2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E review

American muscle cars don’t come more classic than the Ford Mustang and you’d be forgiven for doing a double take when first laying your eyes on the Mach-E.

For starters, it’s a crossover SUV – a big departure from the two-door coupés, fastbacks and convertibles you’re probably familiar with.

Secondly, there isn’t a big V8 rumbling under the hood, but its replacement makes it the quickest-accelerating vehicle in Ford’s Aussie line-up.

No prizes for guessing what type of powertrain it carries, but curious owners will be able to check underneath and see a cute ‘electric ponies live here’ clue cast into its motor.

The Mustang Mach-E debuts as Ford’s first all-electric passenger car and is available in Select ($79,990), Premium ($91,665) and GT ($107,665) variants.

The Select has a 71kWh lithium iron phosphate battery with a 470km range and a single electric motor delivering 198kW and 430Nm in RWD.

A larger 91kWh battery in the Premium gives an extended range of 600km, with 216kW and 430Nm from a RWD single motor.

The GT also has the 91kWh battery but utilises dual electric motors for AWD and 358kW/860Nm high-performance, while trimming range back to 490km.

The rear light configuration and tapered lines on the bonnet are unmistakably Mustang hallmarks, and sexy ones at that.

Each of the three variants can be distinguished through a different front grille and badging on the side, along with unique alloy designs and the GT sporting 20-inch versions over the Select and Premium’s 19-inch alloys.

Each model’s interior feels quite luxe, even the base-model Select, and going up in spec will add red-stitching, metal foot pedals and ambient lighting in the Premium and front sports seats for the GT.

Headlining each is a huge Tesla-like 15.5-inch infotainment touchscreen and 10.2-inch digital cluster, as well as Bang & Olufsen sound, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity and charging, and a panoramic glass roof.

Leg and head room in the rear doesn’t feel tight, boot space is 402 litres, and the ‘frunk’ is one of the deeper ones we’ve seen.

The Mustang Mach-E’s safety and driver assistance systems are extensive without being at all intrusive, and it has a five-star ANCAP rating, although the GT variant lacks a centre airbag and isn’t rated.

DC fast-charging (150kW) from 10-80 per cent takes 32 minutes in the Select and 45 minutes for the other two variants.

Driving the Mustang Mach-E is exhilarating.

The steering feels taut and the ride is quite firm for an SUV, keeping the Mach-E composed around corners, yet somehow doesn’t result in jarring bumps when road surfaces deteriorate.

On our drive in the Premium we averaged 15.0kWh/100km energy usage, which is efficient for an electric SUV.

We also visited Norwell Motorplex, just outside Brisbane, to put the top-spec GT through its paces in track-only Untame Plus mode and make the most of its scorching 3.7 second 0-100km/h sprint time.

The Select and Premium take 6.6 seconds and 6.2 seconds, but still have enough oomph to elevate pulses.

If we were to split hairs, it’d be nice to be able to change drive modes (Whisper, Active, Untame) via the steering wheel while driving instead of going through the infotainment, and touch points in place of door handles seems more gimmicky than useful, especially with weird grabbers tacked on beside them.

So does the Mustang Mach-E have the horsepower to lure buyers away from the top-selling Tesla Model Y?

The odds look good.

Pros: High-tech interior; 600km range in Premium; on-road performance
Cons: GT lacks centre airbag and five-star ANCAP rating; weird door grabbers