First Drive: 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally

It seems we’re in a bit of a watershed moment for performance EVs in that for the first time, really, we’re seeing some proper electric performance bangers that can be had for a song – well, a song when compared to the six-figure money required for stuff like the Porsche Taycan, the Tesla Model S Plaid or Mercedes-Benz EQE AMG and so on. There’s the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Tesla Model 3 Performance, the BMW i4/i5 siblings and now there’s this: the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally.

Now, you’ve heard of the Mach-E before – it’s been a good run for Ford’s compact crossover to the point where more than a few Mustang purists have forgiven Ford for slapping the Mustang nameplate on something other than a rear-wheel-drive performance coupe or convertible. The Rally is still no Pony car, of course, but darned if it hasn’t been given smile-inducing toolset nevertheless.

First of all, the obvious: you’ve never seen a Mach-E that looks quite like this. Already a pretty sleek-looking car, the wick gets turned up in the style department thanks to an enlarged rear wing, unique grille with extra fog lights, racing stripes, side decals and large – but not the largest, as we’ll see in a minute – white alloy wheels that clearly draw a connection with Ford rally racing cars of old. It’s a darn sight more aggressive than any Mach-E we’ve seen previous, especially when painted in bright Grabber Yellow paint. I even like it in white but if there was one thing I’d change, it’s the non-removable “Mach-E Rally” applique on the doors. I find it a little garish, even for this.

Things are a little calmer inside; you still get the big central screen all Mach-E models get as well as the low-profile digital dash behind the wheel. There are standard sport seats, though, which are more supportive but even those aren’t really new, given that they’re shared with the GT model. Which is all fine, actually; the Mach-E’s cabin has always been nice and low-clutter, properly airy for what is essentially a compact crossover. Oh, and the Rally also maintains the front-trunk – “frunk” – other models get which is great for added storage, perhaps of wet or smelly gear.

Being the capital-R “Rally” version of Ford’s popular EV, it’s been tuned to excel in fast off-roading. It has specialized suspension, tires and tuning to give drivers a leg up as they begin to push. To put all of that to the test, Ford hosted us at the Dirtfish Rally school just outside of Seattle, WA. Indeed, Ford has a comprehensive history in rallying dating back to the ‘60s and for its part, Dirtfish plays into that history by having a collection of Ford Rally cars from that era and beyond – during our visit, they had a Ford Escort RS 1600, an RS200 Group B Rally car and even a Cosworth-powered Mercury Lynx (yeah, we didn’t know that existed, either) on display for our visit. Talk about an eclectic background against which to unleash a rather eclectic EV.

It’s much more than simple window dressing, of course. Power is rated at 480 horsepower and a sky-high 700 (!) pound-feet of torque, tying the GT as the most powerful in the line-up — and who doesn’t like a little more power, right? Speaking of which: being an EV, who doesn’t want more range, right? Well, the Rally answers the bell there, too, providing 426 km from a single charge. Charging, meanwhile, is made easier for the Rally and all other Mach-E models because Ford is one of the first brands to provide adapters for use with the Tesla Supercharger network. That’s right; by simply clicking a fist-sized addon to the end of a Tesla cable, you can charge the Mach-E to the tune of 10-18 per cent charge in just over 30 minutes.

That’s going to come in handy if you drive the Rally to the degree it’s able to be driven, that is to say sideways at speed on a gravel road. Most probably won’t do this, though, but the specialized suspension tuning for better off-road use also means a better ride on-road as well; add the larger tire sidewall and smaller wheels than the GT and you have the best-riding Mach-E in the line-up.

It’s a sensation you feel as soon as you set off – we were given the opportunity to drive the Rally back-to-back with the GT and the difference in ride is immediately felt. I’m a big fan of that and the fact that with the Rally you also get more ground clearance is a boon for Canadian winters.

It is hard not to come back to the “big kahuna” of this experience, though, and that’s just how fun the Rally can be when pushed. With all that power and torque – especially the torque, when you consider the Rally weighs in at just under 2,260 kilos – this is a genuinely fast car and with the way power can immediately be shuffled to the front or rear axle as the conditions require, it provides an involved drive as well.

Even after all this, though, I’m not sure I felt like the Mach-E was any more “Mustang as I’ve known it for years” than it had been previous. Even in the GT tarmac special I still knew I was driving an EV. But – and there is a but – that’s not to say the Mach-E Rally doesn’t recall other performance Fords of old. Namely, that’s the Ford Focus RS.

Like the Rally, the RS was Ford’s way of bringing some rally-bred love to its popular fast hatchback with the addition of AWD, and adjustable eLSD and some computer trickery that led to a Drift drive mode that let you get your inner Tanner Foust on. Not to mention the fact the wing on the Mach-E Rally looks a whole heck of a lot like that which the Focus RS had, and that was one of that car’s defining factors.

The one thing the Focus RS has that the Mach-E doesn’t, of course, was a fantastic sound and I do think Ford missed a beat here, if you’ll pardon the pun. When you consider the Ioniq 5 N and how Hyundai has turned to its audio system (and added some outward-facing speakers) that actually has it sounding like an Elantra TCR touring car, you have to think Ford could have done something in this vein with the Mach-E Rally but alas, it was not to be and it’s a little weird to be hooning as we were with nothing but the gravel bouncing off our chassis to keep us company.

Past thar, though, the Mach-E Rally is a properly fun car. It is just so easy to modulate with the throttle in adverse – read: “fun” – conditions and the ride benefits it provides during normal driving can’t be ignored. You do have to pay an additional $5,000 or so over the cost of the GT to get one, but at what cost something as outlandish as this?