Welcome to yet another confrontation between a car that uses an internal combustion engine (ICE) and one that relies on the flow of electrons to get its wheels spinning. Yes, we too have seen more than we can count over the past five years or so, and yet this one still manages to feel pretty exciting.
That's mostly because it involves two Mustangs. Granted, some might intervene and correct me by saying, "I think you mean ONE Mustang", but I'm not the one pulling the shots at Ford so if the company decided on this name for its first purpose-built EV, I can't bury my hand in the sand and pretend it didn't happen.
Besides, it's not like the Mach-E is a slow, uninspiring car - the GT even less so. Early reviews have shown it's reasonably quick and, even though it can't fully hide the fact it weighs way too much for a vehicle its size, it can still cause a chuckle or ten when driven hard on a twisty road. However, this encounter is all about acceleration, so the only number you need to know is its 3.8-second 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) sprint.
Or so they want you to think. You see, the GT might be the quickest Mach-E to hit 60 mph, but it starts to huff and puff once it goes beyond the benchmark speed. So much so, in fact, that it's even slower to 110 mph (178 km/h) than the EV's non-GT versions.
Like any other all-wheel-drive EV out there, the Mach-E GT prefers a short race where it can exploit its instant torque and near-perfect launch. A 1/8-mile distance is ideal, but it should be able to put on a decent fight over the quarter mile as well. Unless...
Unless its opponent is a V8-powered Ford Mustang GT with a point to prove. The two stablemates may share the same maker, but both are going to fight for the win just as frantically. The Mach-E GT desperately needs to prove it's a real Mustang whereas the regular GT holds the entire weight of the internal combustion engine fanbase - not to mention V8 fanatics - on its shoulders. They want to win it. They NEED to win it.
Sadly, the contest isn't entirely fair and, therefore, 100 percent accurate. The race takes place over in Europe - the UK, to be more exact - and, even though you can get a V8-powered GT over the official channels as well, this particular car was imported by a private dealer. And since that dealer needed to offer an incentive to its prospective customers, it sells its cars with a slight tweak of the engine. So, instead of 450 hp, this Mustang GT makes 490 hp.
It could have made twice that and still come second when Mat Watson blatantly jumped the start, but after three good races, even if the result was always tight, it became clear which of the two would reach the finish line first more consistently. I'm not in the spoiler-offering business, so I'm not going to reveal anything, but I will tell you this: it's actually the rolling race and the brake test that offer the biggest surprise, so make sure you stick around for those.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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