Although Tesla is a household word now, it has a long way to go to catch up to Ford’s 100-plus years of automaking. Still, the Tesla Model Y is seen by some as the benchmark of electric vehicles, and the Tesla name is synonymous with EVs. That makes Ford the newcomer here with its Mustang Mach E.
Ford is clearly rushing to catch up. The Ford F150 Lightning is making its debut as the manufacturer begins offering hybrid and electric Ford trucks.
The Tesla Model Y grew by a few inches in 2021 and added some height. The front trunk measures 4.1 cu.ft. while the rear cargo hold offers 30.2 cu.ft. In 2021, the manufacturer even began offering a third row. There are Teslas with 15-cu.ft. front trunks, by the way, but these Model Y measurements were taken directly from the Model Y Owner’s Manual.
Unlike typical Ford trucks, the Lightning has a 4.8 cu.ft. drainable frunk as they call the front trunk. It has slightly less than 30 cubes of rear cargo space.
The Ford driving range is 230 miles for the standard electric powertrain. Tesla has discontinued its lower-range edition which has a 244 mile range. Therefore, it might be more appropriate to compare Ford’s top driving range of 300 miles with Tesla’s 326-mile range.
For these SUVs, fuel economy is 101 mpg-equivalent in combined driving. Tesla can claim 131 mpg-e city and 117 mpg-e highway.
Pricing
Tesla’s asking price is as much as $15,000 higher. This is especially significant given that the Tesla Model Y shoppers can no longer take advantage of the federal tax credit. The new Mustang Mach E hasn’t used up its allotment yet, and that means shoppers may be able to take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit.
Style
Obviously the manufacturer named its new electric SUV for its sports car. The Mustang Mach E has no engine behind the pony on its grille, which isn’t really a grille in the traditional sense. Where the electric SUV does match up is with its style elements, sure to please a Mustang purist.
The Tesla styling is more space age with lots of smooth swooping lines. There’s no confusing these vehicles if parked side by side.
Entertainment
The Tesla system is criticized for what it lacks as much for what it has. This gives Ford a significant edge here. As a standard manufacturer, Ford has its well-liked Sync system, and to that it adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This allows the user to stream their apps from their Android or Apple phone to the screen.
Quality
If you do a quick search, you’ll find professional and personal reviewers across the internet who are complaining about Tesla quality. The biggest complaint is poor quality or as some express it, poor assembly. The Mustang Mach-E hasn’t been around long enough to earn these types of quality ratings.
Test Drive
Due to the sheer number of brick-and-mortar Ford dealerships in communities across the US, the ability to take a test drive of the Mustang Mach-E is much easier. This is an advantage that Tesla shouldn’t underestimate. Shoppers like to get behind the wheel and discover whether they actually like the vehicle before they buy it. That’s something that no review can capture.
When judging these two, the question really comes down to quality and price. The Tesla Model Y clearly has the major stats in its favor, but it doesn’t have quite the monopoly on EVs that it had before the Mustang Mach E arrived with sufficient capability to challenge Tesla’s current reign.
