Hard charger
Ford’s fastest pure-electric Mustang Mach-E, the GT, has joined our long-term fleet
Long term tests are nothing new for DRIVEN, but we’re now doing them in a slightly different way — starting with this one. Various members of the DRIVEN team will be giving slice-of-life impressions as we each experience vehicles in our own way and own environments.
You can follow our long-termers online at DRIVENcarguide.co.nz as we update them, but for now meet our latest: a very fast family EV.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
(mileage: 25km) A new member has joined the DRIVEN stable, and it has some pedigree breeding as we saddle up. With those awful horsey puns dispensed with, we can officially welcome one of the stars of the 2023 motoring year to our DRIVEN garage, the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, in iconic and advertising-featured Grabber Blue Metallic.
Sitting at the top of the three-model range above the $74,990 RWD and the $104,990 AWD model, we’ve rounded up the headlining $116,990 GT; it’s significantly quicker than the AWD and packs more gear for the $12k premium, including 20in wheels, sports seats, MagneRide suspension and a bespoke GT bodykit.
While its headline-grabber as the fastest-accelerating production Mustang on sale may have an asterisk, “on sale” is the disclaimer, as the 2022 Mustang Shelby GT500 still holds the title, managing 0-60mph (96km/h) in 3.4 seconds; regardless it’s splitting horse hairs.
Recognising but putting aside the two strikes of it being both an EV and named a Mustang, two separate hatecrimes in some peoples’ eyes, this GT jumps from 0- 100km/h in 3.7 seconds: that’s faster than a Ferrari F40 (4.3 seconds), and line-ball with the Porsche 959 (3.7s), which is also all-wheel drive. While those 1980s icons are a world apart from the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, there is some relevance to them being the ultimate supercars of their time, and reverence for never beating your heroes . . . or something like that.
It is very quick, and for $117k it would want to be, though that is including a recent $8k price drop making it a little more price-friendly. We sung its virtues with our initial test drive, including its fun and lively chassis that really makes it a driver’s car.
We loved the Mach-E so much, we also elected it as a top-three qualifier in both the AA DRIVEN EV class, and the outright top 10 best in the Motoring Writers Guild NZ Car of the Year awards, citing its fit-for-purpose functionality as a practical, sporting SUV.
We’ll offer regular updates here and online, and take betting on how many times it is admonished by observers for its EV status and badge. And try to avoid anyone named Sally.
MEET THE FAMILY
(905km) Our long-term Mustang Mach-E GT has been piling on the kays, thanks mainly to the supercommuting efforts of editor Evans. But we’ve also had a contemplative moment with the car, when it met the Mustang GT RTR we reviewed
recently. Coincidentally, in the same Grabber Blue colour.
It was a reminder that even though the pure-electric Mach-E has been around a while, we still get plenty of comment from those who reckon it’s not a “real” Mustang like the V8 fastback.
We’re big fans of the Mach-E GT. It’s a hugely entertaining car and we won’t even taunt the haters by pointing out that it’s the fastest factory Mustang you can buy. But more to the point, there’s no need to feel threatened because this is Mustang reimagined as an electric SUV, not a replacement for the classic V8.
Which continues, of course, with an all-new seventh-generation model on the way this year. So don’t be afraid: nobody’s taking away the ICE Pony Car just yet.
Meanwhile, the astonishing performance and wickedly entertaining handling of our Mach-E GT is providing plenty of laugh-outloud moments, which is exactly what a Mustang is supposed to do.