A few weeks back I mentioned the huge Moses-like tablet in the Mercedes C Class Estate that dominated the dash of the car.
Moses, if he was still around, would probably be happy with the size and shape of the tablet in the Mach-E, Ford’s first fully electric car. No doubt Henry Ford, the man who loved the colour black, would also be happy as the tablet has a black border.
The touch-screen tablet is truly massive, officially the size is 15.5” and it certainly dominates the dash area, in fact the whole interior of the car.
Ford has discontinued production of their popular Mondeo and that old reliable motor has now been replaced by the Mach-E, which is probably the closest car they have in their stable to the old Mondeo.
Ford have certainly made a smart move by linking the Mach-E it to its famous Mustang by using the Pony logo.
The Mach-E carries the Pony logo on the front and back of the car. The galloping horse, which was designed by a man name Phil Clark, first appeared on the Mustang in 1962.
Frank said that the Mustang represented a wild horse, not a domesticated racer. Sadly Frank, who hailed from Iowa, died six years later in 1968 at the age of 32.
Interestingly there is no sign of any Ford logo on the car. The only place I saw the word Ford used was on the tablet when you switch off the engine.
It’s a very powerful, solid motor and if it’s speed you are after you can get from zero to 100km/h in just over five seconds. No problem in urban driving, but on a stretch of motorway between Naas and the Curragh I experienced a ‘bouncy ride effect’ on a stretch where I’m pretty sure the surface is new. The Bridgestone tyres seemed fine and I got no warning light saying the tyres were not properly inflated.
Apart from that unusual bouncy ride on the Naas Road all family members enjoyed the high-driving position and the panoramic sunroof.
The four door openings are unusual; you don’t get a regular handle, instead you just tap a button near the side window to open the door. Inside there is a nice touch of red stitching on the black leather seats.
The boot is huge, but no spare wheel. There is enough space in the front boot or ‘Frunk’ to hold one of those small neat suitcases.
I drove a red version and it certainly looked impressive and the 19” black machine alloys with red brake calipers added to the classy look.
There are various versions and two different battery types. Naturally the stronger the battery the longer the range. I drove the version with the smaller battery which had a range of approximately 337km.
The one thing you will notice when driving an electric car that your rarely need to use the brake pedal. Once you ease your right foot off the accelerator the speed drops rapidly. No need for your left foot in the Mach-E.
Prices start at €53,100 for the 70kWh battery version and rise to €82,000 for the rang-topping Mache-E GT.
We only got to drive the first-ever Mustangs in Ireland a few years back, now you could probably say that we have an electric Mustang.
The electric Kia EV6 was voted Continental Irish of the Year in January with another electric car, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 in second place. Next November/December when the 2023 car of the year will be announced, I expect the Mach-E could be on the winners’ podium.
