Too Loose for the Moose: Mach-E Fails Swedish Test

By John Coyle - October 22, 2021

The NHTSA doesn’t mandate a moose test, and as far as the Mustang Mach-E is concerned, that’s a good thing for Ford.

Right out of the gate, the Ford Mustang Mach-E has been a huge hit. From an enthusiast standpoint, first drive reports — like this one from our friends at Motor Authority — have been encouraging, and in a recent interview, CEO Jim Farley said the company was blindsided by demand for the GT version. Even some police departments are looking at how practical they’d be as patrol vehicles, so it sure seems like putting the Mustang name on a crossover has paid off for the Blue Oval.

That said, no vehicle is perfect, and the Mach-E just chalked up what I consider to be its first actual demerit. That black mark comes by way of Sweden’s famous “Moose Test,” a sudden direction change that’s inspired by, well, trying to avoid a moose, which present a very real road hazard in the Nordic nation. Seriously, if you’ve ever seen a moose in person — they are scary massive — you can totally understand why it would be advantageous to not have one impact the front of your vehicle.

In the video below, the presenter puts the blame for the Mach-E’s failure on its traction control system, which didn’t react fast enough to prevent the rear end from stepping out. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the Mustang’s arch rival, the Tesla Model X, passed the test with flying colors. So it’s not like the bar was set impossibly high. Fortunately for Ford, the NHTSA doesn’t mandate a moose test — but I have to wonder how Ford engineers are responding to this development. Watch the clip below to see the whole test for yourself.

Photos: YouTube