2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally First Look: An Electric SUV Like No Other
This EV crossover won't be mistaken for anything else in the Trader Joe's parking lot.
When Ford announced the Mustang Mach-E in 2019, it shook things up by even suggesting that an electric SUV could be worthy of the Mustang name and badge. While we get that there are some Mustang fans out there who'll never accept the Mach-E into their fold, keep in mind the Mach-E GT matches the Shelby GT500 CFTP's 3.6-second 0-60-mph time and is a riot to drive. So, some might still need time to get acquainted with the Mach-E—good, bad, or new—Ford is taking the electric Mustang into uncharted territory again with the 2024 Mustang Mach-E Rally.
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The 2024 Mach-E Rally is Ford's first rally-inspired EV, a Mach-E modified to play around on unpaved surfaces (or really bad paved surfaces—have you ever been to Southeast Michigan, where Ford is headquartered?). With four WRC manufacturer's championships to its name, rally isn't exactly new territory for Ford, but it is a new space for the brand stateside, and certainly for the Mustang.
On paper, the Mach-E Rally looks like a solid first run, though, the product of an impressive 16-month development effort during which the off-road electric SUV sprang from a concept to reality. Of course, this is no roll-caged rally machine with onboard fire suppression, it's a factory-upgraded EV. It is different enough to come off as purpose-built and fun, but not so different that it's going to have a seat next to Ford's iconic RS200 or Escort RS Cosworth in the history books—not yet anyway.
The current-generation Mach-E GT Performance serves as the Rally's starting point, to which Ford adds an updated rear motor, upping total torque output to 650 lb-ft (between the front and rear motors), while peak horsepower remains 480. Maximum power delivery from the 91-kWh battery will be available longer than the five seconds currently allowed in the GT Performance, but Ford hasn't specified by how much.
These powertrain updates are expected to deliver a 3.5-second 0-60-mph time, though range is expected to drop from the GT Performance's 260 miles to just 250. Allegedly, this 10-mile range penalty comes not from the rally's off-road tires or other physical changes—rather, it was a deliberate choice. Reducing range for any intentional reason seems like an odd move in a world obsessed with EVs' range, yet Ford mentions Mach-E owners tend to drive 30-ish miles per day, a figure that's in line with the national average among all car owners and thus not unique to Mach-E customers. And either way, this does not explain why Ford would take a vehicle capable of 260 miles and wipe 10 of those away without, say, cutting some battery capacity away to save weight or some other countervailing benefit.
At least, range aside, the battery can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in just over 36 minutes via a 170-kW DC fast charger.
To help the Rally do more on dirt than your average Mach-E, Ford lifts the suspension to afford an additional 0.8-inch of ground clearance. Springs and MagneRide adaptive shocks are retuned to match, and are joined by a set of narrower 235/55R19 Michelin CrossClimate2 tires for improved performance in snow, on ice, and over loose surfaces. Their sidewalls are 5.1-inches tall, a useful increase over the GT's low-profile, 4.3-inch sidewalls. And the wheels? Those 19-inch gloss-white alloy wheels have a killer look, and the large surface area will discourage debris from getting packed into the spokes. The 385-mm Brembo brakes carry over from the GT.
The front and rear motors are equipped with protective shielding (Ford hesitated to refer to them as "skid plates" though), and a protective film runs about halfway up the door cladding and fender arches to help keep rock chips at bay. Dealer installed mud flaps will be an option. And if you really get into trouble testing that protection, a recovery point is accessible through the front fascia.
Making the most use of the new and updated equipment on the Mach-E rally, Ford is introducing the new RallySport Drive Mode to maximize off-road performance. Its stability control programming allows for greater yaw angles, and thus more extreme slides, plus more linear throttle response and more aggressive MagneRide tuning. Ford expects the new drive mode in combination with the new tires to improve on-road driving in adverse conditions, as well.
The Mach-E rally seems like a complete enough package, but after Ford introduced the electric drift brake on the gas-fed 2024 Mustang GT, consider us disappointed the slide-happy feature didn't find its way here. If anything, it seems Rally owners would (or at least could) make better use of it on a dirt back road or SCCA-style rally cross course. Hey, the Rally's development time was short, and maybe a future release will see it happen.
Whatever your feelings about this being called a Mustang, the Mach-E Rally totally nails the rally look. The rear spoiler reminds us of the one on the discontinued Focus RS hot hatch, and the rest of the Rally's body kit is aggressive and makes room up front for functional fog lights. The two racing stripes running down the length of the hood and onto the rear hatch are standard equipment. Playing into the gloss white motif with the wheels, gloss white accents are found on the dash, steering wheel spokes, and door stitching, while the Ford-designed seats get gloss white seat backs and debossed "Mach-E Rally" lettering.
There are four standard color options: Grabber Blue, Shadow Black, Eruption Green, Grabber Yellow. Start White or the new Glacier Gray can be had for an extra cost.
The Mach-E Rally will come with the latest BlueCruise 1.3 driver assist. It is expected to stay engaged for longer, more reliable periods of tie, and improves Lane Change Assist, In-Lane Repositioning, and better performance around curves and narrow lanes. Other updates add an "always there" camera button accessible on the center screen to aid off-roading escapades, and state-of-charge percentage will be viewable in all drive modes. Is any of this "cool" for rallying? Not really, but it's useful for everyday driving.
Yes, the Mach-E Rally is a departure from the roadgoing GT model, which itself is a departure from 60 years of Mustang dogma. But it has enough special equipment to make it probably a lot more fun off road, and an awesome look to go with it. After all, the regular GT Performance already exhibits a goofy, tail-out handling attitude—is that not Mustang enough?—that should translate to a distinctly rally-like experience on dirt. If you dig the Mach-E GT Performance but frequent poor roads, dirt roads, or snowy roads often, the Rally is probably worth a look.
Expect the starting price to be in the $65,000 range—similar to the GT—so it presents a cool option without having to fork over a ton more cash for a completely different experience. Ordering will start early in 2024, with deliveries expected shortly after the window opens.
Cars should look cool and go fast. At least, that was Matthew’s general view of the world growing up in Metro Detroit in the early ’90s, and there was no exception. Raised in the household of a Ford engineer and car enthusiast, NASCAR races monopolized the television every Sunday and asking, “what car is this?” at every car show his dad took him too before he could read taught him that his favorite car was specifically, the 1971 Chevelle SS. (1970 can keep its double headlights, it’s a better look for the rear!) He learned the name of every part of a car by means of a seemingly endless supply of model car kits from his dad’s collection and could never figure out why his parents would drive a Ford Taurus Wagon and F-150 to work every day when a perfectly good 1967 Chevy Impala sat in the garage. Somewhere between professional hockey player, guitar player, journalist, mechanic, and automotive designer, he settled on the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) with the hopes of joining a NASCAR pit crew after high school. While there, learning about electronics and the near-forgotten art of carburetor tuning (give him a call before you ditch your “over complicated” Rochester Qudarajet) were equally appealing, and the thrill of racing stock cars and modifieds weekly on the school’s dirt oval team was second to none at the time. And then sometime late in 2009, Matthew caught wind of the Tesla Roadster on YouTube and everything changed. Before it, electric cars we not cool, and they were not fast. A budding and borderline unhealthy obsession with technology would underpin a 12-year career at Roush Industries that would take him from a powertrain technician for the Roush Mustang, to building rollercoasters, NVH engineering, and finally to a state-of-the-art simulated durability lab working with nearly every EV startup you’ve ever heard of, and some you never will. And then it was time to go, and by a stroke of luck Nikola Tesla himself couldn’t have predicted, MotorTrend’s test team was looking for the exact kind of vehicle testing background he had to offer. And with it, his love of cars, art, engineering, and writing all suddenly had a home together. At this point in life, Matthew has developed a love and appreciation for all cars and methods of propulsion. He loves reviewing minivans as much as luxury cars and everything in-between, because the cars people need to haul their kids around are just as important as the ones we hang on our bedroom walls.
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