I Thought EV Crossovers Were Harsh Off Pavement, but the Michelin CrossClimate2 Tires On a 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally Proved Me Wrong

We’ve had the pleasure of testing the Ford Mustang Mach-E in various trims over the past few years, and each time, we came away impressed. In our back-to-back with the Tesla Model Y, it was the harshness of the Model Y’s ride that really tipped the balance in favor of the Mach-E. Tesla had chosen low-profile touring tires, and they were transmitting too much road imperfection noise, harshness, and vibration to the cabin. Tesla is not alone in doing this. Most automakers spoil their top trims with stupid tire size and design choices.

You Had Me At CrossClimate2
We fell in love with the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally trim this week. It offers 700 lb-ft of torque. That’s not a typo—more than virtually every V8 sold in any vehicle in any country. You enjoy a constant wave of thrust in every scenario, making the vehicle feel supremely satisfying. However, we fell in love with the Mach-E Rally for its ride.

The tires have a meaty sidewall. At least compared to most top-trim five-door crossover EVs we test. And the CrossClimate2 tire is very special. The tire features a deep v-groove tread. The added tread depth helps to dampen the impacts from railroad crossings, potholes, and other road imperfections. The tire also earns the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol, denoting that it has passed the deep snow acceleration test. It’s not just a gimmick; these tires are fantastic in winter compared to traditional all-season tires.

Michelin CrossClimate2 - Noise and Handling
The Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally handled superbly on twisty paved mountain roads in central New Hampshire. The steering was crisp and predictable. That’s no small thing in a vehicle that weighs almost 5,000 pounds. Corners were a joy, and the tires never scrubbed or squealed during our 200 miles of driving.

Best of all, despite having about 5,000 miles on the odometer, the Mach-E was virtually silent on the paved roads. Highway noise is virtually nil. There is no added sound from the CrossClimate2 tires that we could detect.

Michelin CrossClimate2 - Off-Pavement, Dirt Roads
We spent over an hour off-pavement in the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally. The Michelin CrossClimate2 tires were excellent here. They dampened out the washboard sections nicely, and they didn’t pick up stones in the treads. Many of the vehicles we test are poorly suited for dirt roads. They are too stiff, and the tire sidewalls are too low profile. The combination of the CrossClimate2 tires on the Mach-E Rally was brilliant off pavement.

The Missing Tire
The only thing that would have been better on a vehicle named “Rally” would have been a spare tire. If you are really going to head off pavement or do a lot of winter driving, there should be a spare tire in the cargo area. Ford gives you a puncture repair kit, which is worthless if you damage a sidewall or if the puncture is too large. We keep this list of EVs with spare tires, and it's a shame the Mustang Mach-E is not able to be on that list. 

Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally and CrossClimate2 - A Match Made In Heaven
There is really no best vehicle and no best tire. There are endless combinations from which to choose, based on what type of driving you do and what result you want. However, let us tell you from the heart that Ford made a really great decision to pick the Michelin CrossClimate2 tire to fit to its “Rally” trim of its top-selling EV. 

Do you think tires are an important aspect of a vehicle's design? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below. 
 

John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.