Of course the Mach-E should be called a Mustang

By Adam Kaslikowski Updated April 25, 2023

Even before the debut of the Ford’s new Mach-E Mustang electric crossover, it seems the world had made up its mind that calling the vehicle a Mustang was a sacrilege of untold proportions. It was as if Ford had asked Italians to start putting pineapple on their pizzas. It was bad. When the vehicle was finally revealed, little changed in this chorus of doubt. Mustang fans and owners in particular were incensed that their beloved brand was being watered down with a mass-market people mover.

It would seem that we all very short memories.

In 1964 when the Mustang debuted, it democratized sportscars in America and then around the world. Before then, small, powerful, and sexy cars were exclusively the domain of the British and the Italians. They were also hideously expensive and hilariously unreliable. The Mustang changed all that by bringing the best qualities of sportscars to the people, and leaving behind the drawbacks.

The Mach-E aims to repeat this feat by bringing well-manufactured electric cars to the people. And it will do it at an attainable price point and in a small SUV package that the market clearly prefers right now over sedans and sports cars. The Mach-E could democratize EVs to such a degree as to truly move the needle from the current 2% of the US sales that electric cars represented this year.

Mustang Mach-E — Mustang

No, there has never been a Mustang SUV before, but it is not like the Mustang name is completely unsullied in it’s 70 year history. Mustang wagon concepts were made in the 60s, the 70s and 80s were a very dark time for the pony car that largely gets ignored by fans, and the recent generations have been known more for over-exuberant crashes and reeking of Axe Body Spray than for their vehicular goodness.

Of course the Mach-E should be called a Mustang. It proudly continues the tradition of bringing a highly desired product to the masses. The specs are nothing to sneeze at either, with 459hp, 612lb-ft of torque, and a 0-60 dash of just 3.5 seconds in the GT trim. The burnouts the Mach-E will be capable of should leave few in doubt that this crossover deserves to be a pony car.

Adam Kaslikowski

Former Digital Trends Contributor

I don't have oil in my veins, but I do have it all over my carpets and clothes. Over my 10-year journalistic career, my…

Cars

One version of the electric Ford Mustang Mach-E is already sold out

Ford Mustang Mach E front view

Ford ruffled more than a few feathers when it decided to call its first purpose-designed electric car the Mustang Mach-E. While some argue it's not worthy of wearing the hallowed Mustang nameplate, its target audience doesn't seem to mind one bit, and one of the five Mach-E variants announced during the model's unveiling is already sold out.

The trim-level hierarchy include five models named Select, Premium, California Route 1, First Edition, and GT, respectively. The Blue Oval's official website notes that every First Edition model has already been spoken for. It sounds like a limited-edition model, and it might be, but Ford chose not to disclose how many units of the model it will make. It might cap production after manufacturing a predetermined number of First Edition variants, or it might build the model for a certain amount of time. We've reached out to the company to learn more, and we'll update this story if we hear back.

Cars

Rumor has it that Ford will build a tuned Shelby edition of the new Mach-E

2021 tesla model y vs ford mustang mach e all new

The new Ford Mustang Mach-E has been one of the more polarizing announcements to come out of Detroit in some time. Purists are so adamantly against a four-door Mustang that there is a petition being circulated to ask Ford to change the name. Others are happy to have an iconic name like Mustang brought into the electric vehicle (EV) world, even if it is not a two-door pony car. Now, rumors have spread that applying the Shelby badge might be in the works.

Ed Krenz, Ford Performance chief program engineer, is rumored to have said he was looking forward to applying Shelby characteristics to the Mach-E. Ford is neither confirming or denying the rumor, but it brings about several interesting questions. First, would the late Carroll Shelby approve of his brand on an electric car? Second, would a Shelby version of the Mach-E help quell some of the critical comments regarding calling a non-pony car a Mustang? Third, is the technology out there to make for a complete day at the racetrack without running out of juice before lunch? Krenz apparently has some work cut out for himself and his team.

Cars

Fine, I’ll call the Mach-E a Mustang. But that giant screen has to go

Mustang Mach-E

At age 17, I seriously contemplated stuffing a computer into my Pontiac Grand Prix. I was a geek, all my pirated Deftones MP3s lived on a hard drive, and it seemed infinitely cooler than a CD changer. But I could never quite figure out how to make it look right. Sure, I could hide the guts in the trunk, but where would I put the screen? Just zip tie a touchscreen on the dash? Wouldn’t that look obnoxious? Even as a high-schooler in the era of AutoZone tape-on neon lights, this type of modification just seemed sloppy.

I scrapped my plan altogether. But 15 years later, it turns out my worries were ill-founded. As modern car designers have demonstrated, you can shove a gigantic screen just about anywhere.