The Mustang has long been defined by its aggressive exhaust note. But for the Mach-E, Ford's facing the same problem that a lot of automakers have grappled with. Electric motors, on their own, don't sound very good. In most applications, you can't hear them at all.

That won't do for a Mustang. While the company is still trying to clarify what exactly a car needs to be a Mustang, an exciting soundtrack helps. But, as Dave Pericak, Ford's global director of icons who headed up the Mach-E's development, told us, a Mustang has to be authentic. Dubbing a V-8 exhaust note over the whirring of electric motors wasn't going to work.

Instead, Ford worked with a team of sound engineers to create a score that suggested power and performance while still conveying the electric, futuristic image that the company is going for. As you can see toward the end of this ride-along video posted by Electrek (below), the Mach-E in "unbridled" mode mixes a "starship accelerating" whir with a subtle but grumbly background thrum.

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It's unique. It's not imitating an internal combustion car but it certainly takes cues from the burbling of a V-8. That's not unique among Mustangs—the EcoBoost mustang also uses speaker-generated tones to try to better match its V-8 big brothers. Regardless of powertrain, though, fake noise strikes us as inherently inauthentic.

Ford

The good news is you can turn it off. In the more relaxed "whisper" and "engage" driving modes, the noise is more subtle. If you're really not into it, you should be able to turn it off entirely in all modes.

Ford's also worked on re-doing some common chimes and warnings to make them sound more futuristic, including a new start-up sound and seatbelt chime. Together with the new engine noise, it's clear that the Mach-E won't just look, feel, and drive differently than any Mustang before it. From the moment you turn it on, it'll also sound different.

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