GT EXPECTATIONS (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Ford's Mustang Mach-E is at its fastest in GT form. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 51

Ford's Mustang Mach-E shows its wild side in this top 487PS GT model. Based on the 'Extended Range' battery AWD variant, it dials up the desirability with a bespoke cabin, but more importantly, it gets MagneRide adaptive damping and more pulling power than we've ever seen from a Ford-badged performance car.

Backgroundword count: 140

From its launch back in 2020, Ford's all-electric Mustang Mach-E was the car the brand had been waiting for - and the model Mustang fans had been dreading. They rued the adoption of a classic name for a common EV. We, like others, pointed out to those loyalists that without this full-battery model and others like it, Ford wouldn't have much of a future in which to create any sort of Mustang at all. Nevertheless, we couldn't ignore the fact that in its standard form, the Mach-E was rather lacking in the kind of driver appeal that any Ford badged 'Mustang' ought to have. So we welcomed the arrival in 2021 of this more focus 487PS Mach-E GT derivative. Breathed on by the engineers from the Ford Performance division, it aims to be the ultimate driver's EV. But is it?

Driving Experienceword count: 479

This GT's starting point is the AWD system and 88kWh 'Extended Range' battery of the top version of the ordinary model, but here, power has been teased out to 487PS and there's more torque (at 860Nm, around 15% more) than Ford offered with its old GT supercar. Sprinting to 62mph from rest in the Mach-E GT takes just 4.4s (3.7s from a rolling start), which is 1.4s quicker than the standard car and faster than any Ford the brand has previously sold in Europe. Top speed is limited to 124mph (though that's 13mph faster than the standard model). Earlier, we mentioned the firm ride quality. Well you can tweak that via Ford's MagneRide adaptive damping system, this being the only Mach-E to which that set-up is fitted, working via the car's 'Active', 'Whisper' and 'Untamed' drive modes, the latter setting working with an emotive drive growl that we reckon is the best performance EV sound track we've come across. The adaptive damping system electronically controls magnetorheological fluid inside the damper to respond in real time to changing road conditions and is supposed to seamlessly adjust the vehicle's character in line with the selected drive mode. Ford says that it tuned these magnetorheological dampers with European roads in mind but in our experience, whatever drive setting you choose, the set-up always feels pretty firm, so try before you buy. Where those firmer dampers offer a real advantage is of course when you throw the car into tight corners at speed. At which point, in the often slippery conditions of our test, the car always felt brilliantly grippy, planted and confidence-inspiring. When driving like this, you're inevitably always very aware of this EV's prodigious 2,198kg kerb weight, but not to the same degree as is the case with the conventional model. We came away a little disappointed by the compromised handling of that car: this one showcases Ford Performance engineering expertise much better. This isn't just a Mach-E with extra power and a body kit:it feels like a much more complete all-round interpretation of the whole design. Another reason why that is lies with this GT model's bespoke braking and tyre specifications. Ford worked with Pirelli to develop a bespoke 245/45 R20 tyre compound and tread pattern specifically to complement the model's additional power, torque and all-wheel drive performance. Fitted to 8-inch-wide wheels - an inch wider than the standard Mustang Mach-E's rims - the unique tyres provide impressive grip and noticeable extra lateral stability when pressing on through tight turns. The Mustang Mach-E GT's 385mm diameter Brembo ventilated front brake discs are the largest of any Mustang Mach-E model and would be useful in the unlikely event that you ever ventured onto a track with this car. Should that happen, you can activate the extra provided circuit-only 'Untamed Plus' drive mode, which we expect very few owners to ever use.

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