The Ford Mustang Mach-E was not Ford’s first-ever battery-electric vehicle, but it is the first one the company took seriously when it went on sale in December 2020. Four years later, the 5-door BEV is undergoing improvements, though not a makeover yet.
For the ’24 model year, it has beefed up the performance, producing the quickest version to date, enhancing driving range and adding an off-road package.
Ford sold 40,771 Mach-Es last year and is on track for close to that through the first quarter depending on how BEV sales track the rest of the year.
The ’24 lineup, which qualify for a $3,750 federal tax credit (It is made in Mexico and has Chinese content) is priced from $45,890 for the Mach-E Premium, $55,890 for the GT and $61,890 for the Mach-E Rally.
There is a Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Upgrade, which cracks the quarter-mile in 11.8 seconds at 114 mph (184 km/h). Ford claims that is faster than the Tesla Model Y Performance trim and the Porsche Macan 4 Electric. The improvement, says Mach-E Chief Engineer Donna Dickson, is achieved via powertrain thermal modeling and control algorithms and a new eMotor developed in-house, which delivers a 100 lb.-ft. (136 Nm) improvement in torque compared with Mach-E versions without the Performance Upgrade. That improvement and added torque enhances the BEV’s off-road chops.
The Performance Upgrade comes standard on the new Mustang Mach-E Rally and is available for the Mustang Mach-E GT. ’24 Mach-E customers can select the one-time Performance Upgrade at time of purchase or have the option to add it later via an over-the-air update.
Ever since the Ford Lightning BEV pickup was launched, the Mach-E has been a bit overshadowed. Indeed, the decision to hang the “Mustang” name on the vehicle was not arrived at easily, and the idea was not unanimously endorsed in the early going. No less an arbiter than Chairman William Ford withheld his endorsement after an early simulation test until the engineering work advanced.
In many ways, the Mach-E transformed the internal culture around Ford regarding BEVs. The first iteration of the vehicle was bland and somewhat nondescript, more along the lines of the Ford Escape CUV.
When CEO Jim Farley returned to the U.S. after working in Europe, he tore up the plan and challenged the product team of designers and engineers to make a truly compelling BEV that could challenge Tesla and potentially wear the Mustang badge.
An accelerated change to the vehicle’s architecture led to a sleeker design with a much more competitive user-interface and telematics system than had been planned.
For ’24, Ford has also standardized performance features that have proved to be the most popular among owners: performance front seats; MagneRide Damping System and Brembo-branded brake calipers for the GT. These were previously only available on the Performance Edition.
The improvements are not just in the drivetrain. The Mach-E now charges 20% quicker at fast chargers compared with the previous year’s model. Drivers now can charge from 10% to 80% in 36.2 minutes, 8.8 minutes faster than the CUV could at launch.
Range is improved to 250 miles (403 km) for the standard-range battery pack, a 20% improvement. The Mach-E with Premium extended-range battery, rear-wheel-drive trim has a 320-mile (515-km) range, up 20%. The Mustang GT’s range is 280 miles (451 km), up 10%, and the range of the Mach-E Rally is 265 miles (427 km), with no comparison since the trim is new.
If the Mach-E suffers a bit by comparison to some other BEVs (Tesla’s Model Y for one), it is reflected in the price, which seems a bit high.Farley is again retrenching Ford’s BEV strategy, emphasizing more hybrids in the near term and fast-tracking another new and lower-cost BEV architecture.
Seems like a good idea if the Ford team can get the battery costs down.
