The Ford Mustang Mach-E was a controversial move when Ford first unveiled it especially after it was revealed that it would use the name Mustang which would put it in the same corporate family as the iconic Mustang pony car. Fast forward to now, and that initial wave of skepticism has transformed into strong sales with the Mach-E rapidly becoming a sales leader for Ford. But the one thing that seemed to be missing at first was performance, with lower grade models lacking the spice to make them true performance models. The Mach-E GT aims to change that but can it truly be the Mustang alternative that buyers want in a world where electrification is rapidly becoming the new normal?
Mach-E GT Looks Stylish In Yellow
Our GT grade tester arrived in a bright shade of yellow, and it thankfully retains some of the core elements that have made other Mach-E models popular with customers. That includes the futuristic exterior styling that takes the CUV shape and blends it together with various Mustang cues. The front fascia benefits from a new grille panel design (with light up pony emblem) and it also comes with other minor trim pieces to separate it from the mainstream Mach-E lineup.
Our tester was not a Performance Edition and that meant we missed out on the bigger and stylishly more intricate wheels that come with it. Instead we got the base 20-inch wheels and while they look good in their own right, they lack some of the street presence that the Performance Edition’s hoops bring to the table. The rear styling remains the weakest link in the Mach-E’s styling arsenal which is partially due to the awkward way that the Mustang inspired taillights are grafted to the CUV. That minor quirk aside, our tester proved to be a potent attention grabber when going through the rigors of the daily commute and it drew plenty of stares from passersby.
Mach-E GT Interior Falls Short Of Matching Performance Intentions
As mentioned, our tester was not an up-level Performance Edition and that fact of life made itself very apparent once you slipped behind the wheel of our tester. Performance Edition models get reworked seats that add more bolstering and support for spirited driving but our tester made due with the standard thrones. These thrones are the same that you get in other Mach-Es and their lack of bolstering became very evident when we had longer exposure to our tester. Rear seat room is still tight for taller passengers but the space is far from being a penalty box with occupants having access to two charging ports as well as their own set of air vents.
Thankfully, the rest of the cabin makes up for the front seat’s shortcomings by offering a visually distinct color scheme with the black cabin being infused with yellow contrast elements and even copper toned motifs on the speaker logos for the Bowers & Wilkins sound system. The 15.5 inch Tesla style infotainment system carries over from other Mach-E models and it’s still a joy to interact with. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard and the system uses the SYNC4A system which includes the ability to receive Over The Air (OTA) software updates.
Overly Firm Suspension Ruins The Mach-E GT Party
The trump card that Ford is promoting here with the Mach-E GT is that it offers more performance for the money than a standard Mach-E model but when tasked with some of the typical motions that you would expect from a performance focused offering, the GT falls flatter than the box office opening weekend for the movie Blacklight. The performance numbers paint a rosier picture than that at first glance with our tester making 400 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque which is enough to make the sprint to 60 mph go by in 3.8 seconds.
However, look past that and the GT just simply falls flat. The suspension is too stiff for its own good (the Performance Edition adds adaptive dampers) and that made our tester feel extremely uncomfortable on bumpier sections of tarmac. In addition, the model exclusive Unbridled Extend mode proved to be a very finicky mode to activate with the parameters operating within a very narrow temperature window. With lingering cold temperatures in Michigan during its stay, we only managed to get it to work once which allowed us to record our best 0 to 60 figure with the Mach-E GT. The other changes are also light with our tester retaining the same four-wheel disc brake setup (Performance Edition models get slightly bigger discs) and the same steering tuning. In short, it’s a straight line missile and while that trait once defined formal Mustangs, those cars have added handling to their list of tricks in recent years, and EV buyers are looking for a more balanced package to go with their plug-in purchase.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the 2022 Mach-E starts at $43,895 which will get you into a base model with the price ladder climbing upward accordingly for the trims above it. GT models like our tester start at $63,095 with the range-topping Performance Edition rising to just over $70,000 with fees added into the mix. It’s important to note that since our tester’s stay with us, Ford was recently forced to stop sales of all Mach-E models due to a potential safety defect with the updates being reflected in Ford’s online configurator tool.
With all that aside, it’s a tough call to even recommend the base GT over the Performance Edition. While it’s $6,000 less than the Performance Edition, it’s missing far too much to make it a noticeable upgrade over lesser Mach-E’s and other vehicles with $60,000 plus price tags (gasoline or otherwise) do a better job of delivering a balanced performance package versus only excelling in one major thing. In our case, while the blasts of electron fueled acceleration were reliable sources of amusement, it’s inability to deliver things beyond that soured our overall outlook of the base GT. We do however, look forward to trying a Performance Edition model out in the future to see if the revised suspension makes a difference in the handling department.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.