2024 Ford Mach-e Rally Tested On An Actual Rally Course

Tom's Guide

2024 Ford Mach-e Rally Tested On An Actual Rally Course!

Transcript

00:00I just learned that you can have as much, if not more, fun in an EV.

00:04Ford invited us to Seattle to check out the Mustang Mach-E Rally.

00:08It's more rugged, it's faster, and it's aiming to reshape the narrative of what an EV,

00:12and more importantly, a Mustang, can do.

00:15The Mach-E Rally is as sporty as an EV can get.

00:18On road, you can expect a zippy, powerful, sleek-looking ride

00:22that's guaranteed to grab attention.

00:24You know, if you like that type of thing.

00:26But forget all that.

00:28Today, we're getting a little dirty and going rallying.

00:37Today, we're at Dirt Fish.

00:39We're going to do some off-roading.

00:41I'm very excited.

00:42Ahead of rallying, we spent a few hours with the 2024 Mach-E GT

00:47to see how a standard performance car is different from a performance rally car.

00:51For reference, the GT is a bit more affordable than the Rally,

00:54and more comparable to the Tesla Model Y's performance trim.

00:58I'll link my hands-on with more info on the GT in the description below.

01:02What I wasn't expecting is that the interior of the car looks just like the Mach-E GT.

01:07Straight down to the Bang & Olufsen speakers, this 15-point inch display,

01:11the secondary display, but there is one difference, and that is this wheel.

01:15You'll see this can go all the way around,

01:16and you only need a half turn to get back to center.

01:19That's typical of a rally car.

01:21You don't want to be driving with your hands crossing over.

01:24You want to be like this.

01:26But that's not all.

01:27Big difference between the Mach-E GT and Mach-E Rally

01:30is a dedicated rally mode that's made precisely for off-road racing.

01:35We're sending it.

01:47There you go.

01:48That felt better.

01:50Oh, there.

01:50That's how rally feels.

01:52You found the elegance.

01:53I love it.

01:54Go, go, go.

02:02There you go.

02:03A little more.

02:04Just like that.

02:05Nicely done.

02:09That was killer.

02:10I think I learned how to drive rally style.

02:13I did hit a cone.

02:14I did hit a cone.

02:15But you know what?

02:17We're still here.

02:17That was so fun, man.

02:21Even at the scariest moments of that ride,

02:23I knew I could trust the car without even having driven it before.

02:27No point did it feel like I was losing control.

02:28I didn't have that moment of panic that I've had

02:31when I'm slipping and sliding on a rainy road in just a normal car.

02:35I guess that's the benefit of a rally car.

02:38So it's really cool that Ford is now making a rally car

02:40that you can actually drive on the road.

02:42It's a lot easier to drive on the road.

02:44It's a lot easier to drive on the road.

02:46So it's really cool that Ford is now giving customers that option.

02:49This all-wheel drive thrill ride is powered by Ford's new in-house manufactured e-motor

02:54that helps this car navigate rough terrains with 480 horsepower and 700 pounds of torque.

03:00More on that motor a little later in this video.

03:02Meanwhile, the rally cross-tuned MagneRide dampening system,

03:06Brembo front brakes, and Ford Performance seats

03:08helped even a rally novice like me conquer the course.

03:12That said, designing a rally car meant making some important exterior alterations

03:16different from what you'll see on the regular Mach-E or Mach-E GT trims.

03:21Couple things special about the Mach-E rally.

03:23We have 19-inch rally wheels.

03:27You can't tell right now, but they're normally white

03:29and that's indicative of the rally line.

03:32I happen to love the contrast, especially with this yellow paint.

03:35Speaking of the yellow paint, how does it stay safe from gravel, different debris?

03:39It has a special coating on it that even when all this mud is washed off,

03:43we should still have that perfect yellow sheen.

03:46Underneath also has a special aluminum protective layer.

03:49That means all the components that are inside,

03:51including your battery, will be protected as gravel and dirt is being kicked up.

03:56With all this mud up front, it looks like kind of a speckled paint effect.

03:58It looks really cool.

03:59But this protective grille shield has fog lamps integrated.

04:03There's also a recovery hook and a much higher approach angle for the front splitter.

04:07This is how you know you did rallying right.

04:11As all great things in life, my stint as a rally driver had to come to an end.

04:15With how exhilarating it was, I can see why someone might opt for a rally.

04:19Out on the road with a mudless Mach-E rally,

04:22I got to see how it transitions from a racing car to something you drive around on the daily.

04:27Just shy of $60,000, you're gonna pay to have fun.

04:31What Ford has been really excited about this year,

04:33specifically for the Mach-E 2024 lineup, is the new redesigned e-motor in the rear.

04:39It's been developed entirely in-house,

04:41which means it's not only easier and more cost effective for them to make,

04:45but it's also more serviceable.

04:47It's also actually in the Ford F-150 Lightning.

04:51And if you haven't checked out all of our articles and coverage with that,

04:54including taking the F-150 Lightning to a Tesla supercharging station,

04:58be sure to go to TomsGuide.com.

05:00And while you're here, if you're enjoying our EV coverage,

05:04be sure to let me know and also give me some suggestions of what car we should test drive next.

05:09The rally's driving really smooth, but more importantly, really quietly.

05:14I'm hardly hearing any pickup from the tires.

05:17But if I were missing some of that sound,

05:19all I have to do here is enable propulsion sounds.

05:23And now, if I try to push it...

05:26...we get a little fed-in sound right there.

05:30With one pedal enabled, you get redundant braking.

05:32So when I take my foot off the gas, it'll want to slow down quite quickly.

05:38That means that when I'm driving out here, I don't even need to use the traditional brake.

05:42Only thing better than one screen is two screens.

05:45And that's what you get here.

05:46This 15.5-inch center display is great for seeing the maps on a large screen.

05:53There's no question about where I'm going there.

05:55But for when I don't want my eyes in that direction,

05:58I get this smaller display right in front of me.

06:01I get turn-by-turn directions.

06:02I'm seeing how quick I'm going.

06:04A bunch of other helpful information like the speed limit, my battery range.

06:09Speaking of range, the rally gets an estimated 265 miles.

06:14That is a drop from the 280 miles on the GT before we're talking about upgrading the suspension.

06:19Debating touchscreen versus buttons, physical buttons, is a total can of worms.

06:25But I will say for climate control specifically, it could be nice to have physical buttons.

06:30That way you actually have some haptic feedback of, you know,

06:33how many times you have to press the button to get into certain modes.

06:36Whereas this, I'm just trying to like keep my eye on it slightly while I'm driving.

06:41I have my, you know, lane assist helping me.

06:44So in case I swerve a little bit.

06:47But if I actually had a button, I would know like, oh, I'm hitting the heated wheel button.

06:51I don't have to just guess if I've done it correctly or wait to actually feel the steering wheel get hot.

06:56My love for Mustangs goes back to when I was 16, just learning how to drive.

07:00And it's so cool that recently I've had more than probably my fair share of Mustang experiences.

07:06Just over the weekend, I was driving the 2020 Mustang GT.

07:11And that was race car level.

07:13That's not a practical car for me to just go out and be driving if I'm not actually,

07:17you know, trying to work on my racing skills, which maybe I will one day.

07:21Who knows?

07:22But getting to try out the GT and the standard Mach-E, you know, those have the Mustang flair.

07:28I think they do in their own ways pay respect to the Mustang heritage.

07:32But then when you bring in something like the Rally, I feel like I'm actually getting

07:36that nostalgia factor that I have right down to the racing stripes on the front of the car.

07:42I mean, I love kind of the eye-catching moment.

07:45Every time we've been driving around now and we're seeing like the cherry red Mustangs,

07:48we're pointing them out.

07:49Now, I get to be that person in that car with a car like the Rally.

07:53I wonder if the other drivers on the road are jealous of my racing stripes.

07:57Okay, obviously, I care a lot about my Mustang experience.

08:01But of course, far more than that goes into making a car purchase.

08:04And a Rally car is probably overkill for anyone who has literally zero intention of off-roading.

08:10But the Mach-E Rally gets me very excited about what kind of innovations might be next

08:15for the EV market.

08:18Whether you're looking for something sporty for the city,

08:20or just something that can keep up when you have something a bit more exciting planned,

08:25the Mach-E Rally is a great choice for you.

08:27I'm convinced after these two days that Ford is not messing around here.

08:35But let me know what you think.

08:36Could you see a car like this being your next EV?

08:39Also, like I said earlier, be sure to let me know what car you'd want to see us check out next.

08:44You can see more of our behind the scenes from this trip everywhere on social at Tom's Guide.

08:49And as always, I'm at Kate Kozich.

08:51Thanks for watching.

08:52I'll catch you on the next ride.

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