FORD MUSTANG MACH-E RALLY

Dirt-road fun for a minimal extra outlay is the promise. Does it deliver?

- ILLYA VERPRAET

Say what you will about Ford (and following the launch of the Capri and axing of the Fiesta, plenty have) but it's still a company with a sense of humour. How else do you explain it still offering a V8 Mustang, a Ranger Raptor and now this: the Mustang Mach-E Rally?

You could think of it as Ford's take on the Porsche 911 Dakar or Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato. For some rough-road capability, the Mach-E has been given a range of rally-themed addenda. It's based on the GT - the 480bhp, dual-motor high-performance version - but it has been given a 20mm suspension lift with reprogrammed magnetorheological dampers.

They're joined by white rally-style wheels that are an inch smaller than the ones on the GT to give a taller sidewall on the all-season tyres. Skidplates protect the front and rear motors and there's a Rally Sport drive mode that relaxes the stability control and makes the accelerator response more linear so that it's easier to slide the car on loose surfaces. Ford has given the Rally some cosmetic touches as well, such as the Focus RS-inspired spoiler, the striping pack and gloss white accents in the interior.