Test electric car ford mustang mach-e: not a classic mustang – but a good one

With the mustang mach-E, ford is launching a very unique car that has carved out a niche for itself in the field of "disengageable driving aids" only shares with the porsche taycan.

(picture: clemens gleich)

• Clemens gleich

We have to start with the elephant in the room: the design inspired by the mustang. Seen with some emotional distance there is nothing wrong with it. On the contrary, I would describe this work as rather professionally successful. it doesn’t suffer from the line management, but from the context: there is already a mustang design, on a completely different kind of vehicle. To orient a chubby SUV on a muscle car can only end tragically. Porsche had to find this out with the first attempts cayenne and panamera, which obsessively wanted to look like 911 and therefore looked like inappropriate russian scale copies. if anton hofreiter tries to look like heike drechsler in her most active days tomorrow, it won’t lead to confusion, but to a toni in a long jump shirt. And when he writes "heike drechsler mach toni" on his on the front, it will look embarrassing, even if there is nothing wrong with the basic design of the Anton Hofreiter.

Ford has done many things right

that said: if you don’t have the mustang as a context in your head, you’ll find the design mostly okay or ugly, like you find all SUV designs okay or ugly. Interestingly, observers usually think the car is more expensive than the roughly 50.000 euro it costs. ford has done a lot right with skillfully chosen equipment details. The doors open by pressing a button, you pull them in front then on a hook and in the back just anywhere. it is less practical than, say: a normal car door handle, but it has a different effect. Almost cool. From the inside there is also a small lever that tilts orthogonally to the usual door opening direction. It irritates every once-driver, but it’s kind of funny. The aero fits with it as well.

chubby pony context

In the middle between the seats hangs a large screen, which always displays a functional main topic above large and three secondary topics below small. The viewing angle doesn’t quite fit me at 180 cm height, but the thing makes an incredible impression. in addition, there is a well-functioning online voice control system. I like the operating concept overall. The error rate is on a noticeable level, but at least ford compensates it with a notable error handling: if the software gets out of line, it usually gets back on its own after a few seconds. This is not the case everywhere. Ford’s party piece, however, is something else entirely – something that probably led to the questionable pudgy pony context in the first place.

Alone next to the porsche taycan

Because fords first battery electric car drives really well. This is more than the usual talk about the low center of gravity, which every e-car has. Not every e-car drives like this mach-E: balanced, lively, communicative, active. The rear-wheel drive version tested is already "tame" in the rain when accelerating out of the setting a bit. This is so clear that the ADAC has just described it in its test as a "glaring safety defect" complained, whereupon ford promised improvement by radio update.

Ford mustang mach e exterior (16 pictures)

I think this is a very exaggerated view, but the fact is undisputed that even on "tame" setting, the car is still a bit more stable the ESP regulates rather late. if you want it worse, you can have it, up to the setting "temperamental. In the depths of the settings but still goes more. There is not only the possibility to set one-pedal-driving, but you can turn off all driving aids except ABS completely (after restarting the basics are back).

Anyone who didn’t cheer here is only a limited target group, because this feature is otherwise only available on the porsche taycan among electric cars. so ford is targeting the niche of speed connoisseurs that only porsche has served so far. The pummelpony has thus with me and with the mentally fraternal (raser!) made colleague sebastian very popular. I tremble after the ADAC-zeigefinger, whether these features remain to us. Because the car is not a widowmaker from the sixties.

on the contrary: it drives great, predictable, accessible. The recently presented GT variant fits perfectly into the concept. If I could wish for something on the chassis, then perhaps double wishbones in the front. The macpherson suspension occasionally trembles under the load. but that’s whining on the level shortly before the departure zuffenhausen.

All about cars – 2x per week news and backgrounds from heise autos

E-mail address

Detailed information on the shipping procedure and your revocation options can be found in our data protection declaration.