I've previously written at length about how non-EV owners are missing out on the torque and pure power of electric vehicles. There's a sensory rush when a big muscle car roars into action, wheels spinning and tires burning, but even a budget EV can often give it a run for the money, particularly from a stop. An EV motor delivers maximum torque immediately upon pressing the accelerator, and there's no complex powertrain to negotiate as speed increases. Since many are also all-wheel drive, they have much more traction and can bite that asphalt to leap ahead without any energy-wasting wheel spin.
Traditional muscle cars could definitely become popular muscle EVs, but so far, only the Dodge Charger has been extended into an EV. The Ford Mustang Mach-E is really an EV SUV crossover inspired by the traditional Mustang design and the Mach-1 classic style. Much more industry development is going into entirely new vehicles, some of which have a classic muscle car design.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E was designed from the ground up as an EV, first introduced in 2020 for the 2021 model year. Today, the Mach-E has a variety of trim levels, including a fun new Rally design. Suffice it to say, when Ford offered me a week behind the wheel of a 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD, I was eager to log some miles. The delivered vehicle sported a beautiful Velocity Blue Metallic exterior and rather less exciting Black Perforated ActiveX interior:
While it doesn't quite have the lines of a traditional Mustang, it's still sporty, and especially the front grille design is a nod to the Mustang (not to mention the classic galloping pony logo it shares with its internal combustion engine-powered brethren). Look closely at the front grille, and you'll realize it's actually a solid piece of plastic with a grille pattern overlaid: There's no need for airflow to cool the motor in an EV, so their fronts are typically sealed. Indeed, open the hood, and it'll reveal a "frunk" that's about big enough for a few six packs. Surprisingly, you can open the frunk with a button on the keyfob, suggesting it's a popular hidden compartment for owners.
Look more closely at the lines, and you'll notice something's missing: Door handles. The Mach-E has an unusual door opening mechanism that I didn't love:
Push the button, and the door unlocks and opens just a bit, allowing you to easily use the tiny handle to pull it open all the way. The embossed padlock above it hides a second button that locks the vehicle, but in practice, I found it weirdly hard to find "the spot" and lock the car. There's also a 5-button [1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/0] keypad embedded in the door on the driver's side, offering the ability to unlock it without having the keyfob on your person. You can set up to five codes, allowing others access to the interior, trunk, and frunk, but you cannot start the vehicle without the (low-frequency UHF, not RFID) keyfob.
Stepping into the Mach-E, it's impossible to ignore the enormous 15.5-inch infotainment and navigational screen. With a design reminiscent of the Tesla, that screen is your primary interface with the entire vehicle, offering up the biggest Apple CarPlay display I've ever enjoyed, but also access to charging settings, vehicle preferences, and much, much more. Heck, you can even play games like Parking Lot on the display when you're not in gear...
Just in case you were hoping for a complicated parking lot and found a spot too darn quickly, unlikely as that may seem.
Note the volume and control knob at the bottom of the screen. This is a physical knob, and in practice, I found it an excellent and ergonomic interface element, making music volume and other controls quite simple. The 2025 Mustang Mach-E definitely has elements of "push all the controls onto the touchscreen to avoid buttons", but these sorts of mashups make it much more pleasant than endlessly staring at the screen (while you should be focused on the road).
It's no surprise that the center console is streamlined and there to hold your cups, not offer an additional set of buttons and switches:
Wondering how you change gears when there's no gearshift? Turns out that's one of the sticks coming out of the steering column, which you can just see peeking over the right side of the steering wheel crossbar. This is new for 2025; earlier models had the gearshift control between the cup holders on the center console.
Otherwise, it's a lovely, symmetric set of controls that offers many of the main features a driver would want while en route, from cruise control to entertainment system controls, along with access to the voice navigation system. And that beautiful galloping pony logo emblazoned on the center horn control.
One area where the interface could do with a bit more refinement, however, is the wiper controls. That's the other stick hiding behind the steering wheel, and it's overloaded with controls and options:
When there are this many features on a single control, it's probably an opportunity to rethink the interface, as they did with the seat warmers (accessed via a button on the infotainment screen in a smart dual-purpose tap design). I imagine new Mustang Mach-E owners have to experiment to figure out exactly how to gain full control of the front and rear windshield wipers.
Behind the steering wheel is one of the simplest and most elegant digital instrument clusters I've seen in any vehicle:
There's enough there to convey the essentials, from one-pedal driving mode to odometer, current gear, battery level, and projected range (79% should take me 188 miles), along with speed limit and my current speed. What else do you need? There's no tachometer because it's a motor, not an engine, and a dial for speed has seemed unnecessary since the advent of digital gauge displays.
Let's talk about that range while it's at the forefront: The Mach-E is not designed to be a long-haul adventure vehicle. Fully charged, it'll deliver about 240 miles with the standard battery, if you're not driving like a lunatic (see "accelerate from zero" earlier in my article 😉). Opt for a trim level with an Extended Range Battery, and you should see another 60 miles, for a total of 300 miles on a charge.
Keep in mind that the average driver travels 25-30 miles per day, so even if you're at 4x that, you'll be fine with a 240-mile range, particularly if you pony up [pun intended] for a level-2 charger at home. There are also an increasing number of higher-power chargers in the wild, too, with my favorite being the Electrify America network. My local city government subsidizes public level-1 chargers, making them $1/hour to charge up. Not a lot, but a half-dozen extra miles while grabbing lunch with a colleague is easy enough.
Stepping out of the Mach-E, I was surprised by the reasonable legroom for rear passengers, as shown above. Certainly enough for children and teens and, with the front seats moved forward just a bit, adults. Notice also the black perforated Activex interior design with the red accent stitching. Fairly humdrum for a sports car, but certainly functional. The fabric cover of the speaker grill on the door panel is a good accent that breaks up the monotony of the black plastic.
The back seat has a traditional 60/40 split, and with the seats down, there's quite a bit of storage space. Even with them up, however, it was ample cargo space for holiday Costco runs or a visit to the hardware store.
But let's face it, as with all previous Mustang models, the Mustang Mach-E is all about the drive experience, and this baby's got a lot of oomph. So much so that when I floored it from a stop, I not only felt the g-force of the acceleration, but even started to feel a bit queasy. Weird, but fun; this car can go, accelerating instantly at the tap of the pedal and slowing down - and regenerating some power - with a simple lift of the foot in one pedal driving mode. It was really a super fun drive that was true to the spirit of its internal combustion ancestors.
If you're a lifelong Ford fan or just want to get an EV that is sporty and has some history behind it, there's really a lot to love about the Mustang Mach-E, particularly the AWD model. It's one of my favorite EVs and has a pricetag that places it firmly in the mid-range for electric vehicles, even nicely appointed. This is definitely one for a test drive before you get your next sporty vehicle.
2025 Fort Mustang Mach-E AWD Electric Vehicle. BASE PRICE: $42,995.00. Options Included: Usable Ext NCM Battery, Sport Appearance Package, Connect Package, Mobile Power Cord, and Fast Charge Adapter. AS DRIVEN: $53,825.00.
Disclaimer: Ford loaned me the Mach-E for a week in return for this candid write-up. This article originally appeared on PlanetDave.com with the title The 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E is a Favorite EV and is republished here with permission from the author.
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