The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a very good everyday electric car. But it’s an SUV, mainly on a few technicalities. No one would take it to the dunes. It’s so low to the ground and tuned for road use that the IRS briefly classified it as a sedan for tax credit purposes earlier this year (then rethought its decision).
On some level, that must have bothered Ford. The company knows how to build off-roaders. So it went back to work.
This morning, Ford raised the curtain on a new version of the Mach-E, one made to earn the title “SUV” and do it at high speed. The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally uses some of the same running gear as the Mach-E GT, but it’s been to outdoor survival school.
‘Around $65,000’
Ford calls it “the first-ever rally-inspired EV,” and they’re probably right. It takes the shell of a fun family car and injects one part race DNA and one part dirt-road DNA to create something new.
Ford says the Mach-E Rally will retail for “around $65,000,” with exact pricing announced closer to launch. The Mustang Mach-E Rally will be available to purchase in early 2024, with deliveries beginning shortly afterward.
Remodeled Suspension, Higher Ride
The new version sits nearly an inch higher than stock on a thoroughly reworked suspension. MagneRide shocks and “specially-tuned” springs absorb the bounces from 19-inch rally-style alloy wheels. Michelin CrossClimate2 tires balance efficiency and all-terrain grip and provide more sidewall than the tires on the GT (so you can air them down effectively for loose surfaces).
A RallySport driving mode “allows for added yaw for bigger slides, a linear throttle response for better control, and more aggressive damping for better handling in loose corners.”
It has recovery points — the real test of whether a car is meant to go off-road or just look ready — and rally-style fog lights the standard Mach-E doesn’t. The brakes are Brembo units and painted bright red to let you know it. Protective shielding protects both motors.
Yes, both. A tuned version of the powertrain from the GT means two motors – one per axle – for all-wheel drive (AWD). Ford says it is “targeting at least 650 lb-ft of torque and 480 horsepower,” which means the specs aren’t final yet.
Bold Colors and Stripes for Everyone
You won’t be able to hide what you’re driving. Ford plans to build it in bold colors like Eruption Green and Grabber Yellow (though white and gray are options), and every Mach-E Rally gets a thick pair of black racing stripes.
The roof is also painted black, as are the front fascia plate that replaces the grille on a gas-powered car and the lower body moldings and front splitter. It wears what Ford calls “a dramatic rear spoiler that takes inspiration from the Focus RS,” a contender in the rally racing world that Ford doesn’t sell in the U.S.
Inside, gloss white accents make the Rally distinctive from other Mach-E models. The seatbacks are the same gloss white.
Should you find yourself on an ordinary highway in your Mach-E Rally, Ford’s BlueCruise 1.3 hands-free highway driving assist can do some of the driving for you on pre-mapped highways. It’s now capable of changing lanes on its own.
One-of-a-Kind
The electric off-roader space is sparsely populated, and the Mach-E Rally is unique within it. It might not be able to crawl rocks with a Rivian R1T or a GMC Hummer EV. But it will outrun both on a gravel surface. And it will still give you the everyday livability that earned last year’s model a KBB Best Buy for its class.
