Aaron Turpen: 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E EV Floats My Boat

The Mustang Mach-E was controversial when it first appeared a couple of years ago. Mustang fans were unhappy about an electric sport utility having the OG pony’s name on it. Now it’s controversial simply because electric vehicles have been politicized.

The 2023 Mach-E marks the third time I’ve driven this vehicle as a daily driver. For about a week, I drove the Premium model. Previously, I’ve driven the Select and the GT trim models.

I think the Premium is my favorite of the group. The GT is faster, but not by very much. When you’re measuring 0-60 mph sprint times in sub-half-second intervals for comparison, it gets pretty petty.

Public roads aren’t NHRA strips. At least, they aren’t supposed to be. But I’ve seen Cheyenne’s Del Range Boulevard after 10 p.m. I guess there’s some kind of exception there. Not sure why.

At any rate, the 2023 Mustang Mach-E has a lot of goodness going for it. While it’s no longer my favorite EV (I gave that to the Kia EV6), it’s definitely my favorite performance-oriented vehicle. Because 0-60 mph in about 5 seconds in a family SUV? That’s awesome. Plus it’s smooth, balanced and nice to look at. Kinda like me.

The 2023 Mach-E has somewhere between 247 and 312 miles of range, depending on which model you choose. The Premium in all-wheel drive has an EPA rating of 290 miles of range and about 240 miles of range in the real world by my experience.

The Ford Mach-E is not really an SUV. It’s more of a large station wagon by design, similar to most Subaru models or the even-numbered BMW X vehicles. It’s coupe-ier than most utilities, which adds aerodynamics and sporty design elements to its looks. But it retains decent amounts of cargo space and nice roominess in front and rear seating.

A Great Drive

Like most electric vehicles, the Mustang Mach-E has its batteries under the floor and between the frame rails.

This midships positioning of the heaviest part of the vehicle means that the Mach-E’s balance is better than even most supercars. It’s nearly perfect. That low-slung weight also means drive dynamics are really good too. They put the standard Mustang to shame. And I really like that car.

But to be honest, it’s never been known for maneuverability. We had to wait until the 21st century for Ford to finally replace that solid rear axle, for heck’s sake.

Speaking of which, I’m kind of surprised nobody has brewed a good Japanese liquor named Heck’s Sake. Pretty obvious marketing there, if you ask me.

Back To The Mach-E

One of the hallmarks of this Ford is its smooth delivery of not only power, but also on-road presence. The driver remains engaged, but most of the downers to sports cars (rough suspension, jumpy acceleration, loud noise) aren’t there with the Mach-E. It absorbs the road nicely, accelerates well and is as quiet as your mom’s Lincoln.

There’s a “frunk” under the hood for storing smaller things and it has a drain hole, so it could be used as an ice chest. Since there’s no engine making heat up there, that’s actually realistic. It’s also about the right size for a set of jumper cables, lights or flares and other must-have roadside gear for helping someone out.

The Mach-E, like most EVs, has 12-volt connection points to jump start other cars when needed.

One of the best things about electric cars is found in the winter. Despite all of the naysayers who post unsubstantiated memes about electric cars freezing because of a highway closure, they have a huge upside in the winter: instant heat.

The heater in an EV comes on as soon as you push the button. No waiting for the engine to warm up. And defrosting windows takes about half the time, because there’s no wait. It just starts doing it immediately. And no wasting fuel idling for 10 minutes or more to make all that happen. It’s brilliant.

In short, there’s a lot of goodness to the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E. I’ve seen a few with Wyoming plates driving around now, so I can tell I’m not the only one who likes this one.

It drives really well, can blow the doors off almost any other vehicle around it and it’s comfortable. What more could you ask for?