Now that the wraps have been taken off the next-generation 2024 Ford Mustang coupe and convertible, let’s compare and contrast their designs with the Mustang Mach-E.
Whether you love or hate the Mustang Mach-E‘s styling – or the fact that Ford calls it a Mustang – there’s no denying it’s an important part of the pony car brand’s future.
Related: Tesla Owner Dumps Model X For Mustang Mach-E
Starting with the tail lights, the next-gen Mustang has a sharper edge tri-bar design than the outgoing coupe and convertible, which lines up with the Mach-E’s tail light-style, but they are by no means the same. The Mach-E’s tail light line extends further to the center with an additional bar and even the sequential turn signal pattern differs between the two.
An SUV is never going to be as sleek as a coupe or convertible, but if you look at the Mach-E from certain angles, Ford did do a good job of masking its heft, especially with the blackout roof that almost tricks the eye into believing the shape is sleeker than it is.
Up front, the Mustang’s headlights and turn signals are a little closer to the Mach-E design than the outgoing coupe, but again, they certainly aren’t duplicates.
Perhaps the greatest family resemblance is from a front-end side view, where the Mach-E’s nose actually looks just a bit sleeker than the 2024 coupe’s more squared off snout. Speaking of the snout, the Mach-E GT-Performance shares some grille continuity with the current and next-gen Mustangs, while the Premium edition Mach-E in the video at the top of this post embraces its EV roots by ditching a traditional grille look, although it maintains the general shape lines.
Moving to the interior, the Mach-E adopted the original 1964 Mustang dual cowl-style dash pad but shied away from a sports car themed interior. What I’m really surprised by is the 2024 gas car’s interior design. For starters, it dumped the Mach-E’s big vertical touchscreen.
More surprising, the 2024 gas versions get rid of the dual cowl design of the Mach-E and current generation coupe, which is a design cue that harkens back to the very first production Mustangs.
Related: More Ford Mustang Mach-E coverage
Coupes and convertibles by their nature are going to look different than an SUV, but I am surprised that Ford didn’t incorporate more styling continuity between its next-generation gas and current generation EV ponies.
Dashboards, wheel designs and just about everything outside of the Ford parts-bin stuff are different.
I get why Ford tied its first high volume EV to the Mustang nameplate but what I don’t understand is why there isn’t a stronger family resemblance between them. My only guess is perhaps Ford softened the Mach-E’s design as compared to traditional Mustangs in the name of better aerodynamics for increased range and more spacious interior packaging.
As you can see from this Ford sketch, at one point the designers were considering a more aggressive look for the Mach-E.
Ford went to great lengths to tie existing Mustangs and the EV Mach-E together in promotional material, but so far there are few photos of the 2024 coupe or convertible posing with the Mach-E.
Perhaps we’ll see a mid-cycle refresh that brings the Mach-E more in line with the 2024 Mustang’s interior and exterior styling, but that’s doubtful since mid-cycle redesigns are often limited to more superficial details.
In terms of the 2024 Mustang coupe and convertible’s new design, I generally like it.
One piece of the new coupe and convertible design confuses me. The rear quarter panels mimic the style of the current generation Camaro. Surely Ford knew folks like me would point that out.
Why copy a competitor? Especially one that doesn’t sell as well.
If this sounds like I’m dissing the 2024 Mustang coupe and convertible. I’m not. I’m happy with the overall redesign, although I still think the designers and engineers could have kept the dual cowl interior while still pulling off a strong, modern look with the large LED screens.
What do you think? Did Ford nail the 2024 Mustang coupe and convertible’s redesign? Should it have included more styling clues from the Mach-E? Let me know in the YouTube comments.
I’m glad to see the Mustang coupe and convertible make it to another generation, although I continue to look forward to the day when we see we’ll see an EV-powered coupe and convertible edition. | Subscribe to the EV Rider YouTube channel
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