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Payne: Cruisin’ future classics, Mach-E ‘n’ Miata
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 22, 2024
Pontiac — The Woodward Dream Cruise is one of the world’s biggest auto events, bringing an estimated 40,000 cars and 1 million spectators to a 16-mile stretch of Metro Detroit’s main street. I love the variety. Unlike other cars shows, the Cruise is free and open to every type of automobile, from vintage milk trucks and Motown muscle cars from the 1960s to current-generation pickups and European exotics.
Odd couple: The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E (left) and 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club.. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
This year, I took an odd couple to the Dream Cruise: the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT and Mazda MX-5 Miata Club, both future classics.
The Mach-E and Miata are automotive bookends representing the diversity of models in the industry today. The Mach-E is an automatic, all-wheel-drive electric vehicle with twin electric motors, four seats, a frunk and more thrust than the Space Shuttle. The Miata, by contrast, is a manual, petrol-powered rear-wheel-drive roadster that seats (barely) two, and is more fun than an inflatable tube on a snow hill.
For all their differences, the two vehicles have their roots in 1960s sports cars. Mach-E is Ford’s first SUV inspired by the Mustang muscle car, and the Miata was inspired by the iconic English Lotus Elan. The pair also offer a chilling glimpse into a dystopian future auto landscape where governments force manufacturers to make only EVs. In 25 years, will internal combustion roller skates like the Miata be banned? A relic of a golden age? Let’s hope not.
For now, these models are a celebration of individual transportation.
Friday fun day
On Friday afternoon, the rains cleared and Mrs. Payne and I rolled toward Woodward for some cruising in the Miata. At a stoplight, we went topless. The car, that is.
The Mazda’s soft top is one of the industry’s engineering marvels. No, it’s not electronic. It doesn’t have a screen, or a dial. But in three seconds, I unhooked it from the windshield and stowed it behind me without getting out of the driver’s seat.
I popped the front latch, pulled the soft top back over my head, and stuffed it into the cubby behind my head. It’s as simple as taking a blanket off your bed in the morning.
I turned off traction control, shifted into first gear and slid the rear end out with controlled throttle as I accelerated onto Woodard’s damp pavement. The short wheelbase Mazda is playful, easily controlled whether on the track or on the road. Like the analog soft top, the old school shifter is crisp and easy to throw.
The Mustang Mach-E is a different kind of giggle.
While the Mustang’s heritage also includes drop-top coupes, the Mach-E doesn’t offer a convertible option. Drop-top EVs like the GMC Hummer have been few. My $64K GT tester, however, let the sun shine in with a panoramic glass roof and was further enhanced with a stylin’ Bronze Appearance package. Incredibly, the GT performance model puts more torque (634 pound-feet vs. 625) to the ground than the King of Mustangs — the $80K supercharged V-8 Mustang Shelby GT500.
I floored the Mach-E and it buried my spinal column in the seatback. Sixty mph blew by in just 3.7 seconds out of the South Boulevard and Woodward stoplight — nearly two seconds quicker than the Miata. Mach-E GT manages this despite tipping the scales at 5,000 pounds — double that of the Mazda. Some of that is due to the Mach-E’s SUV proportions, so that you can take the whole family on a thrill ride.
Let’s blow away this Porsche Boxster, kids!
But much of the girth is in the 91-kWh battery pack. The battery is also a big reason the Mach-E costs $20K north of the Mazda. Fans of small sportscars like the Miata shiver when they think of future, battery-powered sportscars due to the massive weight/cost gain that might entail.
Minimalist dashboard
The Mach-E’s cabin is one of my favorite examples of the digital revolution pioneered by Tesla.
Discussion inside the Ford design team was spirited, but ultimately designers went clean sheet — crafting a modern, minimalist dashboard rather than echoing the classic Mustang coupe’s aviation-style cockpit (even the ICE coupe would go big screen when its seventh-generation car debuted in 2023).
Where Tesla showcased a 15-inch horizontal screen in the Model Y, the Mach-E went vertical with its 15.5-inch display. Unlike Tesla, Ford complements the center stack with a small hoodless display behind the steering wheel that gives you essentials like mileage and speed. The operating system synced effortlessly to my phone and I barked directions to the wireless Android Auto system to help me navigate around Woodward’s worst choke points.
The screen is anchored by a huge volume button — the exception to the streamlined touch-screen environment. The icing on the cake? My GT boasted Blue Cruise, Ford’s interstate-only hands-free driving assistance system for when I exited Woodward onto I-696.
In keeping with its analog, driver-focused experience, the Mazda is spare on electronic wizardry — even eschewing adaptive cruise control that is standard on its sedan and SUV brethren. Still, the Miata’s infotainment system has made big strides.
To the frustration of touch-screen millennials, Mazda has relied on a rotary dial-controlled center screen. But new models like my MX-5 now have a new 8.8-inch touch screen that supports wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. Or you can still use the rotary controller — just like premium brands BMW and Genesis.
Niche vehicle
When it comes to daily driving, the Mach-E sport ute should be the obvious choice. Roomy hatchback, four seats, useful frunk. But Mach-E’s electric powertrain makes it a niche vehicle like the Miata.
Given Mach-E’s charging limitations, most will buy it as a second car for their garage. Install a charger in your garage for around two grand and the ‘Stang is an excellent daily commuter — or Woodward cruiser. Road trips? Not so easy, though Ford’s recent access to Tesla’s reliable charging network is a big help.
The Mazda’s old-school appeal extends to its old-school gas engine. It’ll make effortless round trips to, say, an autocross in Columbia — and that clever soft top allows you to store a suitcase in the boot.
Twenty-five years from now, we’ll know a lot more about the longevity of EV batteries. Will they hopelessly degrade? If so, will it crater residuals? We already know the Miata’s reliability — as evidenced by the 1998 second-generation MX-5s that turned 25 years young on Woodward this year.
Long live the ‘24 Miata and Mustang Mach-E. Long live Dream Cruise variety.
2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive four-door SUV
Price: $55,890, including $1,895 destination charge ($64,025 as tested)
Powerplant: 91-kWh lithium-ion battery driving twin electric motors
Power: 480 horsepower, 634 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.7 seconds (Car and Driver)
Weight: 4,952 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA est. range, 280 miles
Report card
Highs: Exhilarating acceleration; state-of the-art tech
Lows: Porky; road-trip charging requires planning
Overall: 3 stars
2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive two-passenger sportscar
Price: $33,650, including $1,165 destination charge ($39,045 Club, manual model as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter four-cylinder
Power: 181 horsepower, 151 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: 6-speed manual; 6-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.7 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 140 mph
Weight: 2,368 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 26 city/34 highway/29 combined (manual)
Report card
Highs: The purist’s sportscar; easy drop-top
Lows: Sporty Club suspension can be stiff on Michigan roads; limited storage space
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.