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