Car Reviews

The Mach-E wasn’t always going to be a Mustang. It started life as a wagonized Focus EV. Somewhere along the way Ford executives realized that if the company wanted to sell EVs, it would have to build something people could get excited about. Ford’s now-CEO Jim Farley ordered the design team back to the drawing board two years before the car’s scheduled unveiling, a schedule not normally compatible with delivering a functioning product. His instruction: “Think Mustang.” The resulting car certainly looks the part of a pony crossover. But for the year between the Mach-E’s initial unveiling and our first chance to drive one, we’ve been wondering if it could deliver on the promise of that long hood. Now we know.
The answer is yes. And no. Whether you end up thinking the Mach-E is a valuable addition to the Mustang family will depend a lot on why you like Mustangs. It is the best-looking vehicle in Ford’s current lineup other than the actual Stang, and it’s also more attractive than the majority of crossovers. We haven’t tested one (yet), but Ford says the extended-range all-wheel-drive model that we drove will get to 60 mph in less than 6.0 seconds. That’s plenty quick for something with 29 cubic feet of storage in the back. Rear-wheel-drive models with smaller (and lighter) batteries should come in under 7.0 seconds—still respectable for the genre. Ford’s latest claim for the GT Performance Edition (480 horsepower, 634 pound-feet of torque) is zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.

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Ford

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The extended-range all-wheel-drive model has 332 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque, and the instant availability of all that torque makes the Mach-E capable of stomach-churning off-the-line acceleration. There are three selectable drive modes. (Ford calls them Whisper, Engage, and Unbridled, but we prefer to think of them as Eco, Comfort, and Sport.) The sportiest allows one-pedal driving but is maybe too prone to wheelspin, as we discovered when our test drive coincided with some cold, damp fall weather. But all-wheel-drive burnouts strike us as on-brand for a Mustang in the Hoonicorn (and Mach-E 1400) era. We found it to be perfectly competent during a few laps of a parking-lot autocross course that Ford set up for us, although the car’s prodigious weight was evident, particularly in the slalom section.
So, if you like Mustangs because they’re attractive, quick, and not a total bummer to drive, the Mach-E should suit you just fine. Plus, it’s nice enough inside that the near-$50,000 starting price feels appropriate. But we’ve driven a lot of Mustangs, and we don’t like them just because they’re quick. The Mustang family includes some of our favorite engines, with intoxicating exhaust notes and more character than any electric motor. They are also thrilling to drive. The Shelby models, in particular, deliver steering and suspension that’s hyper-communicative, and the risk of getting bucked off the pavement due to your own inattention or lack of skill is quite real. Plus: those exhaust notes. Those cars aren’t for everyone (nor is a GT with Performance Pack 2, for that matter). But they’re amazing.

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Ford

Unlike the V-8 coupes, the Mustang Mach-E doesn’t traffic in barely sublimated danger. It’s quiet inside, and there’s not so much as a jostle or bump through the steering column no matter how bad the road. The ride is magic-carpet smooth, the isolation almost complete. This is its own kind of triumph in an EV, where the lack of a melodious engine can magnify wind and road noise. And plenty of drivers—especially crossover drivers—are perfectly happy to be isolated from the road. But when we think Mustang, hushed serenity isn’t what comes to mind.
Then there are all the other features that don’t jibe with our past Mustang experiences just because they’re new. The button-actuated doors are easy to use, feel novel, and seem less likely to malfunction than the perpetually frustrating pop-out handles employed by other automakers. There’s a massive 15.5-inch vertically oriented touchscreen, part of an infotainment system that is intuitive to operate and makes good use of screen space. Your phone is the car’s key, and an associated app will give you control over the Mach-E’s charge status, help with planning trips, and allow you to initiate certain vehicle functions, such as opening or closing the windows and lifting the tailgate.

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Ford

The Mach-E will also be an early test bed for Ford’s connected-vehicle technology. This will include over-the-air software updates and real-time data on charger availability at some EV charging stations. Charging stations in Ford’s network will accept payment via FordPass, which is the Blue Oval’s version of Apple Pay. Owners will have to pay the old-fashioned way at stations not included in Ford’s network.
Once at those charging stations, owners can expect standard range Mach-Es to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in 38 minutes with a DC fast charger. Ford says we should expect about 230 miles of range from a standard 66.0-kWh pack with rear-wheel drive and 210 miles of range with all-wheel drive. The extended-range version has an 88.0-kWh battery. Ford expects 270 miles of range for the all-wheel-drive version and 300 miles for the rear-drive variant. On our roughly 60-mile trip on a cold day, the Mach-E’s range indicator moved in step with the odometer, despite our free use of the heated seats and steering wheel and the climate control set at a comfortable 72 degrees.

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Ford

Ford is in the midst of launching three very important vehicles: the newest F-150, the revived Bronco, and the Mustang Mach-E. The F-150 is Ford’s cash cow and it’s important to get it right, but it would take a pretty big blunder to dissuade the throngs of truck buyers who would never consider owning anything else. The Bronco will test Ford’s ability to build a viable sub-brand, but its sales success is almost a foregone conclusion—at least at first. The Mach-E would’ve been the biggest risk of the three even if the word Mustang was nowhere on it. But the Bronco Sport—another crossover borrowing a hallowed name—is enjoying a favorable response thus far, indicating that loyalists might not reflexively hate a crossover offshoot as long as it’s worthy. And the Mach-E is the best electric vehicle Ford has ever sold. It doesn’t feel like a Mustang to us, but it’s a crossover we’d recommend to a friend. Only time—and monthly sales reports—will tell if that’s enough to make Ford a player in the EV market.

Specifications

Specifications
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E
VEHICLE TYPE front- and/or mid-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger 4-door wagon
BASE PRICE Select, $43,995; Premium, $48,200; California Route 1, $50,900
MOTORS permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 255 or 282 hp, 306 lb-ft; 2 permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 255 or 332 hp, 306 or 417 lb-ft (combined); 66.0- or 88.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack
TRANSMISSION direct drive
DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 117.0 inLength: 186.0 inWidth: 74.0 inHeight: 63.0 inPassenger volume: 100–103 ft3Cargo volume (front/rear): 5/29 ft3Curb weight (C/D est): 4650–5000 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST) 60 mph: 5.5–6.2 sec1/4 mile: 14.1–14.6 secTop speed: 124 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/city/highway: 90–100/96–105/84–93 MPGeRange: 211-300 miles

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If turbochargers, hybrid systems, electric cars, self-driving, and downsizing engines are what’s in, then what is the new Porsche 911 GT3 doing without any of that stuff? The answer is: It’s winning enthusiast hearts.
In the 911 lineup, the GT3 is the model that provides a direct link to racing. While the Carrera and Carrera S have turbochargers and, of course, the Turbo has turbochargers, the GT3 persists with a high-revving naturally aspirated engine. It’s a car that a small group of engineers in Weissach has preserved with meticulous updates.

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We met with GT3 chief engineer Andreas Preuninger to ride along in a development prototype of the upcoming GT3. The car we rode in wore camouflage (as you can see in some of the photos), but a few weeks after our ride Porsche took off the wraps and unveiled the car. The design is aggressive and helps the GT3 stand apart from the more daily-friendly 911s. Note that the rear wing is mounted at the top, as we’ve seen on the McLaren Senna and numerous race cars. Hanging the wing from above provides an aerodynamic advantage over one mounted on the underside with conventional pylons.

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Porsche

It’s time to step inside. The seats are great, grippy, clad in microfiber, with no wiggle room but not uncomfortably tight either. The regular 911’s silly automatic shifter is gone. It’s been replaced by a gear selector that lets you select gears like a real sequential gearbox: Push to downshift, pull to upshift.
Porsche appears to have listened to GT3 customers who voiced a preference for console shifters over steering-wheel paddles. While Preuninger prefers the console shifter, the GT3 retains its wheel paddles, too. For the real purists, the GT3 will still be available with a six-speed manual. Along with a short-throw shifter, the manual has a rev-match function that can be turned on or off independently of any other mode, but it’s more fun to blip the throttle on heel-and-toe downshifts without the electronic help, right?
The digital instrument displays are changed in the GT3, too. In the regular 992, the outermost gauges are obscured by the fat rim of the steering wheel. In the GT3, to make the information easier to read, there is a GT setting that moves the most relevant information closer to the center-mounted tachometer.

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Porsche

Porsche isn’t ready to disclose all the details on the engine. We’re sure no current GT3 owner will be disappointed, but maybe they’ll be devastated. In the new GT3, the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six builds upon the 991 Speedster engine’s six individual throttle bodies, giving the engine crisp, instant, and aggressive response to pedal commands. Power delivery is forceful and beautifully smooth up to the lofty 9000-rpm redline. We expect more than 500 horsepower, and the engine sound is jubilant and clear.
Its multilink front suspension is derived from the RSR race car. From the passenger seat, it appears that the new GT3 turns in sharply and body control is exceptional. The brakes appear track ready. Iron brake rotors are standard, slightly larger ceramic brakes are optional. This generation ditches the dynamic engine mounts. Conventional mounts won out and are lighter than the electronically controlled ones. Speaking of weight, the hood and engine cover are made of carbon fiber and the rear windows—at least in Europe—have thinner glass.
Beyond the regular GT3, Porsche will offer a Touring model again, inspired by the iconic 911 R, devoid of the big wing but with the same mechanical bits. This time around Porsche will let Touring buyers have an automatic transmission, the brand’s superb PDK. Previously, the Touring came only with the six-speed manual. And we expect a harder-core RS model down the road as well.
Preuninger’s team has produced a car that bucks the latest trends. And at the same time, they have created a purer, more aggressive, and captivating GT3. We can’t wait to drive it for ourselves.
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