I LIVE IN A QUIET neighborhood next to a racetrack. At night the local delinquents use the expressways to test and tune their rashly overbuilt heaters—peeling out, snatching upshifts and bawling into the night. I was once like them but then I turned 9.

I hear a lot of late-model Ford Mustangs out there. The Ford 5.0-liter Coyote V8 has a distinctive timbre: not a dry, drumlike rapping; more like the way SWAT teams knock on doors. My neighbor once asked me when does it end? I said about 7,000 rpm.

But...

I LIVE IN A QUIET neighborhood next to a racetrack. At night the local delinquents use the expressways to test and tune their rashly overbuilt heaters—peeling out, snatching upshifts and bawling into the night. I was once like them but then I turned 9.

I hear a lot of late-model Ford Mustangs out there. The Ford 5.0-liter Coyote V8 has a distinctive timbre: not a dry, drumlike rapping; more like the way SWAT teams knock on doors. My neighbor once asked me when does it end? I said about 7,000 rpm.

But I saw in the headlines last month a sign that maybe the birds can one day return to my trees. In 2021 Ford made almost as many Mach-E’s globally (63,683) as gas-powered Mustangs (65,590).

In one respect, this development is none whatsoever. The Mach-E—a large and pricey crossover wagon with four large doors, five comfy seats and optional all-wheel drive—shares nothing with its patrilineage except the badge on the nose. It’s not like a bunch of noisy, petrol-powered zebras changed their stripes.

But it is significant that Ford sold trainloads of functional, fun-to-drive premium EVs in North America and buyers want more.

“It’s worth considering what might have motivated Mach-E buyers to choose the Ford over the Tesla.”

More has arrived with the Mach-E GT Performance Edition ($71,348, as tested), a hotsy-totsy version of the dual-motor GT, with a 91-kWh battery; 20-inch wheels; magnetic dampers; a glammy body kit; as well as nice bump in torque (634 lb-ft, up from 600 in the GT).

One night I was sorely tempted. I knew that the Mach-E GT in my possession would take a silent stick to them boys. It’s not simply that AWD EVs generally have better acceleration; it’s that they put the power down consistently, launching themselves more or less straight, every time.

Also, it’s been below freezing at night. I knew those cats were all running summer tires, which have rubbish grip in the cold. The Performance Edition usually comes with sporty, temperature-sensitive Pirellis. But because of the time of year, Ford sent the car wearing four fabulous winter tires: the Michelin X-Ice Snow (245/40 20s). While the regular hot-rods would be skittering and squirming off the line, the Mach-E would be getting down the road in the gathering roar of … snow tires.

SCREENSHOT Ford’s 15.5-inch vertical touchscreen hosts Ford’s latest user interface, called SYNC4A. Pictured is the display for Drive mode selection: Whisper, Engage and Unbridled.

Photo: Ford

Built to rival Tesla’s Model Y Performance crossover, the Mach-E GT Performance Edition doesn’t, not in the usual figures of merit: EPA estimated range (260 vs. 303 miles for Tesla) and performance (12.7 seconds in the ¼-mile, as tested by Car and Driver, compared to 12.1 seconds for the Model Y Performance).

The Mach-E’s fundamental product-design challenge—the size and weight of the battery pack, relative to the Tesla’s—jumps out of the numbers. These vehicles measure roughly the same on the outside. But the Tesla’s more compact battery pack, power electronics and drive modules preserve 76 cubic feet of cargo space behind the front seats, compared to the Ford’s 59.6.

Meanwhile, the Ford weighs 4,989 pounds; the Tesla, 4,555 pounds.

Given these deficits, it’s worth considering what might have motivated Mach-E buyers to choose the Ford over the Tesla.

Protest vote? Elon canceling? That might account for 10%. Mustang superfans? Five percent, and they’d have to be real simps.

Exterior design? Definitely some. In so many ways, the Model Y’s presentation comes across as unemotional, rigorously post-style. The Mach-E’s designers had no such compunctions. The car bulges in all the right places. It’s got a fast back, a waspy waist and sick-ass wheels. Our example, painted a metallic white that sparkled like a snow field, featured the black contrasting underbody kit, which makes all the difference, visually. They should all look like that.

POWER RANGER The performance-focused Mustang Mach-E GT has an official highway range of 260 miles. The 2022 Mach-E California Route 1 is the model line’s range champion, extracting 314 miles of range (RWD) from the same capacity battery (91 kWh).

Photo: Ford

Interior design? Some people—not me—allege that Tesla’s interior environment is too sterile and unfamiliar. It’s clear that the Mach-E’s designers heard those voices. The cabin is trimmed in warm textiles, with a lot of wool-on-wool action (the speaker covers and door trim) and stippled aluminum trim. There are conspicuous efforts to avoid alienation: the conventional Start button, the rotary gear selector, the letterbox-sized driver information display ahead of the driver, where in a Tesla there is nothing.

As for the touch screen UX, Tesla’s is the greatest and the Ford’s is fairly ordinary. But it does have a large central volume button, which people—not me—told them was important.

Could it be the Mach-E’s artificial soundscapes? Like other EV designs, the Mach-E generates humming, thrumming, engine-like sounds in the cabin—partly as usual feedback, partly as emotional gimmick. Making yummy engine sounds is a game the hyper-rational Tesla doesn’t play.

In daily use, the Mach-E’s drive modes (the grammatically troubling Whisper, Engage, Unbridled) are less about the car’s dynamic behavior and more about strengthening the emotional connection to the machine, helping buyers of their first EVs to feel … something.

Whisper is as quiet as it gets. In Unbridled, the driver’s demand for power is answered with a dark, impetuous trilling, an electronic warble, growing louder with speed.

And the beauty of it is, only you have to hear it.

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance

SAFETY FIRST The Mach-E features a complete suite of Ford’s advanced driver assistance systems, including reverse brake assist, pre-collision assist, post-impact braking and BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert. Ford’s BlueCruise (hands-free driving) system is included in the optional Comfort/Technology Package.

Photo: Ford

Price, as tested: $71,348

Powertrain: All-electric, with front and rear AC permanent magnet motors, direct-drive transmission, 91-kWh lithium battery, AWD

Power/torque: 480 hp/634 lb-ft.

Length/wheelbase/width/height: 186.7/117.5/74.1/63.5 inches

Curb weight: 4,989 pounds

0-60 mph: 3.5 seconds (with summer tires)

Cargo volume: 59.6/29/4.8 cubic feet (behind second row/trunk/frunk)

Maximum range: 260 miles

EPA fuel economy: 88/75/82 mpg-e (city/highway/combined)