The GT label parried the fastest, Performance-oriented version of the Ford Mustang sports car since 1965.
Back in the day, the Mustang GT featured a V8 engine, disc brakes, and an upgraded dashboard, among other things. Steve McQueen drove a 1968 GT at Bullitt, a car auctioned for $ 3.7 million.
But there’s a new GT, and while it doesn’t have a V8 (nor Steve McQueen), it’s faster and performance-oriented. It’s the new Mustang Mach-E GT, and it’s the upgraded version of Ford’s formidable Mach-E electric car.
I saw the Mach-E regular earlier this year and declared it the first EV I would buy. With one minor change, I stand by this assessment: the Mach-E GT Performance Edition is now the electric vehicle to buy.
The GT has always been about improving looks and performance, and the Mach-E GT is no different. The GT wins both, but while the new grille looks nice, it’s the performance upgrades that all cracked me.
Ford says the GT is all about performance, responsiveness and fun to drive. Since the Mach-E already ticks those boxes, it looked like the GT would bump this formula up to 11. There are actually two versions of the GT, with the more sophisticated labeled “Performance Edition”.
Of course, that raises the question of whether the standard GT is the “non-performing†edition, but whatever.
Ford started with increasing the width of the tires from 225 mm (8.86 inches) to 245 mm (9.65 inches) wide. The GT receives a set of Continental all-season sport tires, while the GT Performance receives a set of Pirelli P-Zeros summer tires expressly designed for electric vehicles. Oddly enough, Ford engineers claim that the drop in range estimated by the EPA for the two GT variants is more due to the tire change than anything else.
While the standard long-range Ford Mustang Mach-E has a range of 300 miles, the GT and GT Performance have 270 and 260 miles, respectively. But this is a modest compromise for a nice increase in performance.
The Mach-E GT has a larger front engine than the standard Mach-E, increasing horsepower from 346 to 480 horsepower and torque from 428 to 600 pound-feet. The GT Performance gets that torque number up to 634. That means the GT goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, while the Performance cuts it down to 3.5 seconds.
there are several of them more to the GT than straight-line speed, however. The GT benefits from upgraded brakes, sporty seats, and several visual accessories, including copper-colored seat accents and GT lettering on the back of the car, so people know you’ve got something special.
There is also a special track-only driving mode called Unbridled Extend. It is designed to stabilize performance for track use, minimizing battery regeneration to provide a more predictable pedal feel, and reducing heat exchange in the battery and motors when riding hard.
In everyday driving, the GT can accelerate slightly faster, but once the temperatures in the system start to rise, it will automatically reduce speed as it cools down again. The goal is to deliver more consistent lap times at the cost of a slight drop in maximum power.
The ordinary GT is $ 59,900 or a premium of around $ 5,000 over the standard Mach-E Premium (which also has dual-motor all-wheel drive and the larger battery option). The Mach-E GT Performance Edition costs $ 5,000 more and is worth every penny.
In addition to the Pirelli summer tires that allow Ford engineers to tweak the engines for extra torque, the GT Performance also benefits from upgraded Brembo brake calipers, a superb set of 20-inch aluminum wheels and Very comfortable Ford Performance front seats.
But by far the biggest change is the MagneRide magnetic suspension system. It really improves performance and comfort and makes such a difference that I almost wonder why Ford is selling a GT without it. The Mach-E is a heavy car, approaching 5,000 pounds with two passengers, and the MagneRide helps keep the GT Performance stable during “trained†cornering and braking.
I do not think so most buyers would immediately notice the difference, at least without putting the two suspension systems back to back. But I can tell you that GT Performance buyers will appreciate the system every time they drive the car whether they realize it or not.
That said, most people don’t need the GT package in a Mach-E any more than they need a GT when buying a standard internal combustion Mustang. But a lot of people want the “best,†which is why, according to Ford, the GT is over-indexed in the Mach-E backlog.
If you don’t care about performance and sportiness, just buy the standard Mach-E. But if you want a car to live up to the Mustang name, you want the (somewhat awkwardly named, if I’m being honest) Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition. This is the best Mach-E you can get. At least until Ford released an even faster Mach-E GT350.
One Cool Detail: The vibrant Mustang pony logo
The famous gallop The pony logo has graced the front of Mustangs for over 50 years. And it’s no different with the Mach-E, much to the chagrin of a subset of Mustang purists who insist than this electric, four doors the monstrosity is not really a Mustang.
But now it glows white at night, bringing a little more panache and excitement to the Mach-E’s revised front grille. It looks great and is one of my favorite bits of the car.
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Ford provided travel and accommodation to examine this car on site, as is common practice in the auto industry. Automobile manufacturers or their subsidiaries have no oversight when it comes to Reverse editorial content, which remains completely independent and of the brain of our extremely opinionated automotive analyst and critic, Jordan Golson.
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