2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium Extended Range RWD Owner Review

Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium Extended Range RWD 2021 - title image

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Premium Extended Range RWD 2021

8.9/10not logged28 votes

Hard to believe it's a Ford.

10 May 2021

Ford Mustang Mach-E Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Really enjoy the looks of it

  • Roomy, airy cabin.

  • Center screen plus volume knob is a nice combination.

  • 300 mile range

  • Lively acceleration

  • Highly customizable

  • Surprisingly quiet ride

  • Great sound system.

  • Good feature content

  • Smooth ride

  • Driver aids are good, with BlueCruise coming

  • Extremely well-built

Cons:

  • FordPass app isn't quite all the way there.

  • Suspension is underdamped, especially for sporty driving. It's definitely tuned for a freeway cruise.

  • Frunk access should be easier.

Owner Review

Hard to believe it's a Ford.

If you are used to Ford's being oceans of cheap plastic and common parts from other platforms, this going to surprise you in a lot of good ways. Ford clearly came with a lot of fresh thinking to this car, and created a very competitive vehicle. I might have branded it a Thunderbird rather than a Mustang (though the GT trim might be another story), because the suspension on this model is more tuned for an open-road cruise than for racing, although the punchy acceleration is a bit more Mustang-like. 

Naming aside, what you have is a quiet (though not e-tron quiet) car, with a plethora of settings to get it exactly the way you want, advanced driver assistance (with BlueCruise coming on a subscription basis this summer), a big battery pack, and a shockingly airy, comfortable cabin, where my 6'4" self has plenty of room in either row, though I would say the front seats are a bit more comfortable for me than the back. While not a luxury car in its nature, it is definitely "nice." 

The FordPass app does everything you could want in a car app, but it is not quite as smooth an experience I would like. Sometimes it detects the wrong phone walking to the car, sometimes you have to have the app open as you approach the car (and sometimes not). And since the user profiles are connected to which phone unlocked the car, this can be significant. When it gets it right, it's a great feature, because literally EVERYTHING about the car (seat mirror positions, driving history, estimated efficiency, settings) is connected to the user profiles. If you have two very different users of the car (and I do) this is a great timesaver, and Phone as a Key is a really useful feature. But it needs to work more predictably than it does now to really be useful.

If you want a very good electric car, and Tesla isn't for you, this is a very strong entry. If Tesla is an option for you, this still competes very competently on price and quality, and is definitely worth a look.

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See Tech Specs - Ford Mustang Mach-E

Discussion

  • profile photo of SUN SUN BE
    2021-05-10 20:49:51 UTC

    Rapid Red

    Hi David. Absolutely gorgeous color! The interior is black?
  • profile photo of Tomas Tomas
    2021-05-11 09:45:46 UTC

    e-tron vs mach-e

    Hi. Could you please compare your e-tron and mach-e? Interior space, power, range, etc. Thanks.
    • profile photo of DMay DMay US [2 EVs in garage]
      2021-05-11 13:18:31 UTC

      Re: e-tron vs mach-e

      I'll do the best I can.
      First thing - The Audi starts at about $30,000 more, and in general, I would lease, not buy, an Audi. (I expect spare parts to be incredibly expensive off-warranty, and they have really high residual values). The gap is more like $20k at the respective tops-of-the-line.
      The e-tron is also 7 inches longer, 2 inches taller, 2 inches wider, and 1400 pounds heavier than the Mach E. The difference in size and bulk accounts for a lot obvious results - the e-tron is roomier, and considerably less efficient - they happen to both have similar battery sizes (if you count the e-tron by the "addressable" part of the battery) but the Mach E has a range of 300ish miles versus 200ish miles for the e-tron, though the e-tron's super-fast charging makes up for it when you look at total travel times. (That said, I think Ford can speed up their charging in the software in the future.) The Audi is faster and more powerful than the Ford today, but the upcoming GT model will *thoroughly" address that.
      As far as ride, the Ford is pretty smooth, if a bit underdamped. The Audi is super-smooth, and perfectly damped. The Ford is pretty quiet, the Audi is nearly silent. The seats in the Ford are fine, the seats in the Audi are amazing - you can just feeling that the padding is thicker and firmer, the leather is real, and ventilated, and the massage function up front is wonderful on long trips. The Ford has a heated steering wheel, which the Audi doesn't. There are a number of small touches in the Audi interior for rear passengers, like the lighted seat belt buckles, the rear climate control panel, and the built-in window shades, that make it a bit nicer a place to be, even though the room feels similar. The Ford's fixed glass roof extends farther back than the Audi's power moonroof, though their moon roof does have a shade, as well (but it doesn't seem to be especially needed).
      The Audi infotainment system is a bit more to my taste, has haptic feedback, and is easier for a driver to interact with (the lower touchscreen that handles climate control becomes a scribble pad so you can just hand write out what you want without looking. Their handwriting recognition is really good, and you can do it without looking at the screen.) I slightly prefer the Audi's version of CarPlay to the Ford's, though the haptic feedback turns off for CarPlay. The voice command systems seem about equally adequate. The Audi has a heads-up display, which is a feature outright missing from most EVs.
      The driver assist on the Audi I feel is a bit smoother, but less capable. Audi has left drivers out to dry on software updates (park assist and traffic jam assist are still missing!). The Audi has an Integrated Toll Module, which is a surprisingly nice convenience that covers all electronic tolling systems in the US. The Audi software still has a weird tendency to forget customizations now and then.
      Overall, you would say that the Audi is definitely a "nicer" car, but is it worth THAT much more than the Ford for a dozen little things that are a tiny, but noticeable, bit better? It's hard to say.

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