Is there a more natural place for someone to actually beat it for the first time in a game? tram than baseball DirtFish racetrack outside Seattle, Washington? With wet gravel after a rainy, classic Pacific Northwest spring day? There must be.
And yet, here I am, behind the wheel of 2024 Ford The Mustang Mach-E Rally, politely — and obviously too slowly — followed instructions when a very patient race instructor told me to “really punch it this time.” Immediately after this instruction and almost on purpose, I drove to the side.
If this sounds interesting, it certainly is. The Mustang Mach-E Rally, is arguably Ford’s best step forward yet controversial name electric car series by 2024, showing that the Detroit automaker is ready to entertain. (Controversial because not everyone believes a crossover should be called a Mustang, plug-in or not.)
The future of Ford’s electric vehicle business may be murky or complicated at best — more on that later — but the Mustang Mach-E Rally shows the automaker is willing to pull some tricks to convince new audiences to ditch the gas pump and pick up the plug.
dirty electric car
This is Ford’s first race-inspired electric car. Note the phrase “rally-inspired” – sadly, those interested in such a car won’t get anything resembling the record-setting 1988 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb by Ari Vatanen, has become legendary in Mountain climbing dance (skip to 3:08 to see Ari’s random talents at work).
What you get in comparison Mach-E The GT trim gets a few cosmetic tweaks to make the EV friendlier on rocky, slippery surfaces: a one-inch suspension lift, protective guards for the front and rear engines, styled wheels. The racing car wears Michelin CrossClimate2 tires (designed for sliding), two racing-striped front hoods, and of course, a rear spoiler. At the Ford event at DirtFish, the kind men lovingly wiped mud off the Rally’s windshield and driver’s door between laps, although this was not up to standard.
Mach-E Rally comes with RallySport Driving Mode, which is built for off-roading with added anti-slip (more sideways sliding) and active damping for better navigation in severe turns important. Linked to that extra inch of ride height is the addition of Ford’s MagneRide suspension, designed to adapt to changing road conditions. It’s powered by embedded sensors and pistons equipped with magnetic damping fluid, creating stiffer or softer shocks, depending on what the road demands.
In practice, RallySport Driving Mode creates a significantly looser steering feel, making the SUV much more willing to slide. However, the car didn’t let a newly convicted Rally criminal, let alone kill himself — which means the whole thing is actually pretty exciting. Even in my dirty state, I felt like I picked up the trick quickly. (It’s true that an instructor gave extremely specific braking directions.)
One of the advantages of driving an electric car is that you get the power instantly without having to change gears, which—for a red-blooded American who can’t remember the last time she was in a car when is a manual transmission, let alone behind the wheel of an electric vehicle. one—appreciated.
