I finally got behind the wheel of the highly-anticipated electric Mustang, the Mach-E. I love EVs, and I adore the Mustang, but to really be a Mustang, a name synonymous with the term muscle car, surely it needs a V8 and a loud, throaty roar from the exhaust?
Ford has tried to remedy this with artificial engine noise designed to match the speed and acceleration of the electric version, but the sound isn’t quite pitched right. I think the issue is that the noise a V8 makes is felt as much as heard, so the result of piped engine noise through the speakers is too one-dimensional.

I expected to instantly love this car – it epitomised many things I love about driving, all wrapped up in a brand and name I associate with driving enjoyment. But it missed the mark. I think Ford made one mistake with the Mach-E, and that’s the name. I like the design styling that points to the V8 counterpart – the iconic rear lights, the flashy graphics on the massive touchscreen, but the noise ruined the experience.

Until that is, on day four of my test drive, I turned the artificial exhaust noise off.

It suddenly felt much more alive

Suddenly, it made sense. As an EV without fake noise, it suddenly felt much more alive, connected and, most importantly, it wasn’t trying to be something it wasn’t. I got it.

As an EV, the Mach-E offers a really nice drive. Balanced, powerful, spacious and premium for the most part. The exception is the dial around the one control knob on the touchscreen, which feels far too cheap and plastic to match the rest of the car. And for the £57k price tag, I don’t think that’s acceptable. On a £16k Fiesta, maybe, but not on something £40k more expensive.

Onto the drive. With the instant power you expect from an EV, well-planted handling and cornering, it feels like it will look after you when you add a bit too much power to a b-road bend, where a conventional Mustang wouldn’t. And while it might not be quite as much fun, this is ultimately a family-friendly SUV, not a fastback muscle car, so that’s probably for the best.

The interior is refined, comfortable and has all the tech you would expect. The touch-screen is clearly reminiscent of the Tesla Model S, the pinnacle for which to aim for, so well done Ford on that task.
It’s spacious, with two big boots; the conventional at the rear, and the front trunk. But as the front storage is mainly filled with charge cables, in reality, you will just be using the rear boot.

And on charging: I don’t like to criticise EVs for charging practicalities, as anyone who buys one would more than likely install their own high capacity charger at their home. I do not, so have to rely on public chargers or a slow 3-pin charge from an extension lead. I didn’t struggle too much, that said, and I do feel that the time for EVs to be a realistic option as a main car in the UK is fast approaching.
Are we there yet? Perhaps, not. But the destination is just around the corner.