Ford Mustang Mach-E review

For the obvious reason that the Mach-E is an SUV (and electric), it doesn’t have all of the iconic Mustang sports car’s looks. But it does borrow a bit of it. You can see where the SUV has inherited the family genes in its long bonnet, slim lights and thick wheel arches. A new bit of EV DNA is injected with the blanked-off grille, and it is one of the sportier-looking SUVs you can buy, even outside of the electric arena. 

The GT model has a different body kit to the rest of the line-up, including the distinctive Mustang honeycomb grille and lattice-design 20-inch alloys. It’s that bit racier than the rest of the line-up. 

This is going to be the moment prospective buyers divide into two camps: The “Mustang is a household name, but I’ve never had one” drivers, and the “Mustang diehards”. The best advice to the latter group would be to try and leave any bias at the driver’s door and channel the first group’s perspective. Feel free to call the car a Mach-E if it helps, because this is a good car in its own right. 

You get all the perks of an SUV; elevated driving position, high ground clearance, superb visibility combined with the instant acceleration and the relaxing silence of an EV motor. The Mach-E handles corners very well and is especially nimble on country roads, if sometimes a bit springy around town. It’s plenty fast enough for most drivers and, if you get the GT, even the die-harders should be happy with the amped-up performance.  

As well as the entry-level rear-wheel drive model and the top-of-the-range GT, there’s an all-wheel drive option.  

When it comes to the Mach-E, cabin space is as big as you’d expect. Anyone who loves Scandi interiors and the minimalist Tesla-vibe will enjoy the clean, crisp vegan leather seats and empty dashboard with that enormous central touchscreen. The 16-inch portrait screen is a standout that’s also extremely easy to navigate. There’s a physical control knob for easy adjustments to the volume or air conditioning too. You can have multiple tabs open at the same time and the graphics are excellent – you can even doodle in your free time if you are feeling inspired on the sketch pad. The driver also has a 10-inch screen with digital dials. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is wireless charging, which is super handy.  

The 2022 Mach-E comes with a Bang & Olufsen 10-speaker speaker system which sounds mighty nice when you want to jam in your car, heated eight-way front seats with memory function and a panoramic roof. The Ford Pass Connect app allows you to program your Mach-E remotely from your smartphone. A little muggy outside? Just set the AC to low from the comfort of your sofa and hop in when it’s nicely chilled. 

You want space from an SUV and the Mach-E is comfortable for five people. Legroom is generous and the flat floor means the central back passenger isn’t cramped. Adults should be fine in the back, even three abreast, but friendly giants might find their necks a bit cramped due to the sloping roof. 

There’s oodles of storage space – cupholders, huge door bins and two storage trays. The boot isn’t very big, only 402 litres, but you can fold the rear seats to utilise all 1,420 litres if you need to shift large items. There’s also a 100-litre frunk (or froot, for front boot) for an overnight bag or two. The hands-free tailgate makes it super easy to pack the boot if you’re juggling the shopping.  

Electric means lower running costs, especially at the time of writing in May 2022 when petrol and diesel prices are high. The Mach-E gives you between 280 and 379 miles of range on a single charge and is capable of handling 150kW DC rapid charging. So, a top up of 73 miles can take as little as 10 minutes. 

While it’s too early in the Mustang Mach-E's production life to gauge long-term reliability, electric cars are at least typically considered to be pretty reliable, mainly because they have fewer moving parts than petrol and diesel cars. The Mach-E looks to be well built, and that claim is backed by a five-star safety rating from EuroNCAP. 

What’s not to like about a comfortable, good-looking SUV that helps save the planet and ferries the family around in style? 

This foray into the world of electric cars from Ford doesn’t disappoint. One of our favourite features is the touch sensitive door opening button; just press your thumb or type a code into the keypad – it's like a giant iPhone. Little unique techy nuggets like these make owning the Mach-E even more fun.