Which would you have: the new Toyota bZ4X, the Kia EV6 or the Ford Mustang Mach-E?
may not display any blue oval badges, but it’s very much a Ford, and history suggests that means it’ll be great fun to drive. Like all three cars, it’s appearing here in two-wheel-drive guise for the best possible efficiency and a respectable price.Despite its evocative name, the Mach-E is not capable of breaking the sound barrier, but thanks to a 265bhp electric motor driving the rear wheels, it can still hit 60mph from a standstill in a suitably quick 6.6sec.
But when it comes to EVs, performance isn’t just about how quickly you can speed up; how far you can travel between charges is even more important for most. On a simulated test route of motorways, country roads and town driving , the Mach-E proved to be the most efficient, returning an impressive 3.7 miles per kilowatt hour , followed by the EV6 and bZ4X .
With such an impressive range, it’s a good thing that the EV6 is also a pleasure to cover miles in. It does an excellent job of smoothing out broken sections of bitumen and its body movements always feel well controlled, especially on undulating country roads. And while the bZ4X is a touch more settled at fast motorway speeds, that car doesn’t cushion you quite as well from road scars in urban environments.
Such a reactive set-up doesn’t help with handling, either. It’s respectable when the road is super-smooth, but that’s very rarely the case – and the Mach-E is frequently nudged off line by mid-corner bumps. Throw in quick but overly elastic steering and grabby, poorly judged brakes and it becomes almost impossible to drive smoothly in the Mach-E.