Lightning fast over gravel
At the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year, Ford showed off a somewhat camouflaged, extra rugged Mustang Mach-E. The Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally will be presented in its final form at the IAA and will also come to the Netherlands.
Whatever you think of this news, this special Mustang Mach-E is of course very unique. With its somewhat remarkable Mustang looks, rather rough driving characteristics and – especially as a GT – serious performance, the electric Mustang is already a car that is slightly different from many other EVs. This Rally takes that a step further. According to Ford, the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally is a kind of tribute to the brand’s rally history. This is most visually expressed by the wheels, which resemble what was used in the WRC on Escorts and Focuses, among others. The wheels here measure 19 inches and are kept off the road by Michelin CrossClimate tires in size 235-55 R19. A bit narrower and smaller than what is normally on a Mustang Mach-E GT, and that is what this actually is. The rally Mustang also has 487 hp and 880 Nm, linked to a battery pack of net 91 kWh.
Despite the somewhat narrower tires, the range may still be somewhat lower, because the car itself is 20 mm higher than standard. The chassis has been specially adapted for this version and should enable the Mustang Mach-E to handle poor road surfaces at high speed without much drama. What also helps is the special ‘RallySport’ driving mode. According to Ford, this allows more loss of grip, while an extra linear ‘throttle response’ and firmer damping allow the car to optimally adapt to the rougher conditions in this mode. With the Mustang Mach-E Rally you can of course also take to public roads, where the RallySport mode is a solution in harsh weather conditions, according to Ford.
And then there are also the appearances. In addition to the wheels and the extra height, we note another panel between the headlights (we can’t call it a grille) containing an extra set of lights. In this case, the standard front spoiler already present on the Mach-E-GT runs seamlessly into the black wheel arch edges. Black is also reflected in the striping on the hood, which makes it look even more aggressive. There are mud flaps to protect the paint and the icing on the cake is a gigantic roof spoiler. The interior is decorated with white accents, as a kind of reference to the special wheels. How much does that beauty cost? That is not yet known, but Ford reports that this extra rugged EV will be available in the Netherlands in early 2024.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl