The Brand new Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

No one who looks inside a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E will disagree the design borrows heavily from the Tesla Model 3 and the Tesla Model Y. The Model Y absolutely dominates the midsize electric SUV segment and, like all Teslas, has a devoted following. Winning over Tesla owners and potential future Tesla buyers is the name of the game for Ford and everyone else, and Ford's strategy is clearly to give them exactly what they want, but nicer. Given the Ford Motor Company is one of the oldest in the world and Tesla the youngest, it's more than clear Eliot was right in this case.

Look very closely, and you'll see the one true Mustang design element aside from the steering wheel pony badge and the optional light-up "Mustang" door sill plates: the dashboard topper. Notice how it dips in the middle, behind the screen? It's a callback to the dual-binnacle design of the Mustang coupe's dashboard, itself a throwback to the design of the '60s classic. Aside from that, though, it's very much influenced by modern Tesla design.

Our Mach-E 4X Premium was fitted with the optional B&O soundbar that adds the first bit of pizazz to the Mach-E's interior. The cloth draped across the center of the dash and reflected on the door speaker grilles adds texture and a bit of warmth. Assisting it is contrast stitching on the vegan leather wrapping the dash, doors, center console, and seats. Ford also added some brushed metal strips and a carbon-fiber-look plastic trim to help break up the black-on-black motif. Overall, the material choices do a good job of avoiding the typical plasticky, built-to-a-price feel of most moderately priced EVs.