While the Tesla Model Y is always top-of-mind when it comes to electric SUVs, it’s not the only option out there. Leading the charge (heh) in the non-Tesla camp is the Ford Mustang Mach-E, which has been hailed as an excellent electric option for those who like Ford’s design choices. We’ve already reviewed the Mustang Mach-E — but now, we’re looking at the highest-end model in the line: The Mustang Mach-E GT.
The Mach-E GT offers a few design tweaks compared to the standard model, plus it comes standard with all-wheel drive and an extended range battery, with an option for a performance edition powertrain that can take the car from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. That’s pretty quick.
But in general, is the Mustang Mach-E GT worth the extra cash? I’ve been driving it for a while now to find out. Note, we tested the 2021 model, and the 2022 model is now available. Most of what we discuss will still apply though.
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Great exterior design
- Comfortable interior
- Very spacious
- Good handling
Cons
- Medium range
- Slow-ish infotainment system
Ford Mustang Mach-E GT exterior
If you’ve come to the Mustang Mach-E expecting something similar to the classic Mustang that you know and love, you’re in for a shock. The Mustang Mach-E changes almost everything about that design, only preserving a few design elements from previous models.
Perhaps the most obvious change is the fact that the car is quite a bit bigger than your average Mustang. The Mach-E is an SUV, not a coupe or a convertible like other Mustang models. That’s not a bad thing though — electric SUVs are all the rage right now, and frankly, the Mach-E is easily one of the best.
Thankfully, however, despite the large size, the Mach-E still looks and feels sporty. The roof is relatively high, but the sleek curves help make it look smaller, in a good way. Ford also uses techniques like the two-step sloped rear, which makes the top of the car look a little more sloped while retaining space on the inside of the car.
Unlike some models of the Mach-E, the Mach-E GT has a slightly sportier front to it. That’s thanks to the black faux grille on the front, which may not serve any real function, but definitely looks good. Carmakers are still figuring out what to do with the front of a car without the need for an actual grille, but Ford has done a good job here. I just wish that the standard Mach-E has the same design elements.
The back of the car is perhaps what looks most like a traditional Mustang, even though it still wouldn’t be mistaken for one. It has the slated brake lights, and they look great. The 20-inch wheels with red brake calipers look super sporty too.
Ford Mustang Mach-E GT interior
Unlike Tesla, which may build great cars but definitely has some build quality issues to work out, Ford has decades of experience building car interiors — and it shows. The Mustang Mach-E GT’s interior looks and feels extremely premium, with soft-touch leather throughout, well-stitched materials, and more. Generally, the car feels much more put-together than a Tesla, for example.
It’s not all premium though. The weirdest control is the physical volume knob on the display. Now, I’m all for physical controls, but this knob just looks and feels cheap.
The front of the Mach-E GT has quite a lot of space for your belongings. There’s a wireless charger at the front, with enough space to put your wallet, keys, and a mask, without resorting to using the cupholders. There’s also a nice deep glove box, which can be covered as needed.
The back seat is nice and spacious too. There’s plenty of room for passengers, including enough leg room for most average-height adults. There’s a solid amount of space in the trunk too. You’ll get 29.7 cu-ft of storage space, with 59.7 cu-ft with the seats folded down. If that weren’t enough, there’s a frunk too — though you’ll have to open it from the driver’s side, like you would any other car.
Generally speaking, I love the look and feel of the Mustang Mach-E GT’s interior. There are some strange touches to it, like the physical volume knob, but those are easy to overlook.
Ford Mustang Mach-E GT infotainment
The Mustang Mach-E is meant to represent Ford’s vision for the future, and because of that, the car’s controls and infotainment are all screen-based. There’s a huge 15.5-inch touch display at the front of the car, which is vertically aligned and controls almost every aspect of the car. It’s interrupted only by the plastic volume knob, which frankly, looks and feels a little cheap. I don’t love it.
But the screen in general looks great. It’s crisp and bright, and easy to see even in direct sunlight. I would prefer a horizontal orientation for the display, as the vertical orientation does look a little awkward.
Ford has updated the interface a little too. There aren’t any major updates, but everything looks and feels a little smoother, and it does help. You can use more of the screen for CarPlay, for example. The interface seemed a little more responsive than when we reviewed the standard Mach-E too. It’s still not quite as responsive as, for example, a Tesla’s software, but it’s far from unresponsive. You’ll get used to the overall interface too — like tapping on the car icon on the top left to access settings quickly.
The 15.5-inch display isn’t the only display in the car though. You’ll also find a digital instrument panel, which is basically just a screen that shows your speed, how many miles you have left on the battery, and so on. It’s pretty minimal, which is good, but I wish you could customize it a little more.
The Mach-E GT comes with a B&O 10-speaker sound system, and the system sounds excellent. It’s not the flattest-sounding out there, with a bit of a mid-scoop. But bass is heavy and open, while highs are detailed and crisp. There’s good instrument separation, and generally, the speakers sound great.
Ford Mustang Mach-E GT safety and driver-assist
As you might expect from a new and modern car like this, the Mach-E GT comes with a range of safety and driver-assist features that can help you drive, park, and so on.
For starters, you’ll get adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping features, essentially meaning that the car can feel self-driving on the highway.
When you’re not on the highway, you’ll still get access to a range of great features. There’s a 360-degree view that can help with parking, and if you don’t want to use that, you can use the Active Park Assist feature that will park the car for you. It works very well, though you have to hold down on the park button for it to work. The feature doesn’t seem to be able to pull forward into a spot though — just reverse into one. That’s a little annoying given the fact that the charging port is at the front of the car, meaning that you might want to pull into EV spots.
Generally, the Mustang Mach-E GT is a very smart car. It doesn’t quite offer the full self-driving features that you get on a Tesla, for example, but you probably want to drive your Mach-E anyway.
Safety features, of course, you will want. The car offers things like automatic front collision braking and lane-keeping. I obviously didn’t test these features in-depth, so I can’t really speak to how well they work.
Ford Mustang Mach-E GT battery and charging
The Mustang Mach-E GT doesn’t quite have the range of the Mach-E California Route 1 edition, but the trade-off is the much better acceleration. The Mach-E GT comes standard with all-wheel drive, with either an Extended Range Battery, which will get you 270 miles of range, or a Performance Edition Extended Range Battery, which downgrades the range to 260 miles in exchange for faster acceleration.
The range on the Mach-E GT is pretty good, but not incredible. Most electric SUVs these days are pushing at least 300 miles, including the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV 6. Of course, with another model of the Mach-E you’ll hit that 300+ mile range — so you’ll have to decide if the upgrades on the GT are worth trading out some of that range.
Thankfully, the car can charge relatively quickly. Its maximum charging speed is 150kW, which means it can get to 80% charge in 45 minutes. I never hit that maximum charging speed though.
Ford Mustang Mach-E GT performance
If you’re considering the Mach-E GT, you don’t necessarily need or want the maximum range though. You want the best performance — and the Mach-E GT is an absolute beast. The 2021 model of the car boasts a massive 634 pound-feet of torque and 480 horsepower. The result is that you can get from 0-60 in an astonishing 3.5 seconds.
Frankly, the Mustang Mach-E GT is easily one of the most fun cars I’ve reviewed to date. The acceleration on this thing really is incredible, and while you won’t necessarily use that level of performance, it can help in a pinch when overtaking. Mainly, it’s just super, super fun.
The car offers other features you would expect from a modern electric car. There’s the ability to drive with one pedal, using regenerative braking to recapture energy when you take your foot off the accelerator. The regenerative braking isn’t quite as hard as some other cars, and I find that I still had to use the brake every now and then. But for the most part, you can rely only on one pedal for most trips.
The Mustang Mach-E GT is a relatively heavy car, however, it does well at still handling quite well. It’s not as tight around corners as the Tesla Model Y, for example, but it’s still able to corner pretty easily, and without too much lean.
The Mach-E GT offers three driving modes — Whisper, Engaged, and Untamed. For most day-to-day driving you’ll stick with Whisper or Engaged. But it is fun putting the car in Untamed every now and then, and you can feel a difference when you do.
Conclusions
The Ford Mustang Mach-E GT is an incredibly fun car that happens to double as an excellent option for the whole family. It’s spacious and premium, and when you want it to, it can turn your stomach upside down like a rollercoaster. It’s not the Mach-E that everyone should get — and most will get more use out of the better range on the California Route 1 model than they will from the faster acceleration. But those that appreciate that extra oomph will absolutely love what’s on offer by the Mustang Mach-E GT.
The competition
Perhaps Ford’s biggest competition is from the Tesla Model Y, which still benefits from a superior charging network and better software. But I prefer the design of the Mach-E GT, along with the more premium interior materials, and the fact that it supports things like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Should I buy the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT?
Yes. It’s worth considering if you really value the better performance over the longer range on offer by other models, but if so, the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT is an excellent option.
