The Ford Mustang Mach-E may not have been Ford’s first electric vehicle, but when it was originally revealed, it was certainly the best EV that Ford had ever offered. And while it may not be a “real” Mustang in the traditional sense, there’s no denying that the Mach-E GT is quick. It makes 480 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque, and it will hit 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. If that’s not quick enough for you, though, Ford has a solution — just pay $995 to unlock an extra 100 lb-ft of torque.
In a LinkedIn post, Chet Dhruna, Ford’s head of integrated services, announced a new Performance Upgrade option for the Mach-E GT. For just under $1,000, all that extra torque knocks half a second off the regular Mach-E GT’s 0-to-60 mph time, bringing it down to 3.3 seconds. It will also do the quarter-mile in 11.8 seconds at 114 mph. The Performance Upgrade package can be added when you buy the car, but owners also have the option to add it to an already-purchased car through the FordPass app.
On the one hand, getting an extra 100 lb-ft of torque for less than $1,000 really isn’t a bad deal, especially since it doesn’t involve any tinkering or tuning. Just give Ford your money, and suddenly your car is significantly quicker. After all, a half-second is pretty significant. At the same time, though, it’s frustrating to see yet another company lock performance capabilities behind a paywall. Mercedes-Benz has done it. Polestar’s done it. Now Ford’s done it, and it probably won’t be the last. It makes sense why they’re trying it, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing when you see it.