To create a Tesla-like vibe, a lot of manufacturers have chosen to release their electric vehicles under a separate label, or a separate brand.
The most famous example is Volvo's Polestar. However, if you don't want a Polestar, you can still get the technology in the XC40 P8.
The new Ford Mustang Mach-E is right inbetween the Polestar and Volvo when it comes to nomenclature.
It's still called Ford, but you really can't tell except for the name on the windows. Other than that, it's filled with Mustang-logo's.
If this car deserves to be called Mustang is a question we'll debate about for years to come,
but today I want to find out if a Mustang like this is a good alternative for an electric Volvo.
You might've seen a picture of several white SUV's, which had to prove that all cars look alike these days.
These two clearly weren't on that diagram, because they couldn't be more different. We already know the XC40 pretty well, and it's a...
square, Tonka-like car whilst the Mustang is called Mustang, so it's got to have a coupé-like feel.
It's 30 centimetres longer than the Volvo, it's narrower and it's lower. Also, it's got a sloped roof.
It seems to look quite rigourously, but that's optical. There's a panel on here, which means the roof is higher than it seems.
And I'm curious what that means for the headroom in the back, so to find out I'll have to open the door. And that's done in a...
remarkable manner. You have to push this, so a small paw pushes the door open. You can't close it or get stuck with your fingers now, but...
you can open it like this now.
They've mastered the roofline-trick pretty well. It doesn't have as much headroom as the Volvo, but I'm still pretty comfortable with my 1.84 m. self.
Also, the legroom is better. That's because the seating position is better, with a higher seat relative to the floor.
Also, the floor is flat. As opposed to the Volvo, which still has a transmission tunnel. It's still a converted petrol car after all.
At the back, the sloped roof does come with some drawbacks. The boot is smaller than in the Volvo, with the difference being around ten litres.
If you fold down the seats, the Ford becomes more spacier because it's longer. However, what remains is that the shape is less handy.
The Volvo is square and it has a higher and bigger boot opening. Both cars have a double floor, to store your cables or something,
and both cars have a frunk. It's bigger in the Ford than in the Volvo, but it's got dividers. Ford might remove them, but for now it's very...
handy if you want to sort your Chinese takeout.
These three vertical elements are a true Mustang-feature, so the Mach-E has them as well. In a dynamic manner, which is a cool throwback,
because Ford actually invented that. The Ford Thunderbird already had them in 1965. At the same time, this LED-version isn't legal in the USA.
Over there, the law states that when an indicator turns on, 2.200 square mm has to be lit when the first light turns on. And that's impossible, because...
when the indicator goes on, only the first LED is turned on. That's why the indicators of Mach-E's in the USA work the other way around.
First, everything goes on, and then this row is turned off again. That causes the same effect, only then it is legal.
On the outside, the Mustang Mach-E has a lot of Mustang-features, but on the inside it's all Mach-E. It really goes in its own direction.
They've clearly wanted to make it a very futuristic, thriving car. However, they partly succeeded. There are some futuristic features,
but very traditional features as well. Elements we already know from other Ford's, which means it doesn't look that refreshing as Ford wanted it to look.
On the other hand, that means it's very clear how to operate certain features. The used buttons never make you wonder what they're for.
The used materials and the finishing are decent. It's not a premium car and Ford doesn't pretend that it is, but it looks very good.
There even are some nice features, like the soundbar on the dashboard. And the elephant in the room, the huge screen in the middle.
That really gives me Tesla-vibes. It's 15.5-inch and it's vertical, so you can put a lot of information underneath each other.
I can get behind that, because you can always have your climate control on screen without it taking up too much valuable room.
There's even a physical volume button, which comes out of the screen. That looks really special.
And in the screen, you can find Ford's Sync4-system, which is the new infotainment system. And it works really well.
You do have to get used to it, which is inevitable if you have so many functions in one system. You really have to explore it first.
However, if you've gotten the hang of it, it's a very usable system. Tiles with your last-used apps are always visible,
so when you're using the satnav, there's always a tile which shows you all kinds of electricity numbers.
The same goes for the digital instrument cluster. It's not a big screen, but it's very complete. It shows your current speed, the mileage,
a battery percentage and the indicated range. That all sounds logical, but there are a lot of manufacturers that always forget one of those features.
That promised range in the instrument cluster is pretty big as well, because right now I'm driving the most expensive Mach-E available.
That means it's a four-wheel drive car, with electric motors on both axles, but also that it's got the biggest battery pack. 88 usable...
kWh's, which really is a lot. That's 13 more than the Volvo has. Theoretically, that means it should be able to do 540 km on a single charge.
Of course, you won't reach that. Especially if it's colder outside, but it's very nice to drive a car in which you never really have to doubt if you've...
got enough charge left. It's pretty quick as well, despite the fact it can be quicker. Luckily, they'll release a GT in due time.
However, with 351 horsepower and a 0-100-time of 5,1 seconds, it's not slow either. It's a tad slower than the Volvo though.
This Mustang Mach-E won't be able to attract any classic Mustang-enthusiasts, and Ford knows that. However,
they've tried to make it a fun driving car. And they've done quite well actually. Ford is always known for their chassis' and...
the way they drive and steer, but this car tends to feel like a rear-wheel drive car, which is very playful as well. Even in four-wheel drive trim.
It's got a loose rear, so if you accelerate a little wildly, you'll get the back to break out.
Even when the traction control is turned on. If you do, the traction control will straighten you out eventually.
That way, you can play in a very accessible way. Not something you'd expect from an electrical crossover which weighs over 2.100 kg.
The drive is really fun. However, that does come with a drawback. The suspension is quite firm, so you have to take it easy on speedbumps and such.
On the other hand, it's not too hard and it's pretty quiet too so it's good for guzzling up the kilometres as well.
When you drive your first metres in the XC40, it's immediately made clear that it has a very different personality.
That all starts with the seating position, which is higher up. More like an SUV really. Also, the car doesn't communicate as much with you.
It drives much more like we're used to from Volvo's. A little distant, but very easy. The steering is pretty light and it all feels predictable.
However, it's not sporty. Usually, that means a car is much better when it comes to comfort, but that isn't the case with the XC40.
It's softer than the Ford, but it's also heavy, relatively tall and relatively short. That automatically results in a car that's pretty bumpy on short...
imperfections and such. So I wouldn't call it incredibly comfortable. I would call it incredibly quick though.
I already mentioned it has the drivetrain from the Polestar 2, which means it produces 408 horsepower coming from two electric motors.
It does 0-100 km/h in under five seconds, which is hilariously quick for a car like this, because no-one expects this to be that quick.
If you release the throttle, it slows down pretty quickly as well. That's because I've selected one-pedal driving.
You can choose if you want the car to make a full-stop when you release throttle, the same going for the Ford.
You can drive that as well with only one pedal. However, it's easier to dose the throttle in the Volvo.
That this car regenerates heavily when you release the throttle is a good thing, because it uses a lot of electricity.
Also, the battery pack is smaller, so the range is a lot smaller than the Ford. It's 418 kilometres versus 540 kilometres from the Ford.
In reality, the difference will be bigger, because the XC40 will use a lot of electricity on the motorway.
That means you'll have to consider a max range in the Volvo of around 315 kilometres in the winter. Also, you'll be thinking...
'will I make it' a lot more often. If the answer is going to be 'no', you're able to quickcharge the XC40 up to 150 kW.
The Ford can do that as well. Luckily, the car does help you with that. Just like the Polestar, this XC40 comes with Android Automotive.
That also means it's got Google Maps, which is able to predict very accurately how much charge you'll have left when you reach your destination.
When it says two percent, you'll really have two percent left. That way you're able to use every single bit of electricity in your battery pack.
Android Automotive has a lot of other very handy features. You've got Google Maps in front of you, but you can also connect...
it to the Google Maps on your phone, so that all of your addresses are immediately available in the car.
Other than that system, the XC40 P8 isn't that different from every other XC40. It still looks very good, with nice and quirky features.
It doesn't feel forced though. It's not as high-tech as the Ford and the screen isn't as big. Also, it doesn't have an app whilst...
there is for the Ford. On the other hand, the interior looks a lot better and of higher quality. Volvo is a premium brand after all.
So you might think the Volvo is a lot more expensive than the Ford, but you'd be wrong. Prices for the XC40 P8 start at...
around €55.000, whilst the Mustang Mach-E with the biggest battery pack and four-wheel drive is available from €67.000.
That's a huge difference, but the options on the Volvo are much more expensive. Also, you can get a smaller battery pack in the Ford,
which still means it has a bigger range than the Volvo, for €10.000 less than this Mach-E.
So I can't really do anything else but declare the Ford the winner.