by Wallace Wyss –

Let’s face it, for the last half century the Mustang has been the sports car for the family man who, because of wife and kids, couldn’t have a true two seater.

And now Ford is bring out a sort of SUV with the Mustang name, called the Mustang Mach-E, and even worse it’s electric. No more rhumpa-rhumpa (and the latest V8 Mustangs have had delightful exhaust sounds) with this Mustang. Just a whirrrrrr.

I look upon this new electric Mustang Mach-E as a betrayal of all the Ford Mustang has been for half a century.

That because it is such a timid approach to using the Mustang style.

Not that such a precedent hasn’t been set. Isn’t there, after all, a Lamborghini SUV? A Bentley SUV? A Rolls SUV? Yes, those brands earlier stepped forward and came up with a configuration their customers needed but, in each and every case, still delivered on the ambiance you expect. And Lamborghini even had a really wild four wheeler decades ago so it’s in their history.

So I supposed I should be congratulating Ford instead of chastising them because after all today’s customers are demanding SUVs of every size and pickup trucks. You can’t go on building what people don’t want. And I think they and Chevrolet with the Camaro missed the chance to make money off a station wagon (far too pretentious to call it a “shooting brake”) years ago (they could still do it now).

My biggest bone to pick is that the Mustang Mach-E doesn’t look much like a Mustang. It sort of has a Tesla nose (with no attempt at a fake grille through there is a grille surround) and slapping on of a Mustang taillight theme.

It makes no breakthrough on miles per charge, Ford claiming 230 miles and maybe as high as 300, depending on how the vehicle is equipped. The Chevy Bolt, by comparison, will go 260-miles on a charge and Tesla’s Model 3 roughly 220.)

The Mustang Mach-E owes much more of its styling influence to the Tesla than any Mustang past or present. Inside the car is promised with over-the-air software and forget rows of gauges, this one has a large black touch screen dominating the console.

Here’s my styling critique based only on pictures:

FRONT: The fake grille surround is only half way, why not have a real Mustang nose? It’s like showing the crust of an apple pie with no apples.

SIDE: Sculpturing is good for a SUV, a little reminiscent of the Mustang.

REAR: Taillights are Mustang inspired but the whole concave rear panel that holds them needs to have more definition on the edges all the way around. More crispness, please.

SPEED: It seems inconceivable to mention “speed” with electric but they are fast, as Ford is promising 0-60 mph in the mid-3-second range.

PRICE: Way too high to make this a breakthrough vehicle with the middle class. The price starts at $52,400, but at least in some states customers will be able to get a $7,500 federal tax credit. I’m thinking it should be around $34,500 for the base model.

In Sum: I welcome Ford entering electric SUV competition but why not borrow more of the Mustang legacy, which has developed over the last half century or more?

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

 
 
THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss is the author of 18 automotive histories. He is co-host of Autotalk, a weekly radio show about cars emanating form KUCR-FM Riverside.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Photos of the Mustang Mach-E compliments of Ford.