After more driving through 20 states and more than 22,000 miles it’s time to review my 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD extended range edition.
I got my Mach-E in May of 2022 and hit the road on a 1,200-mile road trip within a few weeks of picking it up.
Since then, I’ve also driven and reviewed competing EVs that include the Kia EV6 GT, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Genesis GV60 and Volvo C40 Recharge.
Ford’s first high-volume EV has been a hit with Ford saying it’s upping Mach-E production to 270,000 units annually.
I went out of market and custom ordered my Mach-E to avoid the crazy high mark-ups that many dealers were charging at the time.
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In the end I got it for MSRP along with a $1,200 discount. The car took a full ten months to arrive.
Since then it’s been a blast for the most part. The 4.8 second Ford-claimed zero-to-60 time in Unbridle mode never gets old, making it the fastest car I’ve ever owned, and that includes my former 2001 Pontiac Trans Am Ram Air convertible.
Related: Complete Mach-E Model Range Technical Specifications
The suspension is nicely tuned, staying flat in moderate cornering. Expansion joints and road ripples can upset it, giving it a bouncy feeling at times. Ford also offers an adjustable MagneRide suspension but that’s only available on the higher priced GT-Performance edition. The MagneRide suspension would probably remove the bounciness that I’ve experienced on occasion.
The Mach-E Premium’s brakes are strong but just remember this is a heavy car. If you exceed the car’s limits, you’re going to feel the heft of its 4,838 pounds fast.
If you’re driving an older car, you’ll find the Mach-E’s handling impressive, but when comparing it to some contemporaries such as BMW’s i4 M50, the Genesis GV60 or Kia EV6 GT its handling flaws become more apparent. It’s just not as crisp. However, the top-trim GT-Performance’s suspension and tire set up would likely fix that.
Related: Mach-E GT Performance Owner Review
The Mach-E’s build quality is pretty good but the b-pillar plastic does occasionally creak in warmer weather, taking away from the feel of an otherwise solid, quiet cabin.
The drive unit also lets out a thunk from time-to-time when engaging at low speeds. At first, I thought it might be unique to my Mach-E but a friend who owns two Mach-E’s has experienced the thunk with both of his EV ponies. It’s not a problem but it does detract from the perceived level of refinement.
Blue Cruise has also been problematic. While driving through Kansas it stopped working and wouldn’t reengage for the rest of my drive through much of country.
Related: Living With Blue Cruise
My dealer was unable to figure out the problem. It took Ford corporate approximately two months to diagnose and correct the issue with an over-the-air firmware update.
Blue Cruise has gotten better with time. It doesn’t lane hunt as much as it used to and Ford is promising a lane-change software update.
Ford also performed an over-the-air recall firmware update because the high voltage battery main contactors could potentially overheat.
I’m quite happy with all other aspects of the Mach-E. My biggest road trip so far totaled more than 4,800 miles over a two-week period.
The Mach-E happily soaked up interstate miles and loved the chance to up its gallop in states where the speed limit is 85 miles per hour.
In terms of range and efficiency, I learned the hard way that Ford automatically resets the trip odometer at the 10,000-mile mark, which erases the overall power consumption record.
But here’s what I can tell you: Over more than 9,800 miles since then with a heavy mix of interstate driving, my overall trip average has been 3 miles per kWh.
Based on my Mach-E’s 91 kWh (usable) battery, that works out to an average of 273 miles per charge.
Charging speeds have exceeded expectations. The Mach-E is rated at a peak charging speed of 150 kWh but I’ve seen it get as high as 163, although it does ramp down – usually within just a few minutes – to the 120s.
As you would expect, range drops big time when you’re traveling at more than 80 miles per hour. During the fastest legs of my journey in western states in 99-degree heat, I saw numbers as low as 1.5 miles per kWh.
In terms of interstate range, here in Florida, traveling at a steady 71 mph, I’ve been averaging between 2.8 and 3 miles per kWh, depending on the weather.
In terms of real-world interstate range, it seems to be working out to between about 200 and 245 miles, depending on temperature and the speed of traffic.
The 2022 Mach-E AWD extended battery edition has a combined city-highway range of 277 miles per charge, according to the EPA. The range has been increased to 290 miles for the 2023 model.
The EPA estimate is based on 45% of highway driving and 55% of city stop-n-go driving where EVs are much more efficient. In city traffic my average is running at about 3.4 kWh per mile, which works out to about 309 miles of range.
One thing that’s fun to watch is my Mach-E is actually getting better with time thanks to Ford’s over-the-air updates.
The infotainment system has received some nice tweaks. Ford has added video streaming and more games. It’s also tweaked the display to allow Android Auto and Apple Car Play to display in a larger full screen mode than was previously possible.
The volume knob has also received an upgrade. It now also works as a temperature control dial for things like the air-conditioning and heated seats.
Most of the things that originally drew me to the electric Mustang still apply. I still love its spacious, comfortable, and practical design for both front and rear passengers.
Thanks to the large rear cargo area with the seats folded down, I’ve also done some overnight car camping in the Mach-E, with my luggage stashed in the front trunk. Ford allows users to turn off the power down feature so the AC or heat can be run all night while you sleep.
It’s also proven itself to be a capable towing machine for light loads such as motorcycles, despite the Mach-E not being given a tow rating in the US. In Europe it’s rated as capable of towing up to 3,300 pounds.
Related: Mach-E Towing Test
Styling is subjective, but in my eyes the Mach-E’s design is aging well and remains one of the best-looking cross-over designs out there.
Call me silly, but I also love the Mach-E’s boy racer vibe. When the car’s Unbridle mode is switched on, the display changes, the steering firms up, while the throttle opens up the EV’s full potential.
A propulsion sound that sort of sounds like a space-age, smoothed-out V8 can also be turned on, which is fun to hear every once and a while.
The rest of the time I use what Ford calls Whisper mode, which projects a dreamy sort of dash display, lightens up the steering and eases up the throttle. I never bother with the middle mode, which is called Engage. I don’t prefer its dash display and the difference between it and Whisper is too subtle.
As far as the whole debate about whether it’s a real Mustang or not, I’d direct you to the styling comparison video I did between the Mach-E and the next-gen coupe and convertible.
Summing it all up, I’m looking forward to many more years and road trips in the Mach-E. It’s a wonderful road car and a great example of why EVs are starting to displace gasoline cars. EVs are just more refined and generally offer more performance per dollar.
If you’ve got any questions about my experience with the Mach-E post them in the YouTube comments and I’ll do my best to answer them and if you’ve enjoyed this episode of EV Rider please give it a like and subscribe so I can bring you more adventures in EV motoring.