The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally proves sideways is the best way

Mildly off-road-ready performance variants are extremely trendy right now, and it's easy to turn your nose up at them. But when cars like the 911 Dakar or Huracan Sterrato actually improve the day-to-day drivability and comfort of the road-focused machines upon which they're lifted, you have to respect them.

Me? I'm a die-hard rally fan and someone who'd rather drive sideways than straight. It's no surprise that I love these special editions, from their top-boxes down to their all-terrain tires. But I also love electric vehicles, and while there are plenty of electrified crossovers and SUVs out there, it's slim pickings if you want something rally-ready.

Today, that changes.

Meet the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally, a car with a name so clear you can't ignore the purpose. It takes the $53,995 2024 Mach-E GT and gives it a few key upgrades, all in the name of providing better performance for low-grip motorsport—or at least the appearance thereof. But is this package more show than go?

Ford has integrated fog lights into the front fascia panel.

Tim Stevens

Ford has integrated fog lights into the front fascia panel. Tim Stevens

The white alloy wheels are meant to remind you of the Compomotive wheels that Ford's rally cars used.

Tim Stevens

The white alloy wheels are meant to remind you of the Compomotive wheels that Ford's rally cars used. Tim Stevens

The Mach-E Rally's rear wing probably does nothing to help range, but it looks very cool.

Tim Stevens

The Mach-E Rally's rear wing probably does nothing to help range, but it looks very cool. Tim Stevens

The white alloy wheels are meant to remind you of the Compomotive wheels that Ford's rally cars used. Tim Stevens

The Mach-E Rally's rear wing probably does nothing to help range, but it looks very cool. Tim Stevens

Ford missed a trick by not giving the Mach-E Rally a suede or Alcantara wheel rim. At the very least we would expect a rally special to have a strip at 12 o'clock on the wheel rim.

Tim Stevens

The rear seat backs are a little different.

Tim Stevens

Here's why: It adds more shoulder bolstering.

The stripes have a triangular pattern on them that's also replicated on some interior trim.

Tim Stevens

The Mach-E Rally is just as practical as all the other Mach-E variants.

Tim Stevens

It starts with a standard Mach-E GT, which, for the 2024 model year, gets some significant updates in its own right. A new rear motor, lifted from the Ford Lightning, gives both the GT and Rally 480 hp (358 kW) and 700 lb-ft (950 Nm) of torque. That's up from 634 lb-ft (860 Nm) before.

This Mach-E stands out from the crowd

A revised battery pack offers 265 miles (426 km) of range in the Rally, down slightly from the GT's 280 miles (451 km), which is itself a 40-mile (64 km) penalty from the maximum range of 320 miles (515 km) you can now get in a 2024 RWD Extended Range Mach-E Premium. The new GT also gets slightly updated headlights, and the Brembo brakes and sport seats that were formerly an option now come standard.

Tick the "Rally" box, and you get several other goodies—most notably a revised suspension. It's still the Mach-E's adaptive MagneRide dampers but now outfitted with new "rallycross-tuned" springs delivering a 1-inch (25 mm) lift. That suspension is designed to keep the new 19-inch wheels on the ground.

Ford calls them "rally-style" wheels, but fans will spot them as an ode to the classic Compomotive TH seen on many iconic gravel machines of the '80s and '90s. Someone at Ford has a good eye for classic rally style.

This could be the ideal EV if you live near a bunch of forestry roads.

Credit: Ford

The wheels look good and should keep the worst of the gravel from dinging up your brake hardware, but more significant is what they're wrapped in. The Rally has Michelin CrossClimate2 tires on all four corners, an interesting proposition that promises good grip in all conditions yet low rolling resistance for EV use. Their chunky, V-shaped tread is not what you'd typically expect on an electric car, but they further seal the Rally's all-terrain look.

Under the nose, there's a slender bit of aluminum, a faux skid plate of sorts that I don't think will protect much. Up higher, the Rally nose has a different grille insert with a pair of inset fog lights, while out back, a chunky, ornate wing hangs off the top of the rear hatch. The requisite custom graphics are here, including classy stripes running up the hood and tacky "Rally" graphics smeared across the doors. The more important appliqué, however, is invisible: Ford put paint-protecting film along the lower portions of the car to again fend off the worst of the gravel damage.

Let’s get it covered in mud

And, I'm happy to say, there was plenty of gravel flying around in my time behind the wheel. Ford chose the Dirtfish Rally School for the launch of the thing, an absolute mecca for those who'd rather do it in the dirt. It was there, on the school's numerous rallycross-prepped grounds, that I sampled the final new addition of the Mach-E Rally.

Ford engineers developed a new drive mode called RallySport with the goal of allowing more wheelspin and more sideways sliding without completely leaving the driver to fend for themselves should their Scandinavian flick turn into more of a flop.

This car is a lot of fun on gravel, and many of the tweaks make it a better Mach-E on the road as well.

Credit: Ford

I started in Unbridled, the sportiest of the regular Mach-E drive modes, and I have to say the car was already quite fun. It allows a decent amount of wheelspin, especially from that new rear motor, and even a good bit of sliding before reining in the fun.