The Ford Mustang is one of the most iconic cars in America, and Ford loves pushing its limits. That’s why Ford made the Mustang Mach 1, which is a ‘Stang that provides a lot of power and performance capabilities. As such, when it comes to the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1, it’s no surprise that it’s at its best when you turn on Track Mode.

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 in regular mode

Like Car and Driver wrote, the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is a high-performance trim for the Mustang, and it’ll be replacing three trim options that Ford’s no longer producing. The Mach 1 starts at just over $53,000, which means that compared to the regular Mustang, the Mach 1 is almost twice the price.  

That makes a lot of sense of course, since the Mach 1 comes with a very powerful 5.0-liter V8 engine which gets 480 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. This V8 engine allows the Mach 1 to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in about 4.3 seconds as well as top out at about 168 MPH. 

While this V8 engine gets about 22 MPG combined, Ford has three powertrain settings available, Normal, Sport, and Track. According to Car and Driver, both the Normal and Sport modes are pretty good overall. They’re obviously geared for day-to-day driving, but at the same time, they still make the Mach 1 feel sporty. However, when drivers turn on Track Mode, that’s when the Mach 1 can fulfill its glorious purpose. 

Track Mode is where the fun begins

Since Ford designed the Mach 1 to replace three of its popular high-performance options, it’s not surprising that the Mach 1 also performs really well on the track. For example, with Track Mode on, Car and Driver wrote that drivers can feel the difference in the Mach 1’s steering feel and precision, especially compared to its GT cousins.

Car and Driver noticed the Ford Mustang Mach 1’s improved handling elsewhere too. When exiting a corner, Car and Driver said that, due to improvements in the design, the Mach 1 simply has a more “stable feel” than the GT did.

That being said, the Mach 1 did fall short in one area, and that was acceleration. Car and Driver said that although the 2021 Mach 1 has some good acceleration times, they were slightly slower than the Mustang options it replaced.

However, Car and Driver also noted that those numbers may have been the result of the Mach 1 that was being tested not having the freshest tires available. Car and Driver suspects that if the test drivers were to drive a Mach 1 with newer tires, then those acceleration numbers may improve. Regardless, Car and Driver called the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 an “easy-to-drive, very fast track car.” 

Other great things about the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1

While that may be true on the track, most folks probably aren’t driving their 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1s on tracks, nor are they turning on Track Mode. And for those folks, Ford still has things to offer with the Mach 1. 

For example, unlike many cars in America nowadays, the Mach 1 will have a manual transmission as standard. This is not a huge deal for many people, but for others, it’s a pretty big deal. For folks who prefer an automatic transmission, Ford offers that as a $1,600 option, according to Car and Driver.

Not only that, the Mach 1 also looks like a cooler version of the Mustang, at least according to Car and Driver. Plus, the Ford Mustang Mach 1 has 14 cu. ft. of trunk space as well, which means that even though it belongs on the track, it can handle trips to grocery stores too.

Even though you might not put your 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 in Track Mode often, if ever, it’s still a thrilling ride no matter where you take it.