Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally: Not the Best Camping Car, But the Most Fun

It's the second time that I get stuck that I begin to second-guess this decision.

We're on a trail outside of Bancroft, Ontario, situated almost exactly halfway between Toronto and Ottawa. Winding through the forest, it's a short but narrow adventure to the secluded final location, where a small group of fine folks will be camping for the weekend. It's my first time up this way, so before the trip friend and fellow auto journalist Dan Ilika suggests I bring something a little rugged. The trail can get gnarly, and there have been years—including this one—where the entrance has washed out.

I picked the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally. Hey, it's the ruggedest version of Ford's EV, right? What could go wrong?

An early spoiler: nothing did go wrong, at least in the catastrophic, "I've got news" weekend call to the local Ford PR person sense. The Mach-E emerged from the brush almost exactly in the same shape as it was when it entered, save for a fine layer of dirt.

Back to me, stuck on a climb. The trail widens as it ascends, but it is littered with large rocks, some of which look jagged enough to cause concern for the Mach-E's floor-mounted battery pack. While the Rally benefits from a one-inch suspension lift and unique Michelin CrossClimate2 all-season tires, the latter are just that: all-seasons. This hill has become an obstacle course, requiring careful lines to avoid the sharp rocks and the larger lumps and dips. At one point the Mach-E encounters a small rock shelf, with the right front wheel clear of the ground. No combination of drive modes and throttle usage can get the left front wheel up and over, and we have concerns over how much contact there will be, even with the underbody protection Ford has added for Rally duty. I'm forced to carefully back down a few car lengths and try a different angle, getting a portion of the Mach-E's tires on some rocks to gain a bit of height. It's a challenge, and I'm relieved when it's finally done.

And the first time the Rally got stuck? The aforementioned entrance had much bigger ruts than usual, requiring all of us to fill them with rocks and bits of tree.

With camp set up, I opt to sleep in the Mach-E, determined to live with it as much as possible. With the rear seats folded flat, the floor space is just nearly enough for me to sleep stretched out, with a pillow wedged against the front seat—because I'm lazy and didn't want to adjust it. It's not exactly the Four Seasons, but with a bit of a curl and a cushy sleeping bag, it's not the worst night I've spent in a car. The Land Cruiser last year wasn't this comfortable.

The advantages of having an electric car are obvious. With a few settings adjustments the Mach-E could be run for most of the night if I wanted, with climate controls and device charging. The battery dipped a few percent over the weekend, that's all.

The drive home is a blast—at least once the Rally and I safely navigate the two pressure points going the other way. Dirt roads are where this machine is in its element, the instant-access 700 pound-feet of torque more than capable of tweaking the tail out as desired. Even the regular-strength Mach-E is a joy to hoon around in wet or snowy conditions, its long wheelbase and stiff chassis making it sure-footed and predictable. The Rally, with its all-season rubber and suspension tweaks, only elevates the experience, especially in new RallySport drive mode.

Here the digital nannies take a lax approach, allowing the car to wriggle a bit before stepping in. There's a precision here that isn't just unusual for an EV, it's rare for a Mustang outside of the Dark Horse. That it's a precision at the edge of adhesion is all the more impressive. The Mach-E Rally has great steering, powerful and progressive brakes, and the sort of turn-in bite that makes it feel about 1,000 pounds lighter than its quoted 4,975-pound (2,257-kilogram) curb weight.

It also looks cool. It's silly and over-the-top, but c'mon: that's what Mustangs are about. I love the rally-style 19-inch alloys—not to mention the matching upper portions of the heavily bolstered seats—and huge wing, the latter seemingly lifted from the old Focus RS. Yes, the tweaks contribute to slightly less range: 265 miles (426 km), but it's worth it.

More than all that, the Rally makes sense of a hi-po Mach-E. The GT is too similar to the cooking models, only with more thrust. The Rally's dirt-road prowess puts clean air between it and its siblings. Thanks to the magnetorheological dampers, the daily-driver ride doesn't suffer, either. The Rally is dialed in when you want it to be, and docile when you don't.

I came home from the camping trip thankful, not just for a weekend's worth of laughs and memories, but of getting to experience the Mach-E Rally in an environment better suited to its talents. Maybe next year I'll take a Bronco Sport, though.

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