{"id":29162,"date":"2022-05-04T14:38:21","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T18:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=29162"},"modified":"2022-05-05T14:39:33","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T18:39:33","slug":"payne-doin-donuts-in-the-d-in-the-mustang-mach-e-gt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/payne-doin-donuts-in-the-d-in-the-mustang-mach-e-gt","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Doin’ donuts in The D in the Mustang Mach-E GT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pontiac<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I like Skittle-colored Mustangs. Red, blue, orange, yellow. Especially yellow. The bright color turns heads on Woodward Avenue, accentuates the muscular hips, stands out against the snow.<\/p>\n

Snow? What kind of Mustangs like to be driven in snow?<\/p>\n

The all-wheel-drive, all-electric, 600-torque, Mach-E kind. After a snowy, wintry day in southeast Michigan, I jumped in and headed for the nearest parking lot to do donuts. You\u2019re never too old to feed your inner 16-year-old, and let\u2019s be honest, we\u2019ve all wanted to do Mustang donuts in rear-wheel-drive, V8-powered GT coupes since we got our driver\u2019s license.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

But on dry pavement, not snow. Not that I haven\u2019t tried. I took a ferocious, green Bullitt V-8 out in a Detroit blizzard (do we have global warming yet?) a few years back and it wasn\u2019t pleasant. Rear-wheel-drive, 480-horsepower\u00a0and snowdrifts don\u2019t play\u00a0well together. I struggled to make it up grades, rear tires squirming, traction-control straining, heart beating.<\/p>\n

When I found my favorite\u00a0snowy parking lot, the pony car was hard to control. The rear slewed on cue, but the front tires didn\u2019t bite. And if I had drifted into a snow drift? Heaven help me getting out. Not so my AWD\u00a0yellow GT tester.<\/p>\n

Seasonal weather is what performance SUVs are born for. A fellow motorhead bought a rear-wheel-drive, 505-horse\u00a0twin-turbo V-6 Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio hellion a few years ago \u2014 arguably the best-handling sedan on the planet \u2014 and traded it in a year later. Why, you ask? Because it was a fair-weather car. He bought a ferocious, AWD\u00a0505-horse\u00a0twin-turbo V-6 Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio SUV instead so he could drive it year ’round.<\/p>\n

I charged up to Pontiac in the Mach-E GT, its AWD system churning happily through snow and slush. Electric motors, as I\u2019ve found on my Tesla Model 3, are efficient at handling slip and Mach-E was no different. Which is a good thing because the GT has gobs of grunt.<\/p>\n

\"Like<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Arriving at a snowy parking lot, I buried the throttle and the ute spun like a top \u2014 all four corners spinning. With ground clearance to spare, I never bogged down in snowdrifts like the low, mean Mustang coupe.<\/p>\n

Not that the Mach-E GT doesn\u2019t look mean.<\/p>\n

After having my fun in the snow, I got out and admired the stallion\u2019s muscled lines. Is there a better-looking SUV? Signature Mustang taillights, coupe-like roof, muscular haunches, bowed rocker panels, phone-dial wheels, and capping it off \u2014 a wicked\u00a0black face.<\/p>\n

I know, I know, it\u2019s just a plastic shield \u2014 an echo of the functional grilles that adorn its internal-combustion-engine brethren. But it works as a heritage piece so much better than the old plastic grilles on Tesla Model S sedans which, well \u2014 had no ICE heritage. Heritage matters, and that\u2019s why the Mach-E is the best EV out there not named Tesla.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Where the Tesla brings authentic, shocking, electric performance to the table, Mach-E GT also knows exactly what it is: a pony car-inspired ute with brute power.<\/p>\n

Embracing electrification, Mach-E puts more torque through its four claws than even an AWD F-150 Raptor. The power is slightly dulled by its sheer, battery-laden bulk \u2014 a porky 4,962 pounds. Floor the gas pedal (we need a new name. Juice pedal anyone?) on asphalt and the GT is not nearly as explosive as my 4,072-pound Model 3 Performance. Model 3 hits 60 in an eyeball-flattening 2.9 seconds, while the Mach-E takes another three-quarters of a second to get there.<\/p>\n

No shame in that. It\u2019s similar to the Model 3\u2019s taller Model Y Performance SUV sibling, which has inherently worse aerodynamics and more pounds to carry. But once the ‘Stang EV is up to speed it is noticeably better than the Tesla at managing that weight.<\/p>\n

A product of years of Mustang engineering, Mach-E GT is sharp and predictable at the limit where the Tesla feels numb and uncertain. That\u2019s confidence-inducing in a sled this size. More precision is on tap in the summer months if you opt for Ford\u2019s sticky Pirelli tires, but this being winter, all-seasons are preferred.<\/p>\n

\"For<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

My speed-addled pal Rick, who has had a few muscle cars in his time, was also impressed by the GT\u2019s looks, feel and interior moxie. Ford tore up the Mustang rulebook in the cabin \u2014 with good results: Mach-E GT brings Mustang heritage outside, sci-fi modern inside.<\/p>\n

Rick\u2019s biggest beef was the car\u2019s girth.<\/p>\n

That number contributes to his greatest worry: range. The GT has just 270 miles of it, and a sparse charging network if you want to leave Metro Detroit. He\u2019ll stick with 3,700-pound, 288-mile-of-gas-range Mustang GT coupes, thank you very much.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

But as a metro commuter, Mach-E GT is in its element, assuming you\u2019ve installed a 240-volt charger in your garage.<\/p>\n

I have two \u2014 one proprietary charger for my Tesla and another for other EVs I test (about a $3,400 total investment). After charging around Metro Detroit\u2019s snowy tundra, I filled the ‘Stang from 84 miles of range back up to 229 overnight (the recommended 80% of capacity).<\/p>\n

\"Mach-E<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

While Ford has tended to its heritage on the outside, it had the good sense to go with a minimalist, clean-sheet design inside. The interior is dominated by the 15.5-inch vertical console screen. A small information display is tucked behind the steering wheel.<\/p>\n

Though Mach-E is inferior to Tesla in charging infrastructure, it one-ups the Silicon Valley maker with a more solid build, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto \u2014 meaning the GT seamlessly integrates your phone\u2019s Google navi when you slip into the car. Google Maps can\u2019t chart a long distance journey using the nearest Electric America chargers \u2014 whereas Tesla Autopilot has your back. But, ahem, surely Google is working on that?<\/p>\n

Big screen, big presence, big yellow car. Like the ol\u2019 Mustang Coupe, the Mach-E GT looks good in a loud wardrobe. All that\u2019s missing is the loud exhaust note.<\/p>\n

Under the cane in Unbridled mode, the GT pipes in a low, electronic gurgle. It\u2019s OK, but there\u2019s got to be more up Ford\u2019s sleeve. May I suggest a deafening, 100-decibel\u00a0gas engine-like soundtrack? Call it V-8 mode.<\/p>\n

2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive\u00a0four-door SUV<\/p>\n

Price: $61,00, including $1,100 destination charge ($63,885\u00a0as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 88-kWh lithium-ion battery driving twin electric motors<\/p>\n

Power: 480 horsepower, 600 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: Single-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.8 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 124 mph<\/p>\n

Weight: GT: 4,962 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA est. range, 270 miles<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: All-season performance; good looks<\/p>\n

Lows: Heavy; louder, please<\/p>\n

Overall: 4 stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pontiac\u00a0\u2014 I like Skittle-colored Mustangs. Red, blue, orange, yellow. Especially yellow. The bright color turns heads on Woodward Avenue, accentuates the muscular hips, stands out against the snow. Snow? What kind of Mustangs like to be driven in snow? The all-wheel-drive, all-electric, 600-torque, Mach-E kind. After a snowy, wintry day in southeast Michigan, I jumped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29162"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29163,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29162\/revisions\/29163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}