Back in the day, would you buy your Mach-E if it was a Ford, not a Mustang?

[nvabill]

Back in the day, I would not buy my Mach-E if it wasn’t a Mustang even with a cheaper price tag. Honestly, I’m not a Ford fan. A few years ago I had a brand-new Ford C-Max. Overall it was a very convenient and efficient car, but still a regular commute car. I'm from a European small country where Ford is the usual brand as others like Renault, Peugeot, Opel, or Skoda. But the Mustang cars are very rare and legendary. That's the reason why the Mustang badge attracted my attention and I purchased the Mach-E.

So, let me get this straight, if it was the exact same car for the exact same price with the exact same styling and features but did not have a Mustang badge you would not buy one? I guess Ford really did know what they were doing using the Mustang name!

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[acosmichippo]

the name means nothing to me at all. I just wanted a nice EV that fit my needs, and that happened to be a "mustang".

any time I hear this car discussed in general car/auto circles, the discussion is *always* centered around how dumb it is to call it a mustang, and I'm reminded how superficial car enthusiasts are. honestly, who gives a shit what it's called?

 

[emichnov]

I almost didn't buy it BECAUSE of the Mustang branding. I had decided to buy a BEV to replace my Honda Odyssey, so it had to be a sizable car. Thought I would just buy a Model Y. My daughter, who works for a Ford Dealership, suggested I look at the "Electric Mustang". I immediately rejected the idea as I wanted a car bigger than a typical Mustang. Plus, the 2 Mustangs I owned previously (and '69 and a '79) were the 2 worst cars I ever owned in terms of reliability. But, once she convinced me to look more closely, I was hooked, DESPITE the Mustang name. Wish it was just the Mach-E.

 

[azerik]

I have had a pair of Focus EV's. Whilst they had/have their issues they:
1. Don't look like a spaceship (Leaf)
2. Don't look like a toddler toy (m3, my, mx)
3. Don't charge for stupid things (BMW heated seats etc)
4. Can be serviced fairly, fairly quick and well (Lucid, Tesla, and all other macro brand ev's)

The MME actually causes me to have to explain to EVERYONE how it is/isn't a Mustang. But I do kind of enjoy the finger pointing on the freeway. I can think of what they are saying in the other car.
"Oh look that's not fugly and it's Electric. I could drive that. Looks roomy, but it's NOT a Mustang"

Whilst on the subject of name monikers The Current F150 Lighting... Same deal. "not" a Lightning. My Gen2 Lightning for example. I'm sure the new ones are causing a stir over on SVTP

 

[vinny2487]

I voted Yes, the badge wasn't as important as the style, which I fell in love with when I first saw it in person. Now would I have known about this EV if the name hadn't generated all the press? Likely not. I was in the market for a CUV and was eyeing the RAV4 Prime. Ridiculous markups on Primes caused me to wait it out and on a whim decided to put a refundable deposit on the Mach E. 4 Months later and with Primes markups still stupid high, decided to jump into the EV space. Thank god I did.

So I guess... thank you Toyota dealers for pushing me into the EV space

 

[21st Century Pony]

I am far more partial to either Japanese or European brands. Mustang name wasn’t a factor. It’s the body shape that got me.

+1.

 

[SuperRob]

Exact same features and styling, but with Ford instead of Mustang badges? Maybe ... probably ... given the same amount of awareness.

I don't know, though, that you can divorce those two caveats from the Mustang branding. The Mustang badge* / name isn't just what makes a Mustang a Mustang. Hang on, putting on my marketing hat for a sec ...

Mustang is as much a brand language as it is a brand. There are design elements and styling cues all over the Mach-E that come directly from the heritage of the Mustang.

What became the Mustang Mach-E originally started as a compliance vehicle, something that would let Ford comply with the letter of the law but not a serious attempt at a marketable EV. Jim Farley and the rest of the Ford leadership killed that idea and decided to 180 ... let's make this as desirable an EV as we can and let the market decide. And that "desirable as we can" is what led to them saying, "What if it were a Mustang?"

So I don't think you get THIS car without the Mustang part of it.

Next is the fact that calling it a Mustang has generated a LOT of attention. The "Is it a Mustang" debate, while annoying to many of us, has generated buzz and awareness. I can fully admit that I probably wouldn't have considered the car had I not seen so much talk and activity around it. I'd always liked the brand and would have loved a Mustang, but for me, practicality always won out. But there are a lot of practical EVs out there. If this were not a Mustang generating all that noise (pun intended), I probably would have landed on something from the Korean EGMP platform, either the Kia (we previously had a Kia Optima a second car) EV6 or the Genesis GV60.

Let's be honest, compared to the EGMP platform, Ford's powertrain is behind a bit. A rational person would probably pick that platform given similar pricing. But we're not rational, no matter how much we think we are. There is an energy, excitement, personality in the Mach-E that comes directly from that Mustang brand and styling. That's why Ford has the second best selling EV now. The Mustang Mach-E is not the best at any given thing, but the total package, including styling, wins.

* The Mustang badge on the Mach-E is not the same Mustang on their ICE cars. There are subtle differences, like the lightning bolt motif in the mane. It's almost like they decided it needed to be another Mustang in the stable, rather than a Mustang. They did not simply slap the existing Mustang badge on this car. They were considered decisions.

 

[portlandg]

I have been a Ford buyer for 35+ years. I have always found them good value for money, well designed and good to drive. I also have a very good relationship with my local dealer who is 2 minutes walk from my work and 5 minutes drive from my home. Can't get much more local than that.
I wanted to upgrade my 2017 Kuga (Escape) and get an EV. Unfortunately, all Ford could offer at the time was the Kuga Hybrid which I wasn't keen on so I ordered a Peugeot E2008. However, just after I placed my pre-order Ford launched the MME. I liked the design of it so when the order book opened I cancelled my E2008 order and pre-ordered my ER RWD. The Mustang name didn't factor into my decision at all. It was a Ford and it looked the business. Sold. It was built in December 2020 and I took delivery in May 2021. I have been very pleased with it so far.

 

[ARK]

In my mind, I had sort of been wishing for a sporty electric SUV when this came out. The Mustang name made it all the more appealing, but I would have happily gotten it without it, so long as it was cheaper.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

My answer is no but that's not really accurate. It's the mustang styling that got me. If this car was called simply the Mach-e I'd have bought it as long as it was in its present body styling and not the initial design stages styling. If it was anything different I'd be driving a 2021 or 2022 Chevy Colorado pickup in all likelihood.

 

[timbop]

I wanted a good BEV that wasn't going to benefit a rich raving lunatic. I've had 3 ICE mustangs and loved all of them, but even without the pony the feature set of the Mach E would have gotten me to buy it.

 

[Jax_GT]

Quite frankly I wish it didn’t have the badge. I’ve gotten a multitude of “that’s not a real mustang” comments.

I understand why they used it and it makes sense with the styling. I wonder what would have happened if they just called it the Mach-e but kept the same styling. Would mustang purists still complain?
I’ll be curious if the name changes when the ICE Mustang goes electric in a decade.

 

[2021-MMEx-RT1]

I almost didn't buy it BECAUSE of the Mustang branding.

Yes, I was just looking for certain criteria that fit my needs. Range mostly. I'm not interested in a plain Jane Tesla where the options are 1. More Power, 2. More range, but everything else is blah grocery getter sedan.

I hesitated on the Mach E because of the ICE Mustang reputation of being 'douches'. The last thing I wanted was to be a part of 'that group'

We ended up going with it anyway, for the most part, we are the BEV Mustang and not the ICE Mustang and the 'world' really doesn't confuse the two.

Don't care that it's a Mustang, could have called it a Cougar, or a Maverick (well before they brought that back as a truck)

It fits my needs, I just wish it wasn't so buggy...


I would have bought an Ioniq 5 or similar if it was available at the time I needed an EV.

 

[fpasta]

I don't think you can even have just the "Mach-..." without Mustang those two are normally associated with each other. Just call it a totally different brand and model.

With that said, I like the way it happened. Mustang Mach-E. The creativity lies in the -E where there's the Mach 1 etc. A flip from gas to electric. If its different they need to also change the body style. Because you will never end the that looks like a mustang comments.

The Mustang badge is important.

 

[HuntingPudel]

I personally didn’t care if it was called “Mustang Mach-E” but my mother had a Mustang and was really jacked about my reservation. Too bad the stupid cancer killed her before she got the “death ride” she wanted.

EDIT: I was already looking for an EV to replace my Fusion Energi. I did not like that the Brand T Model 3/Y did not have an IP cluster, so it was right out. I was on board with the Ford compliance vehicle. I got the GT-PE because of the marketing hype for acceleration, handling, etc. Too bad it’s only 5 seconds(or less) of fun, then it’s a wet noodle.

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