Ford, it should come as no surprise, has been working on a new performance crossover inspired by the Mustang.And the notion has left at least some pony-car enthusiasts a little apprehensive. The Mustang Mach-E is an all-new vehicle; Ford’s first fully-electric crossover SUV; Available with all-wheel drive and extended-range battery pack.
The Mustang Mach-E may not long have started arriving on dealership forecourts, but Ford has already revealed a new all-electric crossover, the Ford EVOS. Unveiled at Auto Shanghai 2021 today, the strikingly-designed EVOS will live alongside the electric Mustang in China, but sadly won’t be spreading elsewhere such as the US.
That’s a shame, because it’s certainly a distinctive EV. Ford says the design – described as “Progressive Energy in Strength” – is tailored to suit local tastes, with a blend of coupe and SUV aesthetics.
What that means in practice is some of the lower body treatment we’ve seen on the Mustang Mach-E, like the power lines around the wheel arches, but with a lower, arcing roofline. The headlamps are narrower, and connected across the grille with an LED light bar. That grille has 3D texturing, Ford says, with a “parametric scale” pattern that’s echoed on the EVOS’ taillights.
Inside, meanwhile, there’s a huge display that dominates the dashboard. The driver gets a 12.3-inch digital cluster, but it’s the 27-inch 4K touchscreen that, unsurprisingly, catches the eye. Ford says the dash-spanning screen altogether adds up to more than three and a half feet of display for the driver and front passenger.
2020 Ford Mustang Crossover
It’s running SYNC+ 2.0, which taps local Baidu AI as well as a new interface and localized apps. For example, there’s a Virtual Personal Assistant, and a “co-driver” mode which puts navigation and other information in front of the front passenger and encourages them to take a more active role in the journey. Alternatively, the passenger side can show entertainment content, or a new “relax mode” tempers the potential distractions with calmer ambient lighting and seat positions, among other changes.
Underneath it all is Ford’s new Fully Networked Vehicle E/E architecture, similar to that of the Mustang Mach-E, which supports wide-reaching OTA updates. Ford will tap that to deliver new maps and software for BlueCruise, its hands-free driver assistance system, which will be offered on the EVOS. The EV also has C-V2X technology which shares traffic and incident data between cars to pre-warn drivers.
Both the EVOS and the China-specific Mustang Mach-E will be manufactured locally, with EVOS being produced by Changan Ford. Ford will also be taking a page out of Tesla’s model for retail, with direct sales of the EVs planned. Ford says it aims for that strategy to reach 20 major cities across China this year alone.
No word at this point as to range, performance, or pricing on the EVOS. Ford will confirm that closer to the EV’s release.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is The Car Connection's Best Car To Buy 2021.
The Mach-E has the styling cues of its pony car namesake, the roominess of a crossover SUV, and the performance that bridges the gap between them. With a 300-mile range that rivals only the Tesla Model Y and a price that undercuts it by at least $7,000, Ford's electric crossover appeals to the masses like a Model T for the electrified age.
Starting at $43,995, it's affordable, easy to operate, fun to drive, and stays relevant with over-the-air updates. The lack of tailpipe emissions is an added bonus Henry Ford never could have accounted for when the Model T launched in 1908, at the peak of the smoke-filled industrial age that was fueled in no small part by the advent of the personal vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine.
Branding it a Mustang is not just marketing flimflammery aimed at capitalizing on an American icon half as old as the Model T. Perhaps Ford is on a 56-year cadence for upending the automotive paradigm? Draw the lines, do the math, conspiracy theorists.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E
Regardless, the Mustang team was instrumental in the design and execution of Ford's first mass produced electric vehicle with a dedicated platform i.e. not the Ford Focus Electric. The long hood with twin peaks, the nose dipping into the vertical front, the sequential indicators on the fishbone taillights, the muscular rear haunches housing a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, all honor the Mustang more so than the galloping pony icons stamped front, back, and inside.
The similarities mostly end there. It lacks the whip-crack rear end that rotates like so many V-8 Mustangs, but it can still cook with a 0-60 mph time of 4.8 seconds with the larger 88-kwh battery pack and a second motor mounted up front for all-wheel drive. A forthcoming GT model can do it in 3.5 seconds. Gut-dropping acceleration uninterrupted by gear shifts is the secret joy of owning an electric vehicle, and the Mustang Mach-E upholds that in every configuration, even in rear-wheel-drive models, where range is maxed out at 300 miles but propulsion is slowed to a 0-60 mph time of 6.1 seconds.
Even with the smaller 68-kwh pack mounted under the floor between the axles, the Mach-E has a low center of gravity and a lower ride height than other SUVs. An independent suspension helps it react to the driver's inputs and road conditions; even though it leans into turns and initially plows into corners like a front-wheel-drive car, the Mach-E is fun to drive.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E first drive - Portland, OR
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E first drive - Portland, OR
It also lacks the cramped interior of the Mustang. The Mach-E seats five and with no driveshaft tunnel it can actually fit five adults. The coupe-like roofline is offset by a fixed-glass roof on all but the base Select model that opens up the airy sensation and provides more head room in back. Clever packaging such as a tiered storage floor offer a very crossover-like 29.7 cubic feet of space; fold down the 60/40 rear seats for 59.7 cubic feet, and if that's not enough drop a couple carry-ons into the 4.8 cubes in the front trunk.
The Mach-E comes loaded with Ford’s latest safety features, including automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. A 15.5-inch touchscreen serves as a mastermind of controls, though the lower quadrant always shows climate controls, and a volume dial simplifies the simplest task. The Mach-E pairs with smartphones for wireless charging, to use as a key, and to monitor the vehicle, among other things. An available hands-free driving system is coming soon, but leather upholstery isn't.
The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E is a worthy electric car, and a proud heir to the Ford pony-car legacy.
Read more about our Driver’s Choice awards to find out what our readers think is best in every category—and find out what won in the Best Car To Buy derby at our sister sites, Motor Authority and Green Car Reports.
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