2019 Ford Mustang Mach-E Unveiled
Ford鈥檚 future is electric, it鈥檚 also going to be Mustang-shaped and we鈥檙e going to see it next month. A new teaser revealed the Pony-car inspired silhouette of the new car, and also gave a reveal date of 18th November. But while Ford was releasing teasers, one Instagrammer has gone one better and accessed CAD drawings that preview the whole design. It seems someone鈥檚 let slip early, with the computer-generated renders paving the way for the AllCarNews Instagram account to then complete a rendering. According to them, the car will be named Mach-E and they claim 'insiders' gave them input on the design of the car. Between the CAD renderings and teasers we鈥檝e seen before, it seems the imaginations they鈥檝e created are as close as we鈥檝e ever been to seeing the real thing. You can see the classic Mustang taillights feature, and the raked roofline that tapers more toward SUV-coupe style rather than all-out SUV. The front fascia also remains quite accurate to previous teasers, with a slightly-inset 'grille' nestled in between a pair of Mustang-like headlights. At the company鈥檚 Go Further event in Amsterdam earlier this year, Steven Armstrong, CEO Ford of Europe revealed an all-new electrified Kuga SUV, but also gave us an update on Ford鈥檚 Mach 1 EV. Coming in 2020, Ford鈥檚 鈥榚lectric Mustang鈥?will actually be a crossover SUV, a bit like the BMW X4 - but it鈥檒l still share styling cues with the blue ovals鈥?more traditional pony cars. Take a look at the previously-released teaser image above; it looks like a Mustang, but not as we know it. And why the Mustang name?
There鈥檚 room for a carryon or two backpacks. Or an ice chest. Or 鈥?it serves as its own ice chest with a drain. The frunk is fully hose-washable, so don鈥檛 be afraid to carry stinky fish, greasy takeout food, or anything else that you鈥檇 rather not have inside the car! Finally, the Mustang Mach-E has a great sunroof. It鈥檚 not continuous with the windshield like a Tesla, but it does have plenty of viewing space. During my brief checkride, it didn鈥檛 get hot, even in southern California. Ford says it鈥檚 supposed to block enough UV rays and other things to keep the car comfortable even in the Southwest. During a media event, Ford invited journalists to take a ride in a camouflaged prototype Mach-E. For one, the acceleration is legit. It pulls hard with instant torque like you鈥檇 expect from an EV. They didn鈥檛 program it to mimic an ICE drivetrain, and didn鈥檛 pull any punches to take it easy on the tires.
Will it beat a P100D or the upcoming Roadster? No. But the Mustang was never really meant to be the fastest drag car. Pony Cars are supposed to be smaller multi-role sporty vehicles within the reach of the masses and young people. People are already asking whether this is a 鈥淭esla Killer,鈥?and that鈥檚 not really even the point. Handling in the slalom was impressive. The skateboard battery placement鈥檚 naturally low center of gravity helps a lot with that, but it鈥檚 clear that they鈥檙e tuning the car for minimum body roll and great cornering, despite the heavy weight of the batteries. Despite this, the suspension didn鈥檛 beat the hell out of people in the car while driving over railroad tracks or other things real roads throw at us. Ford did its homework, and knew that charging is a real challenge for EV owners. For example, I have 10 apps on my phone to make sure I get the most from my Nissan LEAF.
They knew that this wouldn鈥檛 fly if EVs are going to be mass sellers, so they put in a lot of work toward simplifying the care and feeding of a non-Tesla EV. By partnering with various charging networks, they鈥檙e putting together a seamless experience that makes the process about as simple as driving a Tesla. The car has a trip planner like Tesla, estimating energy usage for speed and terrain. It knows where most rapid charging stations are, across multiple networks. Also, everything can be done either on the phone or the car鈥檚 center screen. Perhaps more importantly, you can plug the car in at many stations and walk away without going through some process to get the charge started. Once again, arrangements with charging networks allow the vehicle to communicate with the charging station and get things started using the owner鈥檚 default payment method, much like a Tesla, but presumably with more setup involved before the first time.
