LIGHTNING STRIKE(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 84

Electric cars are often rather dull. But this one, Ford's Mustang Mach-E, very definitely isn't. The use of that famous name - and the styling cues that go with it - has certainly divided opinion, but it's also inspired the Blue Oval brand to give this family-sized sporting SUV a charisma its obvious rivals lack. Plus if you go for the larger 'Extended Range' battery option, you'll get yourself an EV offering a very decent all-electric driving range too. It all sounds quite promising.

Background word count: 163

It's difficult to think of a much less environmentally-friendly automotive model line than that of the Ford Mustang. Yet this is the nameplate Ford has chosen for the all-electric cars it will make in the coming era, this being the first of them, the Mustang Mach-E. This sporting SUV model is, we're told, about fast, fun freedom and it aims to please a whole new generation of Mustang owners. The 'Mach' name was apparently inspired by the 'Mach 1' variant of the first generation Mustang and fits with the remit given to the car's creators, Ford's 'Team Edison', who were tasked with creating 'an EV with soul'. Is that what we've got here? You might wonder. After all, this model's supposedly all-new 'GE1' ('Global Electrified 1') platform is actually a revised version of the C2 chassis used in the brand's current Focus and Kuga models. But the product itself couldn't be more different from those conventional cars. As we're about to find out.

Driving Experience word count: 389

There's a bit more bite to the drive dynamics than is common in this class, with well-bridled body control and keen grip through the turns. All mainstream versions have a top speed limited to 111mph. And there's a single toggle switch for regenerative braking called 'One-Pedal Mode'. The line-up kicks off with two rear-driven models, one using the 'Standard Range' 75kWh battery (70kWh usable), which puts out 269PS and can take you up to 273 miles. The other uses an 'Extended Range' 98kWh (91kWh usable) battery pack, which ups power to 294PS and increases the car's potential driving distance between charges to 372 miles in rear-driven form. There are also two all-wheel drive versions, both using the bigger 'Extended Range' battery, which feature an electric motor at each end of the car, with torque applied independently to each axle. The standard 98kWh AWD model puts out 351PS, 565Nm of torque, will get you to 62mph in 6.2 seconds and has a 341 mile WLTP range. If you want more, there's a performance-orientated Mustang Mach-E GT model, which uses the larger battery and AWD, puts out 487PS and 830Nm of torque and makes 62mph from rest in just 4.1 seconds on the way to 124mph. That top version goes 304 miles between charges and comes with MagneRide adaptive damping. It can even be had in rallycross-inspired 'Rally' form. As with most EVs of this size, kerb weight is substantial, in this case between 1,993 and 2,218kgs depending on variant. Whatever your variant of choice, the Mach-E road experience is dependent quite a bit on your choice between the three drive modes Ford offers here - laid back 'Whisper' (with its super-light steering), all-out 'Untamed' (with its sharper throttle and rumbly propulsion sound) and the compromise 'Active' setting you'll probably use most of the time. There's also a '1-Pedal Drive' feature, which as on other rival EVs, ramps up the regenerative braking to the point where you hardly ever need to use the brake pedal. Recent changes include a towing upgrade for the 98kWh version - to 1.5-tonnes. Plus the standard fitment of Ford's 'Intelligent Automated Cruise Control 2.0' package, which can use information from the navigation system and forward-facing camera to automatically adjust vehicle speed not only according to speed limit signs but also to upcoming curves, turns and roundabouts.