[New post] “The new Mustang Mach-E Rally is Ford’s off-roadiest performance EV yet” by Umar Shakir
jaydiaz2013 posted: " 2024 Mustang Mach-E Rally in Grabber Yellow. | Image: Ford This new Mach-E Rally is what you'd get if you could cross Ford's most performant Mustang Mach-E electric SUV trim, the GT, with the company's discontinued Focus RS rally s" Technopreneurph
2024 Mustang Mach-E Rally in Grabber Yellow. | Image: Ford
This new Mach-E Rally is what you'd get if you could cross Ford's most performant Mustang Mach-E electric SUV trim, the GT, with the company's discontinued Focus RS rally sport monster. Ford initially revealed the Mustang Mach-E Rally at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, but is today announcing more details. The vehicle is slated for early 2024 manufacturing (yes, this isn't some performance one-off), with deliveries coming "shortly" afterward.
The Rally isn't quite hot-hatch-sized like the Focus RS, but the added suspension upgrades, protective underbody shielding, and extra tuning let it similarly hit the dirt roads. Ford says it's put Mach-E Rally prototypes through "500-mile simulating rally-cross durability trials" to ensure it can survive off-road adventures. The automaker also added extra shielding for the dual motors to protect them from dirt and rocks, plus film on the door cladding and fender arches to protect the paint.
Ford says that the Mach-E Rally is expected to be priced similar to the GT Performance Edition at about $65,000 — although final pricing won't be announced until closer to production time (and possibly subject to price fluctuations).
Specs-wise, the 2024 Mustang Mach-E Rally is similar to the GT Performance Edition. Both are capable of 480 horsepower, but Ford's targeting a quicker zero to 60mph acceleration for the Rally to edge the GT Performance's 3.5 seconds. And the Rally ekes out a bit more muscle with its two-motor layout that targets 650lbs-ft of torque.
As an EV, the Rally gets the same range as the Mach-E GT at 250 miles on a single charge. That's on the same 91kWh-usable battery found in the bellies of current Extended Range Mach-E vehicles, which have an EPA-estimated 290 miles on a single charge for AWD versions. Ford isn't concerned about range, though, as it shares that the median daily distance Mach-E customers drive is approximately 30 miles. And Ford CEO Jim Farley has feelings when it comes to really big cars and really big batteries.
Image: FordFord vehicles won't get Tesla's NACS plugs on board until 2025.
You can fast-charge the Rally at up to 150kW max (just like the other Mach-E trims), but Ford made changes to decrease the overall DC fast-charge time of the Rally: from 10 to an 80 percent state of charge in about 36 minutes (compared to about 45 minutes on the standard-range Mach-E).
The Rally will still have a CCS Combo connector on board despite Ford and other manufacturers adopting Tesla's connector, now known as the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Ford EV customers are slated to get CCS-to-NACS adapters in 2024, but details are still scarce.
Image: FordWhite wheels, big spoiler, and that Rally logo.
The suspension for the Rally is raised about 20 millimeters compared to the GT, and includes specialty-tuned springs and MagneRide shocks to help it grip those bumpy dirt roads. And it's got 385-millimeter front brake rotors and red Brembo calipers behind 19-inch white alloy wheels for better stopping power.
The Rally's interior has some minor updates that remind you that you're driving a special Mach-E. The dash includes subtle gloss white accents, and the steering wheel bottom spokes have a glossy white finish. Additionally, there are extra contrasty stitches on the interior door trim, and the seats have a "Mach-E Rally" stamp along with gloss-white seatbacks. There's no need to look up while in the vehicle, as the Rally doesn't feature the panoramic glass roof found on premium Mach-E trims.
The interior tech of the Rally, including the 15.5-inch touchscreen, is the same as other Mach-E models. But the software includes a new RallySport Drive Mode that enables added yaw for bigger slides, a linear throttle response for better control, and better damping for improved corner handling. For daily drivers, this can translate to better traction on snowy and rainy road conditions. It also helps that it comes with Michelin's all-season Cross Climate2 tires that have sidewall grooves and directional treading.
Ford also includes a 90-day trial of its latest BlueCruise hands-free driver assistant system (version 1.3), which users can purchase or defer to later. Ford claims the updated version has improved lane-change assistance, lane repositioning, and better overall performance curve handling and narrow lane driving.
There's an extra set of lights up front on the Rally, two circular fog lamps on the nosecone that Ford says are rally-inspired. Color options include grabber blue, shadow black, eruption green, grabber yellow, star white and a new glacier gray.
Fans who miss the Focus RS will love the inspired winged spoiler on the Rally, and old-school Mustang fans can continue to lament how far off from the source material the electric SUV has gone.
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