The Ford Mustang Mach-E isn't your Tito's Mustang

You are looking at one of the most controversial new cars to come out in quite a while. It's managed to cause quite a stir for one thing: the name. Ford's marketing team thought it brilliant to use the Mustang name—an iconic nameplate with a long and storied history—for its first fully-fledged battery electric vehicle. What they didn't realize would be the amount of backlash they got afterward.

- Words & photos by Ulysses Ang

PHOTOS BY ULYSSES ANG

(ULYSSES ANG)

For sixty years, the Mustang has epitomized the spirit of rebellion—a spirit of not giving a hoot because it knows exactly what it is and what it stands for. Its recipe for success is so simple, so unchanged that every enthusiast knows it by heart: macho two-door styling, a big, powerful engine (V8 preferred), and a no-nonsense rear-wheel drive layout. It's this formula that the Mustang Mach-E has upended by being a four-door SUV with two electric motors and all-wheel drive. It's basically an anti-Mustang Mustang.

Strip away the baggage brought on by the name, the styling, and all this “Mustang DNA” spiel, and the Mach-E is a solid EV and deserves a solid B+. Built on a dedicated platform, it’s a wonderfully playful car to drive. The steering may be a tad inconsistent in terms of weighting at times, but it’s nonetheless sharp and responsive. The chassis too, has some magic sprinkled in as it’s agile and tossable even through bends despite the 2.2-ton curb weight. It rides firmly, but can still eat away the miles with little to no complaints from everyone else aboard.