2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT first drive review: More power, more tech, more fun

The is a fantastic EV, with good range, excellent usability and plenty of the rowdy, fun-to-drive characteristics of its gas-powered sibling. Still, the internet's ceaseless keyboard warriors have continued to shout to the heavens that it's "Not a real Mustang !" So to give its EV more sports car cred, Ford now offers the 2022 Mach-E GT and GT Performance Edition. And after driving both, there's no doubt in my mind this electric crossover is completely deserving of the Mustang name.

The 2022 Mach-E GT offers up some fairly impressive performance figures. It uses the same 88-kilowatt-hour battery as other all-wheel-drive Mach-Es, but a new front motor setup allows for greater output, totaling 480 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. Ford estimates a range of 270 miles from the Mach-E's dual-motor powertrain and a 0-to-60-mph time of 3.8 seconds. The Performance Edition keeps the same horsepower but adds 34 pound-feet of torque, bringing its total to 634 and its 0-to-60 time down to 3.5 seconds. That performance has a price, though; the hotter GT's range drops slightly to a still very respectable 260 miles.

2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT and Performance Edition are wild electric horses

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Prolonging the magic

A weak point of some sporty EVs is performance degradation due to heat. This means that if you romp on your EV in its most dynamic mode -- called Unbridled in the Mach-E -- the battery pack and motors will be forced to reduce output to prevent thermal damage. Ford has a solution for this and it's a new setting called Unbridled Extend.

Unbridled Extend is interesting because it adjusts a ton of the electric powertrain's parameters to make the Mach-E perform at its best for significantly longer than previously possible, but there are some catches. Unbridled Extend's goal is to prevent heat buildup for more consistent performance, so if you've been blasting about in Unbridled mode and the battery pack is hot, you'll be unable to enter Extend because cooling the pack back down to an appropriate temperature would be inefficient. Extend mode also gets rid of regenerative braking, so no one-pedal driving, again reducing the thermal load on the battery. This mode also alters many of the driver-assistance features, making them less intrusive. Extend changes the all-wheel-drive system's front-to-rear torque split and adjusts the sensitivity of the throttle and brake pedals. It's not really a mode for everyday driving, but it's great for a race track or autocross.

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GT in more than just name

The GT and Performance Edition come with several chassis improvements that take the base Mach-E's already fun-to-drive personality and juice it up to legit sports car status. The most noticeable difference comes from upgraded tires. The GT rides on 20-inch alloy wheels with new, specially designed 245/45 Continental all-season tires, while the Performance Edition gets its own bespoke Pirelli P-Zero summer tires (also 245/45) on different 20-inch wheels. Both setups look fantastic and offer a lot more grip than the standard Mach-E's Michelin all-seasons. However, given the amount of power and torque on tap, both setups are still pretty easily overwhelmed in spirited driving. I'd very much like to see an optional super-sticky summer tire along the lines of a P-Zero Corsa or a Michelin Pilot Sport 4S to better take advantage of the Performance Edition's output.  

Braking is also significantly enhanced thanks to the addition of Brembo stoppers. Up front, the Mach-E GT has four-piston calipers and 15.1-inch rotors, with 12.4-inch rotors with single-piston calipers out back. The extra braking force is nice, but what I find even more noticeable and welcome is the much-improved pedal feel and the better pedal calibration. The brakes feel a lot less grabby than before, so driving with one-pedal mode activated is a much smoother affair.

The base GT gets a new, lower, stiffer suspension and the ride is very compliant, though you still feel harsh impacts over large bumps. The Performance Edition adds magnetorheological dampers, which offers a greater range of adjustability, offering a comfortable and compliant ride in the Mach-E's Whisper or Engage drive modes while firming up considerably for Unbridled duty. MagneRide alone almost makes the jump from GT to GT Performance Edition worth the $5,000 upgrade.

Both the GT and Performance Editions are comfortable around town and on the highway, but when you hit a back road and decide to turn things up a bit, the Mach-E happily delivers. The EV offers sharp steering with predictable handling, with the occasional tendency to let its tail slide, though it's always easy to rein in. The Mach-E's traction and stability control systems -- which are now fully defeatable -- feel as though they've been tuned for laughs rather than to crack down on fun.

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Henry, take the wheel

The other significant addition to the Mach-E's repertoire is the addition of Ford's BlueCruise hands-free driving assistant. In my limited experience with the system on a busy highway, it works very well, with no issues staying centered in a lane, even on a very curvy section of the 101 freeway north of San Francisco. BlueCruise clearly communicates with the driver when it's able to be used and when you need to take over with hands on the wheel. Like GM's SuperCruise, BlueCruise monitors driver attention by looking at your eyes and issues clear warnings when your attention starts to wander. Also like SuperCruise, BlueCruise relies on pre-mapped roads, so it isn't available everywhere, though the areas where it can be used are sure to expand significantly as Ford rolls the system out to more of its vehicles.

Speaking of rollouts, Ford is leaning hard into the over-the-air update capability of the Mach-E and BlueCruise will be sent out to customers this way. Ditto a battery management update that will allow the use of an additional 3% of the pack, which will make for a nice little range boost.

From an interior and electronics standpoint, not a whole lot has changed. The Mach-E's cabin still features the same 15.5-inch portrait-style central screen with the volume knob floating in the bottom center. The driver has a wide but short digital gauge cluster and information display, which looks a little odd at first but works exceptionally well.

The GT comes with copper-colored stitching and piping throughout the interior and -- in the Performance Edition -- some new, super stylish and very comfortable seats. These chairs feature plenty of bolstering and there is a unique wing-like shape to the shoulder area, adding further support. The seat's shape, coupled with Ford's ActiveX and Miko seat materials, means your butt won't be sliding around, even during more spirited driving. A Bang & Olufsen stereo system is standard equipment on all GTs and sounds excellent.

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The exterior of the GT gets some minor but functional changes, including a revised front bumper with big air inlets to aid with cooling. I also dig the gray grille, active cooling vents in the lower bumper and the light-up pony logo, all of which are standard on the GT. There are black-painted mirror caps, pony puddle lights and a hands-free tailgate, too.

The 2022 Mustang Mach-E GT starts at $61,095, including a $1,100 destination fee. That doesn't include a panoramic glass roof or, more importantly, Ford's Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 driver-assistance suite and 360-degree camera, all of which are bundled together and which will set you back a further $3,400. This package is how you get BlueCruise and you're going to want that, trust me. The Mach-E GT Performance Edition, with its added torque, MagneRide suspension and stickier tires, adds $5,000 to the base GT, with the glass roof and Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 still available as optional extras.

With the introduction of the Mach-E GT, Ford is taking one of the most compelling electric vehicles on the market right now and making it even more desirable to a wider range of people. The GT will satisfy those shoppers looking for a fast SUV, an attractive EV or just something different than what's being offered by other manufacturers at this price. Maybe, just maybe, those naysaying keyboard warriors will deign to get behind the wheel of one and find that, yes, indeed the Mach-E GT is completely deserving of its Mustang name.

Editors' note: Travel costs related to this story were covered by the manufacturer, which is common in the auto industry. The judgments and opinions of Roadshow's staff are our own and we do not accept paid editorial content.

Watch this: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT exclusive ridealong

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