One trick pony

£66,280

FOR Handsome enough, capable of yee-haw antics

AGAINST Doesn’t justify price hike over standard Mach-E

The Mustang Mach-E is a good electric crossover. Stands to reason then that the quick one will be another superb fast Ford. And yet...

Instead of the 360bhp you got in the quickest regular Mach-E, the GT generates 480bhp. It’s considerably more powerful than the 5.0-litre V8 plumbed into the nose of the Mustang Mach One coupe, currently the most powerful Stang on sale in the United Kingland of Engdom-on-sea.

This is a 2.2-tonne machine, but it can go from 0–62mph in just 3.7 seconds. It’s actually quicker than a Bentley Bentayga Speed. And that’s billed as the world’s fastest SUV...

Claimed European endurance is 310 miles – 25 miles less than a standard Mustang Mach-E dual-motor. Real-world, the GT is a 250-mile car – the slower versions are more 270–285 in our experience.

Outside, the opaque not-a-grille replaces the standard Mach-E’s moustache, and its reflective texture is supposed to evoke carbon-fibre weave. Lower down you’ve got new intakes and air curtains which guide airflow around the Mach-E’s jowls and offset the extra drag of its phatter rubber.

Down the side we find new skirts, but a missed opportunity to apply truly tasteless retro Mustang stripes or graphics. The whole car rides 10mm lower and out back there’s a hint of a diffuser.

Indoors, there’s tonnes of equipment – not that it feels like there is, because the controls for everything live in the whopping 15.5-inch touchscreen – but the leathers and plastics still feel more synthetic and industrial than the German offerings.

Ford’s lobbed MagneRide dampers at the GT in an attempt to give it everyday comfort and body roll-quelling verve. The body control itself is superb, and much better resolved than the standard Mach-E, particularly at low speed. That alone makes it feel a more expensive car.

But the driver gets no feedback, no reward, no encouragement. Like the acceleration, you try it once or twice to see how the GT copes. Then your face turns green, your stomach somersaults, and you take it out of Untamed mode, and settle back into Whisper instead.

The GT’s monstrous pace isn’t in doubt, and it’s a better handling, comfier machine than the base car. But are those parameters top of the EV wish list right now? Range, charging speed and entry price are what get people talking at the moment. The GT is an old-school approach to a new-world problem.