Another DLC (downloadable content) just dropped for the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E. A Performance Upgrade only for the GT trims unlocks another 100 pound-feet of torque from the two electric motors, taking total output to 480 horsepower and 700 pound-feet. That extra grunt available from standstill drops the 0-to-60 time by half a second, from 3.8 seconds to 3.3 seconds. Ford would like you to know that this vitesse makes the GT quicker to 60 than the Porsche Macan 4S Electric, which needs 3.9 seconds, only the Macan Turbo S Electric dipping below the overclocked Mach-E GT. The Ford also beats Tesla’s Model Y Performance by 0.2 seconds. The Mach-E GT beats the Model Y by one mile in the range stakes, too boot; we’re still waiting on Porsche to release estimated range figures for the upper Macan trims.
The quarter-mile comes in 11.8 seconds at 114 mph.
The upgrade can be added as an option to any new Mach-E GT; it can also be downloaded through the FordPass app for any 2024 Mach-E GT already on the road. It costs $995 plus tax through the app, so figure on over a grand depending on where you live.
Any who might complain that Ford held back capability of the Mach-E so it could sell an upgrade later, well, that’s what all automakers have done with almost every model they’ve ever sold. Have to have an upgrade ramp for the coming model years, right? The difference is that with a purely mechanical upgrade, anyone who’d already bought their electric crossover would be stuck at 600 lb-ft unless they visited a tuner. Now they can press a few buttons and catch up with the random Joneses who check the option box at the dealership. And anyone not happy about this better avert their eyes from what’s ahead, because features are increasingly dictated by what will make analysts happy during the quarterly earnings calls, which means finding ways to increase revenue opportunities after the sale since analysts only speak two languages, English being their second.
As Chet Dhruna, the general manager of Ford’s Integrated Services team, wrote on LinkedIn, “Software ‘is’ the differentiator. Soon, we’ll be offering seamless, always-on delivery of software updates to enable more new apps and services, and we’ll continue to create amazing, personalized experiences.” Keep your checkbooks handy!