Luxury London hotel treat for electric car drivers

Royal Lancaster London -Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

We put the Royal Lancaster’s ‘Plug In, Switch Off & Recharge’ package to the test…

If you’re planning a trip to the capital and you drive an electric vehicle, there’s a new way to make your stay greener and more restful.

The iconic Royal Lancaster London, which overlooks Hyde Park and is a short walk from Marble Arch and Oxford Street, has launched a new package called ‘Plug In, Switch Off & Recharge’.

The overnight stay with breakfast includes free car parking, free EV charging and complimentary access to the hotel’s bicycles to explore the city.

Royal Lancaster London reception

What’s more, the Royal Lancaster London will plant one tree for each night of your stay through the Hotels for Trees initiative to compensate for any CO2 impact of your journey.

We tried out the package for ourselves, driving up from Somerset in Ford’s flagship electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-E GT.

Not only did we arrive in style, but we avoided paying the £15 per day London Congestion Charge because the zero emissions Mach-E is exempt.

Royal Lancaster London -Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

After a greeting from the smart doorman (complete with bowler hat), we were ushered up to the towering 5-star hotel’s secure, private car park. There we connected the car to one of the free chargers available.

The 411 guest rooms and suites at Royal Lancaster London offer classic style and spectacular panoramic views of Hyde Park and the City skyline, making it the perfect place to relax – and recharge your batteries too.

Since opening its doors in 1967, the Royal Lancaster remained mostly unchanged until 2015, when the prestigious family-run property underwent a two-year, head-to-toe, £83 million renovation.

It reopened in 2017 and everything from the modern open-plan lobby area to the redesigned, redecorated rooms and suites have been finished to a high standard.

Royal Lancaster London -Park Suite

We stayed in a Park Suite, on the 14th floor, which included a spacious living area with sumptuous velvet sofas, a lavish marble bathroom with twin sinks, shower and bathtub, plus a separate bedroom with king-size bed.

Despite the luxury, it was the 180-degree vista of London’s famous skyline that was the biggest treat – especially a night.

Frankly, it was hard to fault our stay – from the superb service levels via the friendly staff, the attention to detail and overall cleanliness, to the excellent breakfast quality and choice.

Royal Lancaster London -Park Suite Bedroom

After checkout the following morning we returned to our car with zero range anxiety for the journey ahead because the Mustang Mach-E GT was fully charged.

Not that range is a huge issue when the battery pack of the Mach-E GT has been topped up.

Like most EVs, it may fall short of its claimed range (up to 304 miles), but 250 miles upwards is more than enough for most getaways. If you do have to stop off, a rapid 150kW public charger can deliver around 73 miles in just 10 minutes.

Royal Lancaster London -Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

We took a more scenic route home, turning off the A303 before Stonehenge and heading over Salisbury Plain – the perfect place to let a thoroughbred like the Mach-E GT stretch its legs.

Blisteringly fast in a straight line (0-62mph in 3.7 seconds), it’s also a refined cruiser and delivers an engaging ride.

Not quite as dynamic to drive as its looks suggest, the Mach-E GT has a couple of party pieces. First, it’s fitted with a noise generator which simulates a combustion engine. Second, more spirited drivers will enjoy unleashing the GT’s more playful side, because the rear-biased all-wheel-drive system allows you to kick out the tail, should you so wish.

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

The entry-level Mustang Mach-E is priced from £50,830. However, a GT will set you back £74,540. For that, you get a second 240bhp electric motor installed up front. Combined, the two motors deliver a whopping 480bhp of power and an equally beefy 860Nm of torque.

With room for five, plus a decent 402-litre boot capacity and space under the bonnet for cables, the Mach-E GT is one of the performance EVs on the market.

Did you know? Key scenes of the classic British crime caper, The Italian Job, were filmed at the Royal Lancaster in 1968 – not long after the hotel opened. Also, The Beatles held their Yellow Submarine film premiere after-party at the venue in the same year.

Get the lowdown on the Royal Lancaster London hotel’s Plug In, Switch Off & Recharge package.

Top 10 most searched-for classic cars

Gareth Herincx

1 week ago
Auto News

Ford Escort 1600i

The Ford Escort was the most searched-for car in 2021, according to Car & Classic – the classified and online auction website.

‘Dream cars’ such as the Porsche 911 and Jaguar E-Type, lead the search data during the pandemic, but 2021 saw classic car fans seeking more mainstream vehicles including the BMW 3 Series.

Across 2021, the Ford Escort toppled the Porsche 911, with the RS2000 the model most searched-for from the European Escort’s 34-year lifetime.

Recent Escort auction sales on Car & Classic include £25,500 for a Mk3 RS1600i (pictured) and £50,000 for a Mk1 Twin Cam.

Over the past 12 months, searches for the Triumph Stag more than doubled, securing third place.

It was closely followed by the 1980s’ E30 version of BMW 3 Series. More than a quarter of the specific searches for the compact saloon were for the iconic M3.

The rise in searches for the E30, up nearly 20% on 2020, follows sharp rises in the values for the M3 over the past five years. Published prices of the 24 road cars currently on Car & Classic span £40,000 to £189,000.

Other cars in the top 10 include the Ford Mustang and Jaguar E-Type, both growing by 10%. Slipping down the order, despite a similar number of searches in 2020, was the MGB GT.

Underlining rising demand for Japanese sports cars, the Toyota Supra and MR2, plus the Mazda RX-7 and Datsun 240Z all appeared in the top 20 searches of 2021.

Top 10 searches of 2021

  1. Ford Escort
  2. Porsche 911
  3. Triumph Stag
  4. E30 BMW 3 Series
  5. Ford Mustang
  6. Jaguar E-Type
  7. Ford Capri
  8. VW Beetle
  9. MGB GT
  10. MGB

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Revealed: TikTok’s most popular cars

Gareth Herincx

10 hours ago
Auto Blog

Ford Mustang

TikTok is best known for its viral dances and challenges, but did you know that there are also thousands of car videos on the app too?

These videos have racked up billions of views, but which makes and models are the most popular on TikTok?

Researchers at comparison and switching service Uswitch.com have been analysing the number of views on TikTok videos using hashtags mentioned to reveal the most popular cars and brands.

BMW 1 Series review

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, more commonly known as BMW, is the most popular car brand on TikTok, seeing over 17.6 billion views across the app.

The BMW brand has been quick to embrace the social media platform, creating its own hashtag challenges to promote its vehicles.

Top 10 most popular vehicle brands on TikTok 

Rank Brand Views
1 BMW 17,600,000,000
2 Mercedes-Benz 9,100,000,000
3 Lamborghini 8,300,000,000
4 Tesla 7,200,000,000
5 Audi 7,000,000,000
6 Ford 6,500,000,000
7 Honda 6,300,000,000
8 KTM 5,500,000,000
9 Ferrari 4,900,000,000
10 Jeep 4,300,000,000

Looking at the specific models which have received the most views on TikTok, there was a clear winner – the iconic Ford Mustang.

Tied for second place, the Nissan GT-R and the Toyota Supra both received 2.8 billion views.

Top 10 most popular vehicle models on TikTok 

Rank Model Views
1 Ford Mustang 3,900,000,000
2 Nissan GT-R 2,800,000,000
2 Toyota Supra 2,800,000,000
4 Chevrolet Camaro 1,500,000,000
4 Range Rover 1,500,000,000
6 Honda Civic 1,300,000,000
7 Lamborghini Huracan 916,700,000
8 Subaru WRX 851,600,000
9 Lamborghini Aventador 808,800,000
10 Tesla Model 3 760,600,000

“TikTok is no longer just a space for Gen-Z to share viral dances and challenges,” said Joel Kempson, car insurance expert at Uswitch.com. “The app is now home to many viral car videos, racking up billions of views from car lovers all over the world.” 

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Harold Baggott – from Ford Model T to Mustang Mach-E

Gareth Herincx

3 days ago
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Centenarian Harold Baggott, who learned to drive in a Ford Model T, has demonstrated an all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E to his great-grandchildren.

The event took place at the British Motor Museum, Beaulieu, near the Hampshire home of Harold, who still drives daily.

The 101-year-old’s great-grandchildren, Felix and Charlie, also got to ride in a Model T – the same as Harold first drove on private land in 1930.

“Since the age of 10, I’ve retained my interest in motoring and today find myself interested in the switch to electrification following the government phasing out the traditional combustion engines I’m used to,” said Harold.

“I have reminisced about my driving history with the Model T and seen what the future has in store. It was exciting to get behind the wheel of what I expect to see my great grandchildren will be driving.”

After Harold got his driving licence in 1936 (the first year they were introduced), he purchased his first car (a Ford 8 Popular) in 1937 for £100, followed by a Ford Anglia the next year.

Since then his family has owned 20 Fords privately, as well as Ford commercial vehicles in chassis form, converted into coaches for a fleet of 140 run by their travel and coach business.

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Ford Mustang Mach-E review

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The all-new, all-electric Mustang Mach-E is a big deal for Ford.

The Blue Oval may be late to the EV party, but this SUV is worth the wait with its combination of style, performance, driver engagement and practicality.

Starting at £41,330 and rising to £67,225, the Mach-E is available with rear or all-wheel drive, and with two different battery sizes delivering a range of up to 379 miles.

Ford Mustang Mach-E review

And while its “pony” badging and sculpted design are a nod to Ford’s iconic Mustang car, the similarity ends there because this EV muscle car is smooth, silent and emits zero emissions.

Your choice of Mach-E will depend on your priorities. The Extended Range with rear-wheel drive has the longest range (379 miles), while the quickest is the GT version (0-62mph in 3.7 seconds).

I tested the Mach-E AWD Extended Range (arguably the best all-rounder in the line-up), which competes with everything from the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq to the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron.

Ford Mustang Mach-E review

Powered by a large 88kWh battery pack and a pair of electric motors (one on each axle), it delivers 346bhp and 580Nm, allowing an impressive 0-62mph time of 5.1 seconds.

Range on this model is officially up to 355 miles, but in everyday driving, 300 is achievable, while a typical charge of 10-80% can be reached in as little as 45 minutes via a rapid 150kW DC charger.

To look at it another way, it’s possible to add 73 miles in 10 minutes, though many owners will simply plug in from home and charge overnight.

Ford Mustang Mach-E review

I found the mileage covered matched the indicated range well in everyday motoring, though clearly the miles remaining will take a hit during winter and if you take full advantage of the performance available.

Naturally, the Mach-E’s acceleration is instant and rapid, and not quite as unnecessarily gut-wrenching as some electric rivals.

You can choose from three drive modes: Active, Whisper, and Untamed. Active is your default setting, Whisper is “the most relaxing way to enjoy Mustang Mach-E” and Untamed unleashes the car, sharpening the steering, enhancing the throttle response and boosting the fake interior engine noise.

Ford Mustang Mach-E review

Despite its two-tonne weight, the Mach-E feels surprisingly agile on more challenging roads, delivering a degree of driver engagement often missing in the EV sector.

Body control is impressive, thanks to the relatively firm suspension set-up, meaning it will stay flat in faster corners. Traction is superb, as is the grip, while the steering is swift, just as you’d expect from any Fast Ford.

Meanwhile, the brakes are strong and more progressive than some – a weak point in many EVs.

Ford Mustang Mach-E review

However, technology hasn’t been allowed to completely sanitise the driving experience, because even in all-wheel drive form, it’s possible to get the rear to step out.

Whether you agree with Ford’s decision to market this SUV as a Mustang or not, there’s no denying that the muscular styling is distinctive and there are enough design cues to legitimise the comparison with the automotive icon.

Signature elements include the long, powerful bonnet, rear haunches, mean headlights and trademark tri-bar tail-lights.

Ford Mustang Mach-E review

The Mach-E’s designers should also be commended for having the confidence to go their own way n certain areas. For instance, the door handles don’t pop out. In fact, there are no handles. Instead, you press a button on the B or C pillars and pull a streamlined ‘E-Latch”.

Inside, there’s a 15.5-inch portrait-mounted infotainment touchscreen in the centre console, plus a smaller 10.2-inch digital cluster behind the steering wheel for basic driving information, such as speed, battery percentage and remaining range.

Ford Mustang Mach-E review

Apart from screens, the cabin has a familiar Ford feel, so while it’s a pleasant and comfortable enough place to be, it doesn’t quite have the premium feel of some competitors.

That said, there’s plenty of space for five adults, while boot capacity is a useable 410 litres (expanding to 1,420 litres of space with the rear seats flipped). The front trunk (frunk) has a further 81 litres, though in practice this is the best place to store your charging cable.

Ford Mustang Mach-E review

So, all in all, the Mach-E is an impressive addition to the electric SUV scene. And frankly, when your biggest gripe is subjective (I couldn’t find a comfortable spot to rest my left foot), it’s a job done well.

Verdict: Ford’s first fully-fledged electric car has been worth the wait. With its combination of kerb appeal, driving dynamics, practicality and long range, the Mustang Mach-E is one of the most accomplished EVs in the crossover sector. Sometimes it’s fashionable to arrive late to a party.

Ford UK