The car is exceptionally spacious too: four six footers could easily go on holiday together, there’s a decent boot and a quite brilliant ‘frunk’ (front trunk) lined in hard plastic with drain holes. The idea is you can fill it with ice and beer, transport anything from raw fish to hot curry without the smell reaching the cabin and, of course, dump the kids’ filthy games gear and then just hose it out afterwards.
There’s a standard and long range battery, rear or four wheel drive and choice of 254 or 332bhp power outputs, and that’s before the 465bhp ‘GT’ version comes along some time after sales begin in around a year’s time. Prices will range from somewhere around £40,000 to £65,000 for a fully loaded ‘First Edition’. The GT will cost over £70k. With the big battery its WLTP range is up to an impressive 370 miles.
There are three drive modes, ‘whisper, the default ‘engage’ and ‘unbridled’ (because this is a pony car, geddit?). In the last of these a rather unconvincing cod-V8 rumble is played through the speakers though, to be fair, you can turn it off.
From the passenger seat, the First Edition model I travelled in felt quick enough to make me wonder whether I’d even want the GT. Ford says it’s mid 5secs to 60mph which feels about right. The GT is mid threes. It seemed composed through a slalom course for a two tonne SUV – thank the ultra-low centre of gravity for that and on entirely untaxing Los Angeles boulevards, rode plausibly well.
But none of that even starts to answer the fundamental question. There’s nothing I saw or experienced to suggest Ford has built anything other than a very capable and likeable electric SUV, but nor was there also anything to suggest it is in any way a credible addition to the Mustang stable – pun entirely intended. I’m not saying it’s not, only that to even begin to make that judgement will require not a short ride but a long drive. And for that I’m afraid is going to be many months from now.
Ford Mustang Mach-E First Edition specification
Where Los Angeles, USA Price £65,000 (estimated) On sale October 2020 Engine Twin electric motors Power 332bhp Torque 351lb ft Gearbox single-speed automatic Kerb weight 2100kg (approximate) Top speed TBC 0-62mph 5.5sec Battery 75kWh (99kWh with extended range) Range 370 miles (WLTP) CO2 0g/km Rivals Jaguar I-Pace, Audi E-tron
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Electric Ford Mustang Mach-E is Model Y rival