Et tu, Mustang?

Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

The Ford mustang used to be the most old school of sports coupes. Sure, Ford might have introduced smaller more affordable turbocharged variants but the quintessential mustang was a handsome coupe that was powered by a big thirsty v8 — naturally aspirated, of course — and had a live rear axle suspension.

So imagine our shock when we first saw the mustang mach-e. It’s a car of the times and it abandons all of the things that make mustangs special. Not only is this new car a full-electric car, it’s also a crossover suv. The way we see it, it’s more kuga than mustang.

Naturally, the mustang mach-e will be available in a couple of variants. the most basic is rear-wheel drive and puts out about 255hp and has a range of around 370km. You can opt for an extended range package that increases it to 483km. At the other end of the spectrum, the flagship gt variant puts out 459hp to all four wheels and has a range of 402km. Thankfully, performance is pretty brisk. Even the slowest version will get from 0-100km/h in less than seven seconds while the flagship can do the same century sprint in under six.

The mustang mach-e may well be a great car but it’s hard not to feel that Ford is sullying the mustang badge to advance its electric car ambitions. In the words of dylan, “the times they are a-changing’.”

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