once you've driven an EV, you'll come to despise every shift, every engine stop/start, etc. There's just so much pointless noise/accleration rate change/clunkyness/etc. in an ICE SUV. 

If you're going 45 mph in traffic and want to go 55 mph, the Mach-E just requires pressing the accelerator. Boom--you're there. The RDX requires pushing the pedal enough to unlock the torque converter and downshift but not enough to downshift a few gears, then some whining and acceleration, then an upshift before you can resume your cruising speed. It's just an annoying way to go down the road. 

No, A/C doesn't meaningfully affect range. Batteries hold more energy when they're warmer, anyway, so any A/C impact is likely offset but carrying more energy. 

Nope, the EV thing is never a factor except you wake up every morning with a full tank of "gas." We have a healthy inter-office debate about the Mach-E, but zero of that debate is about the drivetrain. Electric cars have progressed to where you can mail one to a team of journalists and they'll all debate chassis tuning and wind noise instead of the electricity. 

The controls are good enough. Everything happens on the touchscreen, but it's fairly intuitive and well-designed. 

newold_m (Forum Supporter) said:

Granted this is not EV specific but if it has the blue cruise option how well does it work for daily commuting?

How is the build quality?

How far is your knee from the big screen?

This doesn't have blue cruise, just the basic Co-pilot nannies. I find them annoying and usually drive with them off, but that goes for every new car. 

Build quality felt great, but press cars rarely leave the factory without an inspection to check that stuff. You can't judge a model's build quality based on what we're sent, even if it's a model year old and has 12,000 miles. 

I didn't notice my knee anywhere the screen, and I'm 6' tall.

kb58 said:

Tom Suddard said:

There's a Mach-E premium in my driveway. Only options are all-wheel-drive and a big battery pack, putting MSRP right about $55k. 

So, what do you want to know?...

How easy is it to actually find one on a lot, and most importantly, do they actually sell for MSRP or, hah, less?

No.

Here's how my last chat with my local Ford dealer went a few weeks ago:

Tom: Hey I want to buy a Ford Maverick Hybrid. How can I do that? Do you have one?
Dealer: Oh great! Let me get your info.
T: *Gives out a ton of personal info hoping somebody calls.*
D: Great thanks! I'll get somebody to reach out ASAP! When do you want to purchase?
T: I am off work today and was hoping to come to your dealer now to look at cars and buy one.
D: Great thanks!

They didn't reach out for a week. Then I received an email saying they didn't have any Mavericks, and asked if I wanted something else instead.

Tom Suddard said:

mdshaw said:

I've wondered about how the a/c works in ev's & how it affects range in this Florida heat. 
A friend test drove a Leaf in cold weather & if the heat was on, range was drastically reduced, but that was a few years ago. 

Barely. As Keith noted, A/C is far more efficient than a resistive heater (which very few modern EVs have). On an hour-long trip down the highway, A/C is worth maybe a 3-4 mile hit. It's the same basic system (and range hit) that a gas car would experience. 

While very few modern EVs are rocking resistive heaters today, there are enough of them out there that the "my friend drove a ____ in the winter and it ate up 30% of his range" story has some legitimacy. Heck, the Model 3 only got a heat pump in 2021. If people are equating that heater range hit to all HVAC use, it's no wonder they're worried about what effect using the AC will have on range. With a heat pump, AC and heat are basically the same thing, but with a resistive heater they're two very separate systems like they are in an ICE.

It is telling how much energy is wasted with an ICE that you have so much excess heat that you can use it to warm the interior of the car in basically any climate conditions found on earth.

How well does it do "utility" stuff?  Like folding the seats down and stuffing a bike in back?

Can you get a 2" receiver for it? (because 1 1/4" bike racks are crap).