2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition PVOTY Review: Consistency Is Key

Pros

• Quick
• Oversteers like a Mustang should
• Great brakes

 

Cons

• Performance Edition is pricey
• Quick-charge speed needs to be quicker
• Can be inconsistent in its responses

No matter the sport, if you look at any Hall of Fame athlete, you’ll notice they all have one key trait in common: the ability to perform at a high level consistently. The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition should take this lesson to heart.

Like any Mustang GT, the top dog of the Mach-E line builds on more pedestrian variants by upgrading the power, brakes, and suspension and adding sportier styling. The standard Mach-E GT has a unique nose that visually ties it to traditional Mustangs, two upsized permanent-magnet motors—one at each axle—good for a combined 480 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque, Ford’s “extended range” 93.0-kWh battery, larger rotors, a retuned suspension, and 20-inch wheels wrapped in all-season performance tires. The Performance Edition takes things a bit further. Horsepower is unchanged, but torque rises to 634 lb-ft, and the SUV also gets MagneRide dampers, stickier summer rubber, and front Brembo brakes. Range falls by just 10 miles versus the standard Mustang Mach-E GT, from 270 miles to 260, all for a $5,000 premium. At an as-tested price of $69,800, our PVOTY-contending example was a similar $5K more than a comparable Tesla Model Y Performance.

At first impressions, the GT Performance Edition faithfully lives up to the pony badge on its nose. It feels quick off the line, has quick steering, and its laissez-faire stability control system allows for a decent and quite fun amount of oversteer. Its brakes are particularly good, too. “The best of any EV I’ve tested,” road test editor Chris Walton said. “They are highly effective and very well tuned for trail-braking, being easy to predict, control, and release. ”  

They’re so good, in fact, they encourage you to start driving harder, stringing corners together like you would in a “regular” Mustang GT. But then this electric SUV’s inconsistency starts to rear its head. 

Consistency can also involve being ready when needed. Unfortunately, the Mach-E’s peak fast-charge rate—nominally 150 kW—just isn’t quick enough to support performance driving, which can quickly drain the battery pack. As the pack fills, the maximum charge rate soon tapers to the low 90-kW range, and then to the low teens once the pack’s charge is north of 80 percent, which means reenergizing the vehicle takes far longer than you hope it will (close to an hour), given the fun you’re having. This experience is deeply incongruous given the Mach-E GT’s mission. 

And there may be yet more waiting for fun-seeking drivers, as it takes about 15 minutes for the powertrain-optimizing Unbridled Extend setting to get the battery and motors to ideal temperature for sustained high-performance driving. 

Next, no matter what mode you’re in, the massive amount of power you enjoy while tooling around plummets north of 80 mph. Finally, throw a corner or two the Mach-E’s way, and it can be damn near impossible to get the Mustang to perform the same way twice. “Entering a tight corner, the Mach-E might take a heavy set on its front outside tire and oversteer,” deputy editor Alex Stoklosa said. “Entering the same corner again at the same speed and from the same direction, I experienced gross, unrelenting understeer.

“Provided the Mustang does what you’re expecting it to do—behave like a tail-happy, chuckable ball of EV joy—it’s fun,” Stoklosa continued. Trouble is, this pony just isn’t consistent enough to count on. The Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition makes a good street car, but it’s not quite ready to be our Performance Vehicle of the Year.

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