Review: 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally Finds Clarity in the Mud

The fastest and most powerful model in any lineup can often end up as a one-trick pony. 

That's something I might have doubted from the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E rally, but that's not true. After spending several hours at the rally last week, I realized that this was a versatile performance pick in the lineup for the thrill of seat-of-the-pants, and occasionally faster

The 2024Mach-E Rally combines 480 hp and 700lb-ft of torque from a dual motor system. The 2024 Ford Mustang MACH-E GT has the same number and you have chosen a performance upgrade. This includes a new Ford rear motor shared with the F-150Lightning and incorporating a new reduction ratio to match the characteristics of that motor. 

The rally focuses on what to enjoy when the pavement is over. As I found out right away, going sideways is the easy part. "Instant torque" is the mantra of the Ev and here is the factor that makes the Mach-E rally so much fun.

Rally's extra deceleration gear has some efficiency results. It comes with an extended range pack of Mach-E 91kwh, and here's a good thing for up to 280 miles for the GT and up to 320 miles versus 265 miles for the less single-motor Mach-E version. Ford will also increase the fast charging rate by about 20% compared to when the Mach-E was first launched, and by about 36% in 10-80 minutes, with a DC fast charging peak of 150kw, according to the company.

The Mach-E does not yet have a heat pump, but Ford has integrated 3 cooling circuits into 2 main circuits and climate control, helping them charge rates while reducing complexity altogether.

Inside, the Mach-E Rally gets a shiny white accent on the dash, the lower steering wheel spokes, and the back of the front seat, with white contrast stitching for the latter. All GT models as well as Rally now include a Ford Performance front seat that provides great back support as well as thigh support without feeling too trapped on the side. 

However, patience is a virtue when surface traction is low and torque can be obtained instantaneously with a tap. After thrashing the Mach-E rally in the pouring rain through several courses of wet gravel, dirt, smooth mud and puddles at the Dirtfish Rally School in Washington State, it was virtually my lesson.

We will discuss in detail the immediacy of the power delivery team of the Mach-E with stability control tuning to make this model very different, but first we need to understand how it was changed from the Mach E GT and why it has its own character. 

The rally is 1 inch higher than the GT, and the suspension has been adjusted for use both on-road and off-road. White rally-inspired 19-inch wheels add Michelin Crossclimate2 tires, rear spoilers at the top of the hatch, front and rear underbody shields, stripe packages, and painted protective film throughout, and it's ready for some fast grit and dirt. There's also an integrated fog lamp, front recovery hook, and a splitter and grille shield that's being reshaped for a steep approach.

Among the few that took over at face value from the GT is a 15.0-inch front brake rotor with a red-painted Brembo caliper. 

Larry also leverages the potential of the magneride magnetic attenuation system, which will become standard in the 2024 Mach-E GT. The suspension of the rally offers a little more travel with compression and rebound — carrying the same basic geometry - but Ford used the features of MagneRide and its bump-stop algorithm. Simply put, it made the damping system a willing companion that actually helps reduce the likelihood of bottoming out the suspension — and, in turn, could possibly hurt the body. 

Topping it all off and ensuring that the torque wall of the propulsion system works with this special gravel grab package is a special RallySport drive. Enable it on Larry's infotainment screen — made flat in its menu system through improved aerial updates - you tap into the much more versed mapping beside. 

The RallySport mode makes the accelerator more linear, and it ramps up the steering boost — so you might need to go the opposite - whenever you lock

Sure, I did. On the DirtFish course I first got the hang of it on a tight course, feeling the more powerful rear motor kicks the tail while the front motor provides enough torque to the front wheels to settle in sustained drift, when I used some finesse. 

To create its dynamic ease of use, Ford engineers put a lot of hard work to test the rally on a special course in Michigan — incorporating input from the Rally Cross drivers — and then more yaw could bring lateral action. It expands the dynamic mapping that goes into its stability control system so that it can be controlled by the system. 

As I soon discovered, if you get too heavy with your right foot to try to provocatively whip the tail, you were doing what it was said a dramatic force cut Mach-E. It was me who needed to recalibrate. 

I am no stranger to rally-style driving, but in the gasoline model, you need to think a few steps ahead and spool the power supply in advance. Mental gymnastics has flipped a bit here, and I spent much of my time shedding the urge to press the accelerator early. Here you just need to hit exactly when you need it. Old habits die hard. 

The rally cross mode, which is not intended for use on public roads, will prevent the car from spinning in most situations, Vehicle Dynamics supervisor Hether Fedullo told Motor Authority, but she added that it can still go for a spin because conditions like water on ice are very hard to predict. "It's not a good idea.

One of the effective factors for extracting dynamics in this mode, Fedullo noted, traction levels while you tap into those four-wheel drifts

I was able to spend an hour or so in a rally on the road as well. With rainy conditions and water standing in place, it wasn't a day to push the dynamic envelope to the pavement, but Road Drive revealed abundantly that the rally is a better ride than the GT and at the same time offers most of the GT's fun in its road-worthy Unbridle sport mode. 

According to Fedullo, balancing that over all potential conditions the rally could be driven was not an easy task, especially given the tall sidewall tires and the tendency to roll on the pavement. The magnetic damper here truly pulls the weight also, helping to reduce the rigor from the road, while an extra bit of suspension compliance will soak up the backroad bump.

On the interstate, the rally was also felt in that element, but there was no significant increase in wind noise from the lifts. Additional underbody protection may actually help to shut out road noise. 

But on-road and off-road, the weather in the Pacific Northwest did not disappoint us, and the rain pouring gave me a very vivid impression of the rally in that element. In a dry, dusty environment, or on snow, it may feel different, but it's certainly for all of that. 

The rally landed at a price of price61,890, and it's a different package than the others on the market. There are no versions of the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq5, Kia EV6, or Nissan Ariya. 

At its price, it is well equipped with traditional features and comfort, too. The Bang & Olufsen premium sound system of 10 speakers (including subwoofer), ambient cabin lighting, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, memory settings and power tailgate are included so you can go bare bones for rally beauty and an excellent toolset. It is not.

In high-speed driving, it's refreshing to feel a system that not only pushes the accelerator to the floor, but also acts primarily as an aid to the driver of the vehicle, which, in an age when electronic nannies do all the work, feels like it channels the kind of all-electric fun that isn't well emphasized . It's certainly not a one-trick pony. 

– Ford paid the accommodation fee for the motor Authority to bring this direct report to you.