2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E review: First drive

Officially, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is not coming to Australia but let’s take a quick recap of all the evidence that would suggest the exact opposite.

Right-hand drive production has already started, Ford New Zealand has announced it will introduce the model in 2023, in January this year Ford Australia filed a trademark registration of the Mustang Mach-E name and, if that wasn’t enough of a statement of intent, the Blue Oval recently invited us to Detroit to drive it.

This electric baby is so close to popping, I wouldn’t be surprised if the confirmation is made between the time these words were written and the time they appear on your screen. So let’s just assume it’s a done deal, shall we?

I really hope so. Not only does an increasing number of EV options in local showrooms promote more investment in supporting infrastructure, but as long as Australia struggles for supply of EVs of any brand, more is very much the merrier.

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All of the above applies regardless of whether the model in question is a pragmatic $47,000 MG ZS or an aspirational Porsche Taycan Turbo S and, after a first taste of the Mustang Mach-E I’m happy to report Ford’s electric crossover is a lovely balance of both.

In the US, the Mach-E is available in a wide range of configurations including a rear-drive entry version, a Premium all-wheel drive and a GT, with options of a standard battery or a bigger extended-range pack depending on the variant. Then there’s the GT Performance and a California Route 1 special on top of all that.

A brief ride in the GT Performance quickly exposed its insufferably hard ride. Instead, as the mid-range Premium with AWD is likely to find the greatest audience Down Under, that’s the one we saddled up for a longer look.

Local pricing is anyone’s guess at this stage but its ticket price in the US provides a ballpark. Starting at about $49,000 (AU$73,000), the mid-range Mach-E packs in a lot of kit. Premium is no word of a lie.

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It gets 19-inch wheels, a beautiful expansive panoramic glass roof, its 15.5-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen is common to all variants, as is the 10.2-inch conjoined digital instrument cluster, bundled with wireless device charging, multi-coloured ambient lighting, heated and electrically adjusted front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a Bang and Olufsen 10-speaker sound system.

Ford’s Sync4A operating system is proliferating throughout its range, including the Mach-E, and it brings standard navigation, over-the-air updates and the option to use your smartphone as a ‘key’. It’s also a pleasure to navigate with the vast Telsa-esque touchscreen, cool graphics and plenty of features unique to the Mustang-Mach-E.

We loved the cool humming start-up sound when the ‘ignition’ is pressed, and the reference to ‘ground speed’ for the speedometer.

Perhaps a few too many of the comfort and entertainment controls have been moved away from physical switches and into the virtual touchscreen realm, and we’re still not completely sold on the rotary drive selector but owners will get used to this even if they don’t love it at first.

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Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard inclusions, allowing the Mach-E to get one up on Tesla’s Model Y, while the choice of materials and perceived quality are also more impressive than the Ford’s American rival.

Ergonomically speaking, the Ford feels well thought-out. The sporty seats fitted to our car were comfortable and not excessively bolstered – although that might be noticeable for the wrong reasons on faster, twistier roads –while the main touchpoints including the chunky steering wheel are well designed and finished.

Once again, only time will tell exactly what level of equipment Australian Mach-E versions will bring, but, given Australia’s taste for high spec, a grade similar to the Premium we sampled in Ford’s home of Dearborn is likely.

Defining this Mustang derivative’s segment is not immediately obvious on first meeting. The Mach-E has enough of the long-bonnet, broad-shouldered presence to connect it to the full-fat Mustang coupe, but it combines that with a four-door crossover body and posture.

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The blend continues on the inside with surprising cabin space for a car that slots into mid-sizer category. There’s enough room for adults in the second row without having to pretend you’re comfortable, although headroom is not abundant. But the front row feels light and spacious, thanks in part to the massive panoramic roof fitted to ours.

With a more coupe-esque profile, the Mach-E’s boot sacrifices a bit of practicality; its offering of just over 400 litres is on the small side (Volkswagen’s ID.4 manages closer to 550L), although there is a small 81-litre load space at the other end where a Coyote V8 might once have lived. We particularly like the frunk’s hose-out design.

If carrying things around in an electric Ford is your primary concern then the Blue Oval offers the mighty F-150 lightning or the even more accommodating E-Transit, which has been confirmed for Australia. The Mustang Mach-E, however, is far more focused on driving.

Depending on the battery and drivetrain combination, the Mach-E will do the 0-100km/h dash between 6.1 seconds and a bristling 3.7s so there’s a version to compete in performance stakes with any other EV in its class. Our version is claimed to do the dash in 5.1s and it felt every bit as quick.

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The surge of electric torque is delivered smoothly and without drama. There’s minimal motor whistle, nothing piped in through the stereo unless the synthetic rumble is switched on, and the Mach-E’s interpretation of pace is surprisingly civilised.

Braking from the Mach-E’s four-piston front calipers is confident and if the initial pedal bounce is pushed through, feel is firm and progressive. That said, selectable levels of regenerative braking including a one-pedal option are sufficient for covering almost all driving situations.

Our test route offered little in the way of dynamic evaluation roads but the few turns we did find to get stuck into highlighted a steering calibration that is certainly leaning more toward Mustang than Mondeo (for what it's worth, we quite liked the Mondeo).

Its front end has the same responsive and pointy nature as its petrol coupe namesake and while the feel is a little light about the dead-ahead mark, it weights up nicely with a bit of angle despite a ratio that’s geared on the slow side.

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Ride can be fairly described as on the firm side but certainly not excessively so for a performance-focused car. On our 19-inch rims, the various road surfaces we encountered produced no comfort horror stories although the jury’s still out on the optional 20-inch wheels. Base variants get 18-inch wheels but a little extra sidewall is unlikely to completely alleviate the slightly fussy ride.

Its electric credentials also position the Mach-E as a compelling option among a growing number of rivals. The extended-range 91kWh battery offers a claimed 460km range for the AWD version or up to 490km with rear-drive only.

A full top-up is possible in 10 hours using Ford’s home charging hardware, a 50kW public charger will do up to 90 per cent in about 90 minutes while full-fat infrastructure will allow the Mach-E’s maximum 150kW charging rate and a 10 per cent to 80 per cent top-up in about 45 minutes.

Thankfully, the Mustang Mach-E is not trying to be an electrified version of its unapologetically petrol-powered sibling. There’s more traditional Mustang DNA than we were expecting and probably just enough to justify the boot badge, but the most likeable facet of the Mach-E’s character is the stuff it does differently to the coupe and convertible.

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It’s technologically one step ahead of even the freshly released seventh-gen Mustang with touches such as push-button door release as well as the numerous driver assistance systems including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control, and more cameras than a Centrelink waiting room. It also gets over-the-air tech updates.

A multitude of zero-emissions drivetrains, coupled with an overall temperament that leans more towards the performance avenue than outright comfort, along with its technological strengths, have cleverly positioned this very different Mustang within Ford’s ranks.

It’s close enough in relation to the iconic muscle car version but stands at enough of a distance to confidently carry the pony car badge into an entirely new era without harming the magic of the original.

Now about that Australian confirmation, Ford…

2023 Ford Mach-E specifications