They should have given it a different name. It's fine if Ford is making a lumbering behemoth of an electric SUV but why name it after their two door sports car? It's just confusing and dilutes the branding.
Ford has so many great nameplates to use for future electric models: Galaxie, Lighting (high spec F-150e perhaps?), Fusion, Orion, Probe, Skyliner, Sunliner, and Starliner. I hope to see many of them on upcoming cars
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/25/17282562/ford-focus-musta...
As a former Mustang owner I'm not a huge fan of this branding, but that said... it sure as hell can't get worse than this!
https://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/10/02-ug...
Even then, I'd probably have bought one if it wasn't for the name, and the friggin screen. It bugs me calling that thing a Mustang. Though, I'm sure it'll sell well, and people like me will just grumble when we see one on the street. And no doubt that stupid screen will start showing up in more cars too.
One of the things I've disliked about teslas is the massive touch screen in the middle, and I'm disappointed to see that this has it too, but in most other ways I find this pretty interesting.
It did things, the UI was spartan, but not confusing. Compared to the Tesla Model 3 I've test driven, the experience there seemed the same to me. Maybe a little better since the control wheel meant some things can be done without touch, and having a secondary driver display in front of me meant less looking to the side. I can't comment on it for long term use, of course. The sales person was confused why I'd want to turn it off, and didn't know if it was possible, though that means, well, nothing. I didn't explore it much, since my gut feel by this point was "no buy", and I didn't feel compelled to talk myself out of that.
I immediately see something like that and have a built in hatred of it. I picked my daily driver partially because I confirmed I could turn off (not just dim) the infotainment screen, and dim most everything else. When I drive, I want to drive, not have a screen blaring at me.
Clearly, based off car design trends, I'm in the minority here.
As far as justifying my "it's not really a Mustang" comment, you just have to... you know... look at it. It's a crossover SUV. SUVs don't drive like sports cars. Higher center of gravity, more suspension travel distance and heavier body which means more body roll. In that sense, the reviews I've read match my expectations because it couldn't have been another way. Instantaneous torque, which is fun, but bland steering and some body roll. So an electric SUV that vaguely resembles a Mustang.
I think I have to agree with you here, that's a more accurate description.
I wonder if it'll be like the Toyota Corolla Matrix, as it was known for its first year, subsequently just the Toyota Matrix. (Different story there; it actually was a Corolla body so I could get all sorts of aftermarket suspension parts even for a just-released car...)
Come to think of it, all sorts of brands have launched with a bridge year, haven't they? I won't be surprised if future years of this car are simply known as the Ford Mach-E, but for now they're trading on the cachet of the Mustang brand.
Also, it weighed about 1000 pounds less the current ICE Mustang.
For perspective, dropping the wheelbase, height, and weight of current Mustang by that much puts you in a car roughly the size of a BRZ, but as tall as a first generation Miata.
Since you’re making references to the agility of the thing (wheelbase and weight), I’d be curious how the Mach E does in the real world, though. (Do people even buy Mustangs with this in mind?)