German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote that time is a flat circle, and judged by the circumstances that the Ford Mustang currently finds itself in, it looks like he might’ve been on to something.
With the third-generation Dodge Challenger and sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro both riding off into the sunset without immediate successors in place, the Mustang rules now its segment unopposed. It’s not unlike the situation that arose in the when fourth generation Camaro bowed out after the 2002 model year, in turn leaving the Blue Oval’s iconic pony car without any direct rivals for the better part of a decade.
A lack of competition typically does not encourage innovation and bold strategies. But while there are some indications that Ford decided to play it safe with the seventh-generation, S650-chassis Mustang, the Dark Horse generally moves the needle in the right direction for enthusiasts that are seeking a track-tuned, V8-powered rear-drive coupe.
What’s In A Name
When the aging Dodge Challenger outsold the Mustang for the first time in history back in 2021 (and again in 2022), it undoubtedly gave Ford executives a moment of pause. In what appeared to be a deliberate effort to instill the Mustang with the type of sinister-animal-name recognition that the modern Challenger enjoys thanks to its Hellcat models, Ford unveiled the new Dark Horse trim alongside the debut of the seventh-generation Mustang GT and EcoBoost models at an announcement event in September of 2022.
At the time, Ford insisted that Dark Horse had no ties to Mustang nameplates of the past, but the hardware that underpins it tells a different story. Like its GT and EcoBoost stablemates, the Mustang Dark Horse rides on an updated version of the outgoing S550 Mustang’s platform rather than a new architecture, and when compared to a 2023 Mustang Mach 1, a number of important similarities start to appear.
Like the Mach 1, the Dark Horse offers a bump in power over the GT. Thanks to connecting rods borrowed from the outgoing GT500 and a new dual throttle-body setup, the Dark Horse’s revised 5.0-liter DOHC V8 dishes out 500 horsepower and 418 pound-feet of torque. That translates to a 14hp advantage over GT, while the torque figure remains unchanged.
The Dark Horse similarly offers more content and a sport-oriented chassis tune that now includes MagneRide dampers as-standard, but perhaps the most important hardware advantage that the Dark Horse offers over the GT is its manual gearbox. Whereas manual GT models are equipped with a Getrag MT-82 six-speed transmission, the Dark Horse scores a close-ratio six-speed Tremec unit – much like the Mach 1 did. Did we mention that there’s also a Handling Package available for the Dark Horse which, like the Mach 1, includes a stiffer suspension tune, bigger wheels with stickier tires, and more aggressive aero?
While the claim that the Dark Horse is an all-new model is a bit dubious, there’ still a lot to like here. Along with the aforementioned upgrades, the Dark Horse gets a notably more aggressive look than the GT thanks to its unique front fascia, hunkered down stance, and model-specific badging. The seventh-generation pony car’s overall aesthetic has been a bit polarizing to Mustang fans, but we think the Dark Horse wears it very well.
The Dark Horse also benefits from the 2024 Mustang’s heavily reworked interior, the centerpiece of which is a new 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system running Ford’s Sync 4 software. Paired with the 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster, the 2024 Mustang puts a lot of screen real estate in front of the driver, but thankfully it doesn’t feel overwhelming or distracting in practice.
Ford’s decision to follow the current industry trend of abandoning physical buttons in favor of touchscreen controls is disappointing, but we’re thankful that they decided to retain the volume knob. The button layout on the 2024 Mustang’s new flat-bottomed steering wheel, along with the inclusion of a dedicated button for the MyMustang menu and a customizable Favorite button on the center stack, also help to minimize potential frustration. Sync 4’s labyrinth of menus can feel a bit too complicated for its own good at times, and the fact that the displays’ auto-dimming feature can’t be disabled is annoying, but generally snappy response and a rich feature set (which includes the ability to use wireless Apple CarPlay in a full-screen mode, unlike iterations of Sync 4 found in other Ford models) largely make up for the shortcomings.
Behind The Wheel
Equipped with the optional, Recaro leather-trimmed seats, a Torsen limited-slip differential with 3.73 gears, and the Handling Package – which includes ultra-sticky, barely-DOT-legal Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires, our tester’s specification is about as track-focused as the seven-generation Mustang currently gets. But under most circumstances, it’s as easy to live with on a day-to-day basis as a standard GT.
The Pirellis do have a tendency to tramline along grooves in the road in much the same way that the previous-generation’s Shelby GT350R did, but the Dark Horse is generally well mannered on pockmarked road surfaces of Los Angeles. The MagneRide dampers deserve a significant amount of credit here, as they deliver truly impressive ride compliance in the Normal setting considering how low the car sits, yet can also firm up to provide composed and relentlessly flat high-speed cornering in Track mode.
Although we’d still consider the 2019 Bullitt to be the high-water mark for Coyote-powered Mustang factory exhaust notes, the Dark Horse’s active system makes a fantastic racket of its own, replete with rowdy off-throttle pops and bangs in its most aggressive modes. Paired with the a 5.0-liter powerband that has never felt healthier, and the short, satisfyingly notchy throws of the close-ratio gearbox’s shifter, the Dark Horse can quickly turn an otherwise mundane drive into a highly entertaining affair.
At over 3900 pounds, the Dark Horse might be the heaviest naturally aspirated Mustang coupe that Ford has ever produced, but you wouldn’t know it from a spirited blast through the canyons. Out here the semi-slick tires pay massive dividends, delivering massive stopping power and truly incredible cornering grip. The steering is a weak point for the Dark Horse, though. Although the car offers excellent body control and immediate turn-in thanks to a well-tuned suspension and those massively wide, track-oriented tires, the steering resistance is far too light, even in its most sport-oriented setting, and feedback is essentially non-existent. Ford gave the seven-generation car a new, quicker-ratio rack across the Mustang lineup, and matching up the Dark Horse’s heightened responses with the lack of weight and information through the wheel gives the steering an artificial, almost video game-like feel that makes it tougher to be precise with your inputs.
Despite its imperfections, the Mustang Dark Horse is a riot to drive whether you’re puttering around town or caning it on your favorite backroad. At a time when enthusiasts’ internal combustion options are rapidly dwindling, the fact that Ford continues to offer a car like this feels like a victory in and of itself. But in 2024, the privilege of owning the last track-tuned muscle car standing doesn’t come cheap. Ford couldn’t provide pricing specific to our test car, but a trip through the Dark Horse configurator site indicates that our tester rings up $72,365 with destination.
Although it might have been hard to imagine buyers cross-shopping the Mustang with cars like the BMW M2 just a few years ago, with its domestic rivals now out of the picture and the pricing pushed into new territory, the Dark Horse now finds itself up against the best that the rest of the world has to offer. The M2 is more refined and likely a step or two ahead in terms of straight-line speed, but the Dark Horse is a more earnestly track-focused machine overall, especially with the Handling Package on-board. More importantly, the Mustang is the only car currently on sale that offers the thoroughly compelling experience of rowing through the gears with naturally aspirated V8. For many, that alone will be worth the price of admission.
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