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Ford Mustang Mach-E fails Sweden's moose test

The infamous moose test has claimed another casualty. This time it's the Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD Long Range, which was tested in an electric four-way alongside the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Skoda Enyaq iV (an electric utility vehicle closely related to the Volkswagen ID.4 that is sold in the United States). According to the Swedish testers at Teknikens Varld, Ford's electric car not only failed to hit the speed necessary for a passing grade, it didn't perform well at slower speeds, either. To pass the outlet's moose test, a car has to complete a rapid left-right-straight S-shaped pattern marked by cones at a speed of at least 72 km/h (44.7 miles per hour). The test is designed to mimic the type of avoidance maneuver a driver would have to take in order to avoid hitting something that wandered into the road, which in Sweden may be a moose but could just as easily be a deer or some other member of the animal kingdom elsewhere in the world, or possibly a child or car backing into the motorway. Not only is the maneuver very aggressive, it's also performed with weights belted into each seat and more weight added to the cargo area to hit the vehicle's maximum allowable carrying capacity. The Mustang Mach-E only managed to complete the moose test at 68 km/h (42.3 mph), well below the passing-grade threshold. Even at much lower speeds, Teknikens Varld says the Mach-E (which boasts the highest carrying capacity and was therefore loaded with more weight than the rest of the vehicles tested in this quartet) is "too soft in the chassis" and suffers from "too slow steering." Proving that it is indeed possible to pass the test, the Hyundai and Skoda completed the maneuver at the 44.7-mph figure required for a passing grade and the Tesla did it at 46.6 mph, albeit with less weight in the cargo area. It's not clear whether other versions of the Mustang Mach-E would pass the test. It's also unknown if Ford will make any changes to its chassis tuning or electronic stability control software, as some other automakers have done after a poor performance from Teknikens Varld, to improve its performance in the moose test. Related video:

2023 CES Editors' Picks

Over the past few years, it has become more and more clear that the Consumer Electronics Show is a car show. And this year that reality is more clear than ever. Not only did established automakers show off seriously important vehicles, but a traditional electronics company brought a car that gives an idea of its intents (with the help of establishment car company). With so many car reveals, we had to rank our favorites. Our picks for this show are entirely electric. Or at least, they are on paper, since many are concepts. Considering the name of the show, it would be a little strange if they weren't. In fact, not only are many of our favorites concepts, they all are save for one. See how they shook out below. VW ID7 camo View 28 Photos 5. Volkswagen ID.7 "The ID.7 definitely got lost in the crowd at CES. That it was camouflaged definitely didn't help, even if that camo was electroluminescent (BMW trumped it big time with its color-changing Dee). Nevertheless, this is a close-to-production hatchback-ed sedan, not unlike today's Arteon, with an extra-long wheelbase courtesy its EV architecture. It should be a solid answer to the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6, and even if people obviously prefer SUVs now, VW says there is still a market for sedans. I know I'd probably prefer one." –Senior Editor, West Coast and Reviews, James Riswick Peugeot Inception concept View 12 Photos 4. Peugeot Inception "It's not often that show debuts surprise us. While Peugeot teased the Inception ahead of CES, its unveiling seemed almost incidental. But just look at this thing; it's like an electric French Mustang with someplace important to be. I don't buy into the stupid 'It's not a wheel!' thing that Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson described as providing a video-game-like drive experience, but that bit of silliness aside, this is a really promising design study. Give us more of these and fewer tall boxes, please." –Associate Editor Byron Hurd Afeela prototype from Sony Honda Mobility View 11 Photos 3. Afeela by Sony Honda “Ever since Sony showed off an impressively put-together concept car at CES a few years ago, IÂ’ve been anticipating the companyÂ’s next move. Apparently, that next move is “Afeela.” No, I donÂ’t love the name. The specs from SonyÂ’s original concept car give me hope that this prototype sportback (itÂ’s a hatchback!) will be fun to drive, though.

Volkswagen preparing Tiguan Coupe R

Volkswagen has might proliferation plans for the SUV side of the VW brand, Autocar listing a range that will comprise seven models and variants on sale by 2018. The next-generation Tiguan will play a large part in tripling VW's crossover lineup, a development discussed a year ago, with a standard model, the three-row long-wheelbase version to be built in Mexico, and a five-door "Coupe" variant that will get an R version worked up by the in-house R team. The Tiguan Coupe R is aimed at the performance end of the compact crossover field, giddyup coming from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with something like 300 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque that works through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. Underpinnings are expected to be cribbed from the Golf R; a hotter suspension tune with a lower ride height and four-mode damping. The sprint to 62 miles per hour would clock in around 5.1 seconds, and handling nous would be aided by all-wheel drive and electronic torque vectoring. It will need all of that in order to catch up to the competitive set listed by Autocar of the 375-hp Mercedes-AMG GLA45, 309-hp Audi RS Q3, and potential Range Rover Evoque SVR and BMW X2 M. The CrossBlue Coupe seen in Shanghai earlier this year will provide the styling cues, we're told, with rakish glass front and back, and thick C-pillars supporting a leaner greenhouse. We'll likely see the basic Tiguan at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show, then will come the long-wheelbase in 2016, the regular Coupe in 2017 along with the Touareg and US-built CrossBlue, then in 2018 the Tiguan Coupe R, CrossBlue Coupe, and Nissan Juke-fighting T-Roc. Related Video: