How does the Ford Mustang Mach E GT compare to the Performance Tesla Model Y? If you're in the market for a high performance vehicle, but you need the practicality of an SUV with a hatchback, or if you're just curious how these two performance SUVs compare, then read on as I dive into a number of detailed comparisons.

FORD’S NEW ELECTRIC CROSSOVER SUV

Even those that don't like the fact that Ford used the Mustang name, will likely agree that Ford did build a very compelling and attractive electric SUV that is definitely recognizable as a Mustang. Like the Tesla Model Y, the Mustang Mach E is more of a crossover SUV, and with its fastback design, it looks less like an SUV and more like a coupe.

MACH E GT vs REGULAR MACH E

When it comes to the exterior differences of the regular Mustang Mach E versus the GT trim level, besides the GT badging, the most noticeable difference is the front faux grille that looks like it has a 3D texture, even though it's smooth to the touch. This faux grille replaces the cleaner, front painted section of the regular Mustang Mach E. Overall, I think the exterior design of a Mustang Mach E (especially the GT trim level) is very attractive, and I especially like the side profile and rear of the vehicle. But is the Mustang Mach-E GT more attractive than the Tesla Model Y? Well, I'll leave that up to you to decide.

PERFORMANCE COMPARISON

When you look at the 0-60 mile per hour times for the Mustang Mach E GT and the Performance GT, you can see that at the highest trim level, the Mach-E matches the Performance Tesla Model Y's 0-60 mile per hour time of around 3.5 seconds. Unfortunately though, when it comes to the performance beyond 60 miles per hour, for instance, like when you look at a quarter mile time, the Mustang Mach E lags well behind the Tesla Model Y.

I looked up several real world quarter mile times from THE DRIVE, the Drag Times YouTube channel and also MotorTrend and found that the Tesla Model Y in the performance and even just the Long Range AWD variant, clearly beats out the Mustang Mach-E GT and GT performance versions when it comes to quarter mile times.

What's even more telling is the trap speed. On the chart above, you can see that the Mustang Mach E GT at a quarter mile is only able to reach around 100 mph, whereas both variants of the Model Y were able to reach over 114 mph. So, when it comes to quickness from 0-60 mph, the Mustang Mach-E is going to be very snappy and very fun, but when it comes to beyond 60 mph, the Model Y clearly outshines the Mach E GT.

THE MOOSE TEST

Beyond just the straight line performance numbers, we need to also look at the handling of these vehicles, and that's where the Moose Test comes in. According to the YouTube Channel Teknikens Värld, the Mach-E lacks the rear end stability of the Tesla Model Y, and unlike the Model Y, the Mach E did not do very well in their Moose Tests.

So, not only is the Model Y better when it comes to straight line performance beyond 60 miles per hour, it's also much better when it comes to handling, as the Moose Test shows.

PRICING COMPARISON

When it comes to the pricing difference between these vehicles, the Mustang Mach-E GT and the Tesla Model Y, the standard GT variant of the Mach-E starts at just under $60,000 and the GT performance variant starts at just under $65,000. In the chart below, you can see how those prices compare to the Tesla Model Y.

EFFICIENCY COMPARISON

Another important comparison for an electric vehicle, is efficiency. According to fueleconomy.gov, the Tesla Model Y is clearly more efficient than the Ford Mustang Mach E AWD Extended Range version (which has the same EPA rated range as the GT version of 270 miles).

RANGE COMPARISON

When it comes to an EPA range comparison, the chart below shows how the Mustang Mach E GT and GT Performance compares to the Long Range AWD Model Y and the Performance Model Y.

REAL WORLD RANGE

However, it's important that we go beyond just the EPA rating because, while it is a good indicator of a vehicle's range, it's better to know the real world range and how these vehicles have done in real world environments.

Any time I talk about real world test results, I like to go to Bjørn Nyland’s YouTube channel because he does quite a few range tests and his YouTube channel is a great resource.

WINTER RANGE TEST

The first test that I want to reference, happened in winter temperatures (23° Fahrenheit), Bjørn found that the Mustang Mach E AWD with the extended range battery pack, (which has the same EPA rated range as a Mustang Mach-E GT) should be able to achieve around 217 miles of real world range at 90 kilometers per hour and around 163 miles of real world range at 120 kilometers per hour.

While I couldn't find a winter range test from Bjorn Nyland for the Model Y Performance, I did find a YouTube video from Bearded Tesla Guy for the Long Range AWD Model Y with a very similar winter temperature range. In his tests, Bearded Tesla Guy was able to achieve around 202 miles of real world range in mostly highway driving. When it comes to a side by side comparison, this highway result should be comparable to the 120 kilometers per hour estimate from Bjørn Nyland that I referenced earlier.

SUMMER RANGE TEST

When it comes to the summer range estimates for these two vehicles, Bjørn Nyland tested the Mustang Mach E RWD variant with an EPA rated range of 300 miles at 90 kilometers per hour and also at 120 kilometers per hour. He also tested the Long Range AWD Model Y at the same 90 kilometers per hour and 120 kilometers per hour. You can see in the chart below how these vehicles compared in his tests.

When it comes to the real world test results between these two vehicles, with these Bjørn Nyland tests and also other research that I've done, it appears like the Mustang Mach E will get a real world range very similar to the EPA estimates, whereas, the Tesla Model Y will likely get a little bit less than the EPA estimates. So, while the EPA rated range of the Mustang Mach E GT and GT Performance may be over 30 miles less than the Model Y Performance, when it comes to real world results, I believe these vehicles will actually have very similar range.

BATTERY PACK COMPARSION

Do note, that the Mustang Mach E does have a considerably larger battery pack, so while the real world range may be similar, the efficiency of the Model Y should be considerably better than the Mustang Mach E.

EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS

Here's how the exterior dimensions compare between the Tesla Model Y and the Mach-E and the Mach-E GT. As you can see in the chart below, the Tesla Model Y is a little longer and wider and also has greater ground clearance, but the height of these two vehicles is roughly the same. The Mustang Mach-E does have a slightly longer wheelbase.

INTERIOR DIMENSIONS

When it comes to the interior dimensions and important measurements like head room, leg room and shoulder room, you can see in the chart below, that the Model Y has more head room in the front and rear. However, the Mach E GT has slightly more leg room in the front compared to the Model Y, but in the second row, the Model Y has slightly more leg room. When it comes to shoulder room, in the front and second rows, the Mach E has a little more room than the Model Y.

CARGO SPACE

Another important category is cargo room. The Mustang Mach E does have a larger front trunk than the Tesla Model Y, however, when it comes to the rest of the cargo space, the Model Y has a decent amount more cargo room than the Mustang Mach E GT.

TOWING COMPARSION

When it comes to towing, according to the official documents, the Mustang Mach E is not rated for towing, and Ford does not recommend towing with a Mach E. However, according to Tesla, the Tesla Model Y can tow up to 3,500 lbs.

But, do note the actual amount that you're able to tow with the Model Y does vary based on how many passengers you have and what kind of tires and wheels you have installed on the vehicle. For example, in the Model Y owner's manual , with 20 inch wheels and 4 to 5 passengers, the towing capacity goes down to 2,300 lbs. With 19 inch wheels and 6 to 7 passengers, the towing capacity goes down to 2,000 lbs. Notice that with 20 inch wheels and 6 to 7 passengers, towing is not permitted at all! However, with 21 inch wheels and 6 to 7 passengers, the maximum towing capacity drops down to 1,200 lbs.

CHARGING SPEED

According to data from EV-Database.org, the Long Range AWD and Performance variants of the the Model Y are able to charge from 10% to 80% much quicker than the Mustang Mach E. More importantly, when it comes to how many miles are added during that charging session and the miles added per minute of charging, the Model Y charges much faster than Mustang Mach E.

INTERIOR STYLE COMPARISON

Now, moving on to an interior style comparison, the Mustang Mach E has a clean, comfortable and modern interior with a large 15.5 inch center vertically oriented touchscreen, and unlike the Model Y It also features a smaller driver's display directly in front of the driver.

Wen it comes to software and the user interface, the Mach E infotainment system is feature filled, offers a lot of customizations and appears easy to use. Also, for households with multiple drivers, the system even allows you to set up to 5 individual user profiles so you don't need to change your settings each time you drive.

Images Courtesy of Tesla inc. and Disney

Overall, while the Mach E may not include many of the multimedia features available in the Model Y (Tesla Theater, Tesla Arcade, Sentry Mode, Dash Cam Recorder etc.), the Mustang Mach does, in my opinion, have the second best UI that I've seen and is capable of over-the-air software updates, so it should constantly improve in the future.

While I do personally prefer the slightly cleaner interior style of the Model Y over the Mustang Mach E, the Mustang Mach-E interior is very nice and I have no complaints in the design choices that Ford made.

AUTONOMOUS FEATURES

When it comes to current and future autonomous features, the Mustang Mach E does offer Blue Cruise as part of their Co-Pilot360™ ADAS system, which on paper looks very similar to Tesla's basic Autopilot software.

Like Basic Autopilot from Tesla, Blue Cruise is a mix between active lane support and adaptive cruise control and is only classified as a Level 2 drivers assistance feature, meaning that the driver is still technically in control of the vehicle and must stay alert and ready to take over at any time. Also, like Tesla's basic Autopilot software, Blue Cruise only offers single lane support and requires manual lane changes, although Ford has said that lane change assist should be coming in the future with a software update.

TESLA FSD UPGRADE

For Tesla buyers who would like to upgrade to the full self-driving package, this adds navigation and traffic related automatic lane changes on the highway with their Navigate on Autopilot feature and also in the future (once the software is ready) with a software update, this upgrade should also enable autosteer on city streets. In Tesla’s current limited beta release, these city street features are looking very impressive.

Now, despite some similarities, unlike Autopilot, Blue Cruise is only available on prequalified, divided highways called Blue Zones, which make up nearly 130,000 thousand miles of U.S. highways, whereas basic Autopilot from Tesla is not nearly as limited.

FUTURE AUTONOMY

When it comes to future fully autonomous cars, the Mustang Mach E does not have all the hardware necessary for a truly autonomous car. Tesla, on the other hand, has repeatedly made the claim that the Model Y's sold today have all the hardware that will be necessary for full self-driving with a future software update. Even without future autonomy factored in, the fact remains that Tesla's system is more feature filled right now and seems to outperform Ford's Blue Cruise system.

CONCLUSION

In the end, Mustang Mach-E GT is a great looking crossover SUV, and I'm glad to see this vehicle on the market. However, the Model Y is the clear leader in pretty much every category that we discussed, thus making the Performance Model Y the clear winner over the Mustang Mach E GT in this comparison.

Ford Mustang MACH E GT vs Tesla Model Y Performance: ELECTRIC SUVs