Ford Mustang Dark Horse review

7

Time’s up for atmo-V8-engined, rear-driven, manual-shift muscle cars, right? Wrong, says seventh-generation 'Stang

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With large-capacity performance cars dropping like flies in Europe, it comes as a pleasant surprise to tell you that the Ford Mustang is back for another round.

And it arrives on these shores not as an item of near-contraband, attainable only via third-party importation. The new Mustang is a true dealership-spec production model, with right-hand drive and a long warranty. More than that, the seventh-generation car, codenamed S650, also ushers in an entirely new moniker for the Mustang: Dark Horse. It’s what we’re testing here.

We will delve into what exactly the Dark Horse is in a moment, but the concept is simple enough. Ford has never been afraid to adorn special versions of its famous muscle car with their very own name tags – in the past we’ve had Boss, Mach 1, Bullitt and the Shelby GT350 and GT500 twins – and the Dark Horse is simply the latest to join the gang. It takes the regular Mustang GT and hones the driveline and chassis to make the car more track-capable – and perhaps a sweeter B-road proposition, too. In the US, a Handling Pack is available to up the ante with wider tyres and more aggressive suspension geometry, though this isn’t currently being offered in the UK.

Which isn’t to say that the Dark Horse will be the fruitiest S650 Mustang. Shelby versions are incoming, as is the fearsome GTD. Best to think of the Dark Horse as Ford’s version of the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, compared with the entry-level Carrera. On paper it is tightened up, not transformed. The GTD, on the other hand, is a circa-£315,000, 800bhp, track-bred brute designed to take on the likes of the 911 GT3 RS. On the bottom rung, the 2.3-litre, four-pot engine is still available in certain markets (not the UK). All in all, the scope of the original ‘pony’ has never been greater, which is an achievement in the current legislative climate.

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For British buyers the Dark Horse does come at a price, however. Stateside, the car starts at just over $63,000 (roughly £50,000); here, it is knocking on the door of £70,000. Transatlantic mark-ups are nothing new, but that price does put this more focused Mustang into competition with profoundly talented alternatives, not least the updated BMW M2. It’s also a £10,000 uplift on the car the Dark Horse effectively replaces – the S550-gen Mach 1. Worth it? Time to find out.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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Ford Mustang Dark Horse review 2024 02 rear cornering

You need only glance at the proportions of the S650 Mustang, be it in standard GT or Dark Horse guise, to know that the new car is more of a heavy facelift than an all-new model. The glasshouse and the roof have been carried over wholesale from the previous generation and the footprint differs only very slightly.

Equally, you are unlikely to mistake new car for old. The headlights, which glint from beneath an aggressively furrowed brow, now feature hyphen-shaped LEDs across the top of the cluster. The grille area is also now more detail-heavy and takes on more of a three-dimensional look. The back of the car is just as striking, with the Mustang’s traditional tri-bar tail-lights bookending a bootlid that is pressed into a deep V-shape. The S650 also has more pronounced haunches than its forebear, and a central air outlet on its bonnet.

The Dark Horse is further distinguished by its neat rear wing and decal set, along with a set of alloy wheels that, while no bigger than the ones you will find on the regular GT, have a less ornate spoke pattern. For such a large car, it comes as a surprise that the wheels are only 19in in diameter at both ends, with generous sidewalls.

Assembly still takes place at Ford’s Flat Rock plant in Michigan, where the Coyote V8 is dropped into the front of the car’s huge steel monocoque. How much this growling 5038cc unit makes depends on your specification and local market. In the US, the base GT 5.0 makes 480bhp and the Dark Horse 500bhp. In the UK, the engine is strangled to meet emissions standards, resulting in meeker figures of 446bhp and 453bhp.

It means that the Dark Horse is no more powerful than the Mustang Bullitt we tested in 2018, and our Dark Horse test car also weighed 70kg more than its forebear, though the lion’s share of that figure can be chalked up to the presence of Ford’s in-house 10-speed gearbox, which can be optioned free of charge.

The Bullitt, as some of you might remember, was available only with a manual gearbox. However, that car’s Getrag-built six-speed unit is not to be confused with the sweeter Tremec TR-3160 item that later appeared in the Mach 1 – a run-out special for the S550 generation. And it is the Tremec, with its closer ratios, that can be optioned on the Dark Horse, while the basic 5.0-litre Mustang continues to use the Getrag. The Dark Horse also comes with a Torsen differential.

Open the bonnet and you’ll see that this latest version of the Coyote (the fourth) now features a second 80mm-diameter throttle body for the intake manifold. Intended for work on track, the Dark Horse also uses the conrods from the old 749bhp GT500, and there are additional coolers for the engine oil, gearbox and rear axle.

As for suspension, while the BMW Group’s MagneRide dampers are a £1750 option on the regular Mustang, on the Dark Horse they are standard, and have their own tune. The basic layout – MacPherson struts at the front with Ford’s ‘Integral’ link arrangement at the back – is carried over from the S550. The Dark Horse also gets its own ESP, EPAS and ABS calibrations.

Alas, the juiciest element of the Dark Horse Mustang is one we won’t be getting in Europe. The Handling Pack adds a bigger splitter, a removable Gurney on the rear wing and super-sticky Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres. The camber settings are also so fierce that they allegedly fall foul of European regulations.

Also note that the Le Mans-going Mustang GT3 is homologated by the Dark Horse and not, as you might expect, the regular car. If nothing else, this gives the model some extra, racing-related specialness.

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INTERIOR

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Ford Mustang Dark Horse review 2024 07 dash

Prise open the Mustang’s vast door and you’re greeted by a cockpit that really is quite a departure from what went before. Digital dials are nothing new for the Mustang, of course, but the unsentimental replacement of the old car’s bar-bell-shaped instrument cowling, at the extremities of which sat a collection of pixels that depicted a traditional tacho and speedo, is stark.

In its place sits a flat, 12.4in display that verges on feeling overbearing. It’s a paired with another, even larger touchscreen atop a centre console that’s angled 10deg towards the driver in BMW fashion. If you like superbly vivid graphics and bright screens, then you’ll enjoy the digital amphitheatre that Ford has created apparently with feedback from millennials and Gen Z-ers in the company, but for us it marks an erosion of the Mustang’s straightforward, old-school charm.

The migration of almost all commands to the digital realm is at least reasonably effective, and the climate control icons are a permanent fixture, running along the bottom of the central display. If the in-house software isn’t for you, the integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is also slick, and Ford has thankfully resisted the temptation to do away with a physical volume dial.

There’s also huge potential for geekery. From the steering wheel you can bring up data for fuel-air mixture, air intake temperature, differential oil temperature and so on. From the central touchscreen you can also summon digital interpretations of the dials of older Mustangs, such as the SVT Cobra sold between 1999 and 2001.

In terms of architecture, it is otherwise business as usual. On acquaintance the Mustang has a likeably intimidating aura. The scuttle is high, the bonnet endless and, in a mere coupé, a dashboard this expansive could only have originated in the US. The steering wheel is big, the optional Recaros of our test car are enormous and there’s a pervasive sense that you’re sitting inside something designed to feel indomitable. Even the drive selector for the 10-speed auto is super-sized.

Perceived quality is a slight but definite step up from the S550 generation. There is still a lot of plastic, but mouldings are more interesting, the fit is a little tighter than before and the textures are decently varied. Equally, at £70,000 the atmosphere still leaves something to be desired. BMW’s M2 is hardly the last word in material lavishness, but it is markedly more mature-feeling than the Ford and you get the sense its cabin will age more gracefully.

There’s little wrong with the Mustang in terms of functionality, however. The driving position is decently versatile and the optional Recaro seats, though lacking in electric back-rest adjustment, are just as suitable for B-road blasts as they are for motorway miles. The rear seats are somewhat less versatile, and while nicely sculpted, are clearly intended either as extra luggage space or for small children. Knee room back here is notably tighter than even in an M2. Meanwhile, boot space splits the difference between an M2 and M4. At 381 litres, you get similar to that found in a C-segment hatch, which is more than enough.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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Ford Mustang Dark Horse review 2024 16 v8 engine

In terms of the raw numbers, the medium-rare Mustang is quicker than ever. Our Dark Horse’s recorded 0-60mph time of 4.5sec is nearly a second up on the Mustang Bullitt we tested in 2018, though it should be noted that the older car was a manual and lacked the closely stacked lower gears of the car tested here six years later.

Nonetheless, that is a quick time, especially considering the Dark Horse’s lack of a launch control programme. It is also an exact match for the manual M2 we tested in 2023. By 100mph, there’s still no difference between the Ford and the BMW. The Dark Horse is also quicker than that other great survivor in the naturally aspirated V8 coupé arena. The £93k, 5.0-litre Lexus RC F Ultimate tested only weeks ago (Autocar, 6 November) is beaten by its US-made counterpart in all metrics relating to through- and in-gear performance.

As for noise, it is arguably the main event. In fourth-gen form the Coyote V8 still sounds fabulous, channelling pure Nascar if you have all the exhaust valves open (there are several modes to choose from, including a Good Neighbor setting for quiet early-morning getaways). And while the car has 10 speeds to help keep this engine on the boil, it hardly needs them. From around only 2500rpm the V8 makes surprisingly light work of rather a heavy car (1853kg on our scales), and in fact the only obstacle to achieving serious forward momentum at very short notice is the transmission’s laboured efforts to locate the right cog when asked during kickdown.

In truth, this 10-speed ’box – which was developed in partnership with General Motors and can also be found in the F-150 and Lincoln Navigator – is never anything less than an impediment to driving enjoyment. It fidgets its ratios, and even if you take manual control and use the paddles, the frequency of shifts that are called for but cannot, for whatever reason, be executed soon becomes so tiring that you just leave this gearbox to its devices. We would go as far as to say that the six-speed Tremec manual – which costs £2000 less than the automatic – is transformative in terms of the Mustang’s ability to entertain and be taken by the scruff. This also applies to those who will use their Dark Horse exclusively for GT duties because even the 1933rpm at which 10th gear has the motor spinning at 70mph is not especially low.

Meanwhile, the braking performance during testing was excellent. The pedal action is firm and consistent even after repeated use (Ford uses an electronic brake booster). We saw no evidence of fade, despite the car’s heft, and in fact our test car stopped sooner from 30mph, 50mph and 70mph than the lighter BMW M2.

RIDE & HANDLING

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Ford Mustang Dark Horse review 2024 17 rear cornering

As with the powertrain, the car’s prowess as far as its blend of ride and handling goes is a mixed bag.

In raw handling terms, the Dark Horse has plenty to shout about. A subtle shortening of the steering’s gearing helps its cause, as does what feels like improved roll support for the big body as it heaves into bends. These changes bring the driver closer to the Mustang’s fine balance, which it finds quickly and easily.

For an enormous coupé, it’s surprisingly hassle-free to place on the road, and there’s enough accuracy in the steering that you feel confident in pushing towards the limits of grip in a way that didn’t come so easily with the S550 generation – at least, not relatively standard versions, in which we include the Bullitt and also the impressive Mach 1.

You do start to push the big Mustang, to the extent that you might wind off the ESP and really tap into its throttle-adjustability. But you will only go so far down this path. There remains a crudeness to the way the car conducts itself on British B-roads. Wheel control and steering response fall short.

As for ride quality, the car’s long-wave movements are fine. On the motorway it’s an inoffensive cruiser, notwithstanding the horrendously over-zealous ‘hands on the wheel’ alert, which constantly interrupts you even if your hands are, yes, firmly gripping the big wheel.

More serious is the lack of secondary ride quality. On smoother roads the Mustang carves along assuredly, with a GT-appropriate blend of control and plushness. The big body still falls out of step with the road at an earlier point on the commitment curve than it would in a BMW M2 or Toyota Supra, but there’s genuine poise here.

However, when the surface deteriorates it quickly becomes rather an irascible, prickly character. The front axle doesn’t hunt or tramline, but the high-speed damping can be brutal and the back axle fidgety. It gets in the way of enjoying the Mustang’s fundamentally good handling. Perhaps the regular GT will be less highly strung on UK roads.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Ford Mustang Dark Horse review 2024 01 front cornering

When the Mustang Mach 1 of the S550 generation went on sale in 2021, it cost around £55k. Today the Dark Horse, which is a direct successor to the track-ready Mach 1, costs about £13k more.

There are good reasons for this uplift in price and the newer car does have a better digital array, but the Dark Horse is nevertheless undercut by the recently updated BMW M2 – a superior driver’s cars in all ways, and also one sweeter to live with.

The Mustang is a car bought more with heart than head, though, so this won’t matter to most buyers. And, even then, when you consider its size and performance and character, the Dark Horse still feels like reasonable value for money. It is truly inimitable, and great fun.

The 61-litre fuel tank seems on the small side, but a touring economy of 26.1mpg translates to a reasonable motorway range of 350 miles.

VERDICT

Ford Mustang Dark Horse review 2024 20 static

The appearance of a new Ford Mustang on these shores is always to be celebrated, and even more so in the current legislative climate. In terms of sonic bombast and laid-back shove, few cars charm with the ease of the original muscle car, and that’s as true in 2024 as it has been for the past six decades. A Mustang is always an event.

However, the variant tested here – the track- leaning Dark Horse – feels more compromised than many of its forebears. The car certainly isn’t at its most lovable when fitted with the unthinking 10-speed auto, and while in outright handling terms this is a more capable Mustang than before, it too often feels overwrought on our roads, with a lack of the damping plushness that has often defined fast Fords. A three-pedal car, on a smooth circuit, would be rather a different proposition.

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