When you were at school, you more than likely had to attend some sort of science lesson. Playing with a Bunsen burner was fun, as was messing around with stuff in test tubes. I still haven’t got a clue what was in them. A personal favourite was having two magnets and desperately trying to get them to join together with the same polarity at either end. As one repelled the other, it was a bit like air hockey as you chased one around the desktop with the other.  

As you can gather, I wasn’t destined to be the next Einstein. However, I did learn that opposites attract, and that’s how I feel about the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT.  

When Ford first launched the Mustang Mach-E onto British roads there was a lot of head scratching as to why the Mustang name - which is so historically linked to their V8 muscle car - was used. Bearing in mind the Mustang Mach-E is an electrically powered, family-sized SUV, it doesn’t really get much further away from what the original (and current) Ford Mustang stands for.

Until you drive it.

Because if you go for the Mustang Mach-E GT you end up with an SUV that delivers muscle car performance. So yes, they may be opposites in terms of appearance and image, but when it comes to the driving experience, these two opposites really do attract anyone who is a keen driver.

Let’s start with the question on everyone’s lips when considering an electric car. How far will it travel before you need a recharge? Obviously, if you go for one of the lesser power models in the Ford Mustang Mach-E range, you’ll go further, but Ford reckon that, in the right conditions and with a light right foot, you can manage up to 304 miles on a full charge in the GT. Granted, that’s unlikely, but something like 220 miles should be there or thereabouts. Cold weather with heaters, lights, wipers etc in operation will sap that figure. If you have access to a rapid charger you’ll get a 61-mile boost in around 10 minutes which should be enough to get you home, hopefully. 10-80% charge takes around 45 minutes on a rapid charger.

As for performance, go for this full fat Mustang Mach-E GT and you’ll hit 60mph in 3.7 seconds which is impressive bearing in mind the car weighs two and a quarter tonnes. You’ll frighten the life out of most so-called supercars and certainly give the Tesla Model Y something to think about.

Three versions of the Ford Mustang Mach-E are available: rear wheel drive, all-wheel drive, which adds a motor to the front wheels as well as the rear, and the GT you see here. There are two battery pack options: 75kWh or 98kWh, with the bigger one getting a longer range. Power on the entry level Mach-E is 264bhp while the bigger, extended range battery boosts things to 290bhp. The AWD twin motor Mach-E is available with the 264bhp power level but you can also go for 346bhp with a longer range battery.

However, the GT gets a whopping 480bhp. Trust me, the performance is exhilarating. Pull out of a junction onto a quiet road, floor the throttle and you feel an enormous surge of power. The all-wheel drive system copes really well and there’s no torque steer. It has to be rated as one of the easiest cars to drive quickly available anywhere at the moment. If you’re taking it on the twisty stuff, it really is fun thanks to the adaptive suspension (Ford call it Magneride – adjusting the dampers 1,000 times per second) which controls the body. You can choose from four different driving modes which adjust things like throttle response, brakes and steering, although most folk will leave it in Active (normal).

Every Mustang Mach-E is well equipped including sat nav, climate control, front and rear parking sensors, rearview camera, and LED headlights. Most things are controlled by an enormous iPad sized 15.5-inch touchscreen and in front of the driver there’s a smaller 10.2-inch screen which displays the essentials. The GT adds leather upholstery, excellent ‘Performance’ seats, some natty body kit and a different grille. The 20-inch alloys look seriously smart and the ten speakers in the B&O sound system produce wonderful sound quality. 

Just like other electric cars, the Mach-E GT is super-easy to drive. Hop in, turn it on, twist the gear knob to D and away you go. Yes, you can chuck it around on twisty roads and enjoy the burst of power from a standstill, but the Mach-E, even in GT form, excels as a cruiser.

Some things seem to unnecessarily overcomplicate things. Having buttons to open the doors might seem like an innovative idea but what it means is that you need to have a little hooked handle to open the front doors once they’ve been released, while the back doors pop open but means you need to juggle your hand inside to open them fully. The Brembo brakes are terrific when it comes to stopping power, but they’re slightly ‘grabby’ which can make smooth progress at slow speeds more tricky.

However, these are minor points which don’t detract from what is a seriously impressive package from Ford. Prices for the GT version start at £67,540 but this compares favourably to other high performance models whether electric or ICE.  

It’s one of my favourite electric cars.  

Words: Graham Courtney
Pictures: Ford