Ford Mustang Mach-E GT with B&O test drive

Car lovers must practice tolerance these days. And a little forgetting also helps. For all current Mini models, for example, you should not use a centimeter ruler or scales. Then you can definitely find the British cult cars with their Bavarian genes cool and enjoy driving fun. The mistake, which one should avoid with the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, which we could test with B&O sound system, likewise absolutely: the comparison with the Ur-Mustang, whose recent interpretations orient themselves after intermediate style blooms even from the dimensions again pleasingly close to the original from 1966.

After all, the Mustang is not the only Ford coupe to be reborn as a crossover SUV. And in contrast to the Puma, which, by the way, did not suffer badly from this transformation, Ford continues to build the Mustang as a coupe with an internal combustion engine. What’s more, this year the latest variant will once again be equipped with a 5-liter V8. Given the ubiquitous wokeness, really brave – at least like airing a Karl May movie without trigger warnings. But in keeping with the motto “do one thing, don’t do another,” Ford is also making a serious attempt to have a say in electromobility with the Mach-E. The conditions are good. This is especially true for the retrofitted GT variant. At least it is closer in detail to the youngest member of the original Mustang family – and not just from stylistic details like the striped taillights.

Brembo together with B&O make drivers happy

Even ingredients relevant to driving dynamics reveal a kinship, above all the particularly sensitive and effective brakes from the Italian supplier Brembo. In addition, there is a power boost to 487 horses that can be called up briefly in overboost (Ford has specified the continuous power with 272). In other respects, too, the Mach-E GT makes it clear from the first meters that it is much more ambitious in sporty terms than the normal Mach-E, which also seemed softer all around in terms of steering and suspension during a test drive. Together with the grippy, perfectly controllable nature of the Brembos, the electric SUV weighing around 2,350 kilograms thus takes a big step toward driving pleasure.

But the reason I took the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT for a test drive in the first place is because of its Danish car hi-fi sound system from Bang & Olufsen. And here it definitely shows the extremely stylish taillights to the V8 role model: This perfectly integrated installation not only sounds better, it also looks much more upscale. The 12 loudspeakers in the combustion engine coupe were still hidden under the unadorned black plastic covers. They looked exactly like the ones used by the Shaker Premium sound system, which was replaced by B&O Sound System.

The designer recommends to his family

In the Mustang Mach-E, there is now a visual appearance that really lives up to the premium claim of the designer Danes. The acousticians even had to work a little magic to achieve this. Instead of housing the tweeters in the A-pillars as is generally the case, they are hidden together with the center speaker under a very chic fabric cover on the dashboard of the electric Ford and radiate upward. The bass-midrange drivers of the left and right 2-way systems for the first row of seats are located in the front doors, so they keep quite a distance. This is usually not conducive to imaging. However, Ford and his Danish partner managed to get the whole thing under control in combination with the center channel, which was designed as an 8 cm full range driver. Thus, Bang & Olufsen spoils the Mustang Mach-E and Mach-E GT with an exceptionally vivid and high stage imaging.

B&O gives substance

The 16 cm diameter woofer-midrange drivers also got a homely fabric cover. This makes the electric SUV stand out pleasantly from the look of other Ford cockpits, which is often dominated by hard plastic. In the rear doors, the 2.5 cm tweeters then sit very close to the 16 cm bass-midrange speakers for the rear passengers. The developers placed the subwoofer used for both 2-way systems in the right rear of the trunk. In the immediate vicinity is the 560 watt 6-channel DSP amplifier, which operates in Class D mode. The woofer module is an ECS concept (Externally Coupled Subwoofer). Its oval diaphragm has a format of 6 x 9 inches uses the body structure as a speaker volume. This saves space and weight.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E GT offers the blessings of modernity as sources. Ford Sync A4 provides connectivity for music listening and communication via USB and Bluetooth interfaces. The infotainment system is operated via an upright central screen in a format that would be difficult to find outside of a Tesla. The sheer size of 15.5 inches (Tesla sends its regards) means that you can access the individual functions quite well even while driving, despite the principle-related disadvantages of touch screens. Most importantly: there’s a big haptic volume button at the bottom of the display! Those who use Apple Car Play or Android Auto will also find good voice support for making calls and navigating in Siri and Google Assistant as a supplement to Ford’s own voice control.

The compulsory exercise in front of the door

However, because modern life would be far too simple without a few technical pull-ups, the designers have incorporated a Grand Complication in the doors. The futuristic door handles caused me some annoyance, as they did in the likewise electric BMW iX (see test report). Apparently, there is secret competition among manufacturers along the lines of “why make it simple when you can make it cumbersome?” And here the Ford SUV, which is comparatively inexpensive in terms of standard equipment and engine power, does extremely well against the premium Bavarian.

I have to admit that I was only able to test the Mustang Mach-E in the also visually very appealing GT variant comparatively briefly on the road. But immediately noticed the aforementioned tight feel in suspension tuning and the less nervous steering feel at higher speeds. And I have already reported on the firm grip and perfect control in several tests, such as the strictly limited Ford GT super sports car, which I was able to drive over highway and country roads for an online magazine after its presentation.

Listening test: How 560 watts sound in combination with 487 whisper horsepower

However, not only the racy Italian brake calipers were really gripping in the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT. The Danish sound system was also very spirited despite the less than spectacular performance on paper. Once again, the cooperation between Bang & Olufsen and Ford succeeded in creating a damn good sound with comparatively little effort. A sound that is not only jazz and classical filigree and spatial with fine overtones that refrain from any sharpness despite all the liveliness. With pop and rock, the car hi-fi system also developed real drive. The bass was rich and clean. Beats possessed kick and volume without any humminess.

In terms of sound, Ford and its Danish partner Bang & Olufsen have once again done a great job. The 12-channel sound system has the musicality and balance that previously distinguished in particular the hi-fi system tuned by musician Stefan Varga in the Ford Focus. Furthermore, it offers an even more impressive spatial reproduction. The staging, especially in the front seats, is among the best you can currently experience on four-wheelers. Although the tweeters are nicely embedded in the dashboard, voices and instruments are in front of you at eye level in a considerable size. All instruments are tangible and stable in front of you, even in the low frequency range. The subwoofer in the trunk did not reveal its position in our listening test. The developers have therefore perfectly adapted the runtimes to the all-wheel-drive SUV, which is over 4.7 meters long.

In the Mustang Mach-E and the Mach-E GT, the best car audio sound system in Ford’s European lineup to date meets a quiet electric car. The sound experience from it is more than the sum of all parts.

Test conclusion Ford Mustang Mach-E GT with B&O Sound

In the Ford Mustang Mach 1 tested last year, the Bang & Olufsen sound system only played second fiddle for a petrol head like me. The inimitable sound of the 5.0-liter V8 engine degraded the B&O sound system, which is very decent especially for a standard feature, to the most beautiful secondary matter as far as the acoustic background of the brisk drive is concerned. Since the Mach-E GT relies on an acoustically unobtrusive electric drive and the desire for full-throttle orgies quickly fades when you look at the range indicator on the 10.2-inch instrument display, B&O is out of the running in this crossover creation. This is especially true for the base model without the GT add-on and the associated sportiness. Here in particular, the car hi-fi system alone is responsible for kicks or goose bumps during electric gliding.

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT – Technical specifications

• Recommended price Ford Mustang Mach-E / Mach E-GT: from around 69,200 / 86,200 euros
• Recommended price B&O sound system: standard equipment on Mach-E GT, otherwise included in Technology package + for 2,100
• External dimensions / vehicle weight: 474.3 x 188.1 x 161.3 cm / approx. 2,350 kg
• Driving power: 487 hp
• Acceleration 0 – 100 km/h: 4.4 seconds
• Vmax: 200 km/h

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