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Right now, there are a number of electric vehicles (EVs) that Ford offers across the world besides the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit Custom and E-Transit that are not officially sold in Australia.
These include the F-Series Lightning full-sized ute, Volkswagen ID.4-based Explorer EV and ID.5-derived Capri EV mid-sized SUVs and the Puma Gen-E small SUV.
But arguably the absent electric Ford with the most potential in Australia is the one that may also be the easiest to import, since it is already part of an existing model range, and so has already been homologated for sale here.
And it is also different enough to stand out in a growing crowd of EVs in the $60,000 to $100,000 bracket.
That EV is the Rally version of the Mustang Mach-E, a modified off-road performance grade with the styling, attitude and dynamics to lure buyers away from two of this country’s most-popular EVs – the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7. And maybe even the odd Subaru WRX.
And why not? Proclaimed as a new concept in EVs when released elsewhere early last year, the Rally is based on the Mach-E GT high-performance all-wheel drive grade, with twin electric motors (one on each axle) delivering 358kW of power and over 880Nm of torque.
To aid gravel/dirt road and snow driving, there has been a 20mm suspension lift kit for greater ground clearance, additional underbody shielding, revised springs and adaptive damper rates, uprated brakes, extra towing recovery points and rally-style alloy wheels wearing more-durable off-road performance tyres.
The addition of a Rally Sport driving mode alters the stability, traction and electronic damper controls to allow for bigger slides, more linear throttle response and stiffer shock rates for better gravel-road handling
Along with the alloy wheel design and gloss white paint that connect with historic Ford rally cars like the ‘70s Escort RS, the Rally sets itself apart from other Mach-E models with its Focus RS-inspired rear wing spoiler, unique front bumper and grille treatments, contrasting paint tones, a black roof, two racing stripes, bolstered sports seats and white interior trim accents.
When will the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally arrive in Australia?
We posed that question at this month’s Series II facelift of the Blue Oval’s first electric vehicle (EV) in Melbourne, but the official response is far beneath what may be the best version of the model deserves.
“We have no plans for the Rally at this stage” was the response from one Ford spokesperson.
However, we understand that there may be a future for the Rally… but only if sales of the other Mach-E models – the base Select, mid-range Premium and aforementioned GT – start improving in Australia.
Year-to-date registrations do not make for happy reading for Ford, with sales sliding by nearly 37 per cent compared to the same period last year, to just 389 units. In contrast, the Model Y and Sealion 7 have found almost 18,000 and 10,000 buyers respectively.
This is the conundrum that Ford faces in Australia, as in the United States, the Mach-E has been a success, and often lands in the top three most popular EVs over there.
But there is a glimmer of hope for the Rally, since several of the issues that beset the Series 1 version of the Mach-E when it was released here in the latter part of 2023 have been addressed – or at least partly alleviated – since then.
These include more sensible pricing. The initial span of $80,000 to nearly $110,000 (and all before on-road costs) at launch did so much harm to the series that it still has yet to fully recover. Two swift cuts amounting to about $15,000 later, today’s version kicks off from $65,990, putting it in the ballpark with many other similarly-sized medium EV SUVs on the market.
Secondly, improvements in efficiencies including the adoption of a heat pump for the climate-control system see the GT gain a five per cent boost in range, to 515km WLTP, whilst the Premium Extended Range now breaches 600km WLTP.
Additionally, updates to the interior have brought better packaging and improved seating, whilst revisions to the suspension have lessened the ride harshness that so many reviewers have complained about.
In its current GT-based guise, the Mach-E Rally would likely sit nearer to $100,000 in Australia, but it would be the sort of halo performance model that has worked so well for Ford in the past.
We had a brief drive of a US-market Rally around the streets of Detroit late last year, and found the extra clearances and modified suspension greatly improved ride comfort and isolation from noise/vibration and harshness, whilst the GT-based engineering provided exceptional acceleration and grip.
Along with the striking styling changes and off-road-ready attitude, the Rally can really cut through all the noise surrounding a very crowded EV segment.
