Rotmeat
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2021
- Threads
- 15
- Messages
- 84
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- Location
- Salt Lake City
- Vehicles
- 2022 Mach-E GTPE
- Thread starter
- #1
I know I'm being a bit spicy with the title, but I'm not trolling - I think there's a good argument that not only is the Mach-E a Mustang... it's actually a better one.
TL;DR, a Mustang needs to be affordable with good performance, but the ICE just isn't as practical today as compared to 60 years ago. The Mach-E fixes this.
The main thing for me is that what makes a Mustang is that it's an all-American sports car - but the reason why it's a Mustang and not a Corvette is that it's an American sports car that middle-class Americans could fit into their lives.
The OG Mustang did this mostly by focusing on affordability. Yes, the Mach-E starts at twice the price of a base Mustang, but at the top end, it's several thousand dollars cheaper, even before any rebates.
Secondly, the OG Mustang was more practical, thanks to its 2nd row of seats. But something that's changed over the last 60 years is how sports vehicles fit into the typical American family.
Back in the day, nearly all middle-class households were married, with children, with a female homemaker and a male breadwinner. That's still more common than the reverse, but it's much, much less common.
These days, more and more, it's just hard to fit a 2-door vehicle into a normal person's life. Both Mod and Dad are commuting. Both Mom and Dad are helping with the kids. Many people don't have children, but they still need to carry around their friends and/or stuff.
I know I wouldn't have been able to buy a coupe, because I only have 1 parking space at my apartment, and I need something I could fit a 60" TV in. Yes, a Mustang would work better for me than a Corvette, but it's just not practical enough to be my only vehicle.
This is why I think it's kind of sad that the OG Mustang has, more and more, become just a vehicle for enthusiasts.
I'm not anti-musclehead in any way - a Mustang should always be able to satisfy enthusiasts - but it shouldn't be only for enthusiasts.
But onto the performance...
A Mach-E has better straight-line performance than the ICE Mustang. You have to spend more than a GTPE to get the same 1/4 mile, and you have to go up to the Shelby level to get the same 0-60.
The handling, personally, I call a wash - it's heavier, yes, but it's also more balanced, with a lower center of gravity.
The 3 things that I think are a huge change for the musclehead demographic are
But sadly, that's not an issue with the Mach-E, it's that ICE is being phased out across the board. The Corvette is soon to be hybrid or electric-only, and the Camaro is dead entirely. Obviously, we don't want that to happen to the Mustang, which means that any future Mustang will have these issues.
That's why I think that, looking forward to the next 60 years, the Mach-E is the better Mustang. It still captures similar affordability (especially after gas savings), has similar performance, maintains its unique style, and fits all that into an even more practical package that will remain useful as we electrify our transportation system.
Not gonna lie, I've tried out the abridged version of this argument on a few of the "Not a real Mustang" folk I've run into. They generally didn't like it, but I haven't had someone that could argue against it. What do the big brains on this forum say, though?
TL;DR, a Mustang needs to be affordable with good performance, but the ICE just isn't as practical today as compared to 60 years ago. The Mach-E fixes this.
The main thing for me is that what makes a Mustang is that it's an all-American sports car - but the reason why it's a Mustang and not a Corvette is that it's an American sports car that middle-class Americans could fit into their lives.
The OG Mustang did this mostly by focusing on affordability. Yes, the Mach-E starts at twice the price of a base Mustang, but at the top end, it's several thousand dollars cheaper, even before any rebates.
Secondly, the OG Mustang was more practical, thanks to its 2nd row of seats. But something that's changed over the last 60 years is how sports vehicles fit into the typical American family.
Back in the day, nearly all middle-class households were married, with children, with a female homemaker and a male breadwinner. That's still more common than the reverse, but it's much, much less common.
These days, more and more, it's just hard to fit a 2-door vehicle into a normal person's life. Both Mod and Dad are commuting. Both Mom and Dad are helping with the kids. Many people don't have children, but they still need to carry around their friends and/or stuff.
I know I wouldn't have been able to buy a coupe, because I only have 1 parking space at my apartment, and I need something I could fit a 60" TV in. Yes, a Mustang would work better for me than a Corvette, but it's just not practical enough to be my only vehicle.
This is why I think it's kind of sad that the OG Mustang has, more and more, become just a vehicle for enthusiasts.
I'm not anti-musclehead in any way - a Mustang should always be able to satisfy enthusiasts - but it shouldn't be only for enthusiasts.
But onto the performance...
A Mach-E has better straight-line performance than the ICE Mustang. You have to spend more than a GTPE to get the same 1/4 mile, and you have to go up to the Shelby level to get the same 0-60.
The handling, personally, I call a wash - it's heavier, yes, but it's also more balanced, with a lower center of gravity.
The 3 things that I think are a huge change for the musclehead demographic are
- the lack of a Mustang sound
- No manual transmission
- No gas smell
But sadly, that's not an issue with the Mach-E, it's that ICE is being phased out across the board. The Corvette is soon to be hybrid or electric-only, and the Camaro is dead entirely. Obviously, we don't want that to happen to the Mustang, which means that any future Mustang will have these issues.
That's why I think that, looking forward to the next 60 years, the Mach-E is the better Mustang. It still captures similar affordability (especially after gas savings), has similar performance, maintains its unique style, and fits all that into an even more practical package that will remain useful as we electrify our transportation system.
Not gonna lie, I've tried out the abridged version of this argument on a few of the "Not a real Mustang" folk I've run into. They generally didn't like it, but I haven't had someone that could argue against it. What do the big brains on this forum say, though?
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