If you have 200,000 to 300,000 yuan to buy a pure electric SUV, Tesla’s Model Y will inevitably be mentioned more or less on this topic. It’s easy to understand that Tesla’s global reputation, excellent space utilization, and convenient autonomous driving have made the Model Y the best-selling electric SUV. But does the choice of many people really represent the optimal choice?
Proud Tesla
Without any promotion or major public relations activities, Tesla is shaking up the traditional car market with internet direct sales. On the one hand, Tesla’s product strength was truly epoch-making when it was first launched, just like Apple’s iPhone4, but “fine clothes make people look dignified, while lice make them look unattractive”. The crowd effect brought about by huge sales has caused more and more consumers to ignore the problem of Tesla’s existence or choose to selectively ignore it.
However, with the surge in sales, problems have snowballed and more and more Tesla owners have come forward to voice their concerns. Apart from minor issues such as poor workmanship, uneven sheet metal level, and leaking skylights, what is even more unacceptable is Tesla’s high-handed attitude.
Since its launch, the Model Y has frequently increased in price, appearing as if it is not worried about sales. Although the newly launched rear-wheel-drive single-motor version has slightly improved range compared to the previous standard range version, the acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h has increased from 5.6 seconds to 6.9 seconds, indicating that this was achieved at the cost of sacrificing motor power. Of course, there are no flaws in the explanation of the increase in raw material costs. However, in the same environment, why not take a look at the better quality and better price-to-quality ratio brother of the United States, the Mustang Mach-E?
Mustang Mach-E: First and foremost a Mustang
The poster of the Ford Mustang has been a frequent fixture on the walls of young people for many years. Its quantity can even compete with Lamborghini and Ferrari. The galloping mustang symbolizes the shape of youthful passion and is the totem of a good life. Under the trend of electrification, high displacement is no longer a popular element. Compared to owning a two-door sports car, an SUV that satisfies your needs for marriage, childbirth, and safe travel is the choice of most people.Familiar to those who know Mustang, it’s clear that the birth of the Ford Mustang was to create a two-door sports coupe that satisfied the trend of the times for young people at the time. Mustang Mach-E is also an excellent product born under the electric trend.
Carrying on the Mustang tradition, Mustang Mach-E can also achieve the Mustang’s practicality. While people are still nostalgic for the power reserve that the 5.0 liter V8 naturally aspirated engine brought, Ford generously squeezed two high-performance C motors, front and back, into the Mustang Mach-E GT that we test drove. With a 0-100km/h acceleration time of less than 3.65 seconds, it is still a veteran of the “3-second club.” To cater to car enthusiasts’ nostalgia, Ford simulates the “boiling sound” unique to the V8 engine and transmits the original sound through the high-quality B&O speakers in the car to the eardrums of every member of the cockpit.
Performance and range are difficult to reconcile for electric cars. Mustang Mach-E can provide a maximum range of more than 600 kilometers. Although this range data is not impressive in this tumultuous age where people exaggerate almost 1000km, the CLTC testing standard is closer to the actual use of Chinese consumers. Coupled with advantages such as remote control support, timing valley charging, and integration with over 340,000 high-quality charging piles nationwide, it is enough to bid farewell to the hated range anxiety.
Data is only one aspect, and the biggest attraction of cars is the subjective feeling. Most people who have driven the MODEL Y will have a feeling that this is a raised MODEL 3.
Although this rough summary is not comprehensive, only about 75% of parts are shared with the MODEL 3. Even if the chassis is tuned to emphasize different directions, it is impractical to make a car that feels completely different. At least it was not tailored for it in the development stage.
For Ford, it’s either not doing it, or ALL IN. As a strategic model in Ford’s electrification transformation, it must start with a completely new electric vehicle platform.Mustang Mach-E comes from Ford’s global first high-performance pure electric platform Global Electric, and its chassis tuning comes from Ford’s global performance car team. We all know that Mustang and Mustang GT are both built by this team.
When the car was still in the testing phase, it had already been tuned on famous race tracks around the world using racing simulators. So when we drive the Mustang Mach-E, every one of us will be amazed by its sports car-like low center of gravity, excellent cornering support suspension tuning, solid and tough chassis texture, and the setting that allows the rear of the car to twist appropriately, even though this car has a curb weight of more than two tons.
Therefore, after driving for a while, you will find that when driving through some bumpy roads, the Mustang Mach-E will not give you the feeling of “ironing out” the road like the Audi e-tron. With proper filtering, it tries to deliver road feedback to the driver clearly through the steering wheel. If the e-tron is like Mount Tai in terms of stability, it may be more appropriate to describe this Mustang Mach-E as agile.
For the insistence on driving genes, you can always trust Ford.
In market research, it was found that the Z generation of young people has the highest acceptance of electric cars. For this group of people who have grown up nurtured by mobile Internet, an excellent smart car competes not only in driving experience but also in autonomous driving configuration. This is also one of the important reasons why Tesla is so popular.
However, Ford is not far behind in terms of smart driving. In terms of hardware, Mustang Mach-E is equipped with 6 cameras and 17 radars, which is more comprehensive than the 3 cameras and 12 radars on the Tesla Model Y. In terms of software, Ford’s first-launch group is equipped with the Co-Pilot360™ intelligent driving assistance system, which supports L2+ level autonomous driving assistance function by integrating sensors such as cameras and radars all over the vehicle. This system can enable the car owner to achieve a “semi-automatic driving state” on specific highways. It is also the first model in Ford’s Chinese product lineup to be equipped with this function.For autonomous driving assistance, we have always had a demonized mentality, either thinking that autonomous driving will replace the joy we have when driving a car or thinking it’s just a gimmick. But as I spent more time with cars equipped with driving assistance, I found myself increasingly unable to do without these features. Especially when driving on the highway, I prefer to turn on the ACC on the car to hand the tedious and monotonous long-distance driving over to the car, so that I can save more energy to enjoy the fun of driving.
In addition to excellent autonomous driving, the Mustang Mach-E will also be equipped with Ford’s vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology-based Ford vehicle-road collaborative system, making Ford the first automaker in China to achieve mass application of C-V2X technology. This technology will help drivers anticipate risks, improve driving safety and traffic efficiency, and become an important part of urban smart transportation and the future full autonomous driving.
Electric vehicle users constantly need new features to give them more freshness. Driving is no longer the only demand, so electric vehicles must be full of entertainment. Take the traditional new energy vehicle maker’s concept of OTA updates, for example, the Mustang Mach-E also supports FOTA firmware online upgrades. By continuously launching new features in automatic assistance driving through firmware online upgrades to core modules such as vehicle control, the Mustang Mach-E far exceeds traditional OTA updates that only target vehicle systems.
Entertainment is equally important. The 15.5-inch center screen integrates almost all control commands of the vehicle. The car is equipped with the SYNC+2.0 intelligent system, which is jointly developed by Ford and Baidu. In addition to conventional functions such as listening to music and navigation, it also has features such as ordering takeout and vehicle-home interconnection. Who would have thought that one day you could order takeout or turn on the air conditioner at home through a car? And through Baidu AI assistant’s highly intelligent features, not only can you control apps such as navigation and music on the car’s console, but it can also be deeply connected with the vehicle hardware to achieve voice control of air conditioning, sunroof, seats, trunk, atmosphere lights and other functions.
How does the Mustang Mach-E fare against Tesla?
Regardless of the price range of 265,000 to 369,900 RMB or the size and positioning, the Mustang Mach-E is destined to go head-to-head with the Model Y. It takes courage and strength to switch your beloved sports car brand to a different race track to compete with the world’s best-selling electric SUV.For many car enthusiasts, Mustang is a spirit, a brand spirit that runs like a fierce horse, free and unbridled, and constantly breaking through itself. In the era of cold electric cars, Mustang’s strength lies in its electrification and intelligence, and it has not forgotten its original insistence on handling and speed, which is deeply imprinted on this SUV. The Mustang series keeps pace with the times, neither humble nor conservative, nor abandoned by the tide of history.
Compared with the cold commuting machines and internet toys, Mustang Mach-E not only has more “car flavor”, but as a newcomer, its design and features are more suitable for picky consumers. I believe that its audience will be broader than that of MODEL Y.