The 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse

The Ford Mustang is one of the last remaining coupes on the road today. It’s definitely one of the last muscle cars, and the original Pony Car, too. Forget about the Mustang Mach E. That’s not a Mustang at all, although it carries a few of the styling cues. Napleton News had the chance to spend some time in this two-door terror this past week. Here’s our report.

A brief history of the Ford Mustang

Legendary Ford vice president and general manager Lee Iacocca thought of a sporty compact car that was to be based on the compact Ford Falcon. It was designed with hardly a budget and introduced to the public on April 17, 1964, as a 1965 model. Its success exceeded expectations: Ford estimated sales of 100,000 the first year. They had another think coming, though: Dealers sold over 22,000 on the first day of sales. We’d say they were on to something.

Years later, in 1967, the car grew in length, width and weight, which allowed engineers to stuff a larger, big-block V8 under the hood. For those of the drag racing persuasion, Ford offered a 428-cubic inch V8 rated at 335 hp and 440 lb-ft. It included a live rear axle.

In 1969, the Mustang continued to grow. The 351 V8 arrived, followed by the Boss 302 for Trans Am racing, and a Boss 429 for NASCAR use. In 1970, they released a softer, more subtle model which looked entirely less aggressive. Sales took a dump.

The Mustang II Doesn’t Count.

Eventually, the Mustang was followed by the Mustang II which was based on a stretched Ford Pinto platform. Engines were timid, meaning it was a bit lethargic. Sales weren’t too shabby but it still was based on a Pinto.

In 1979-1993, Ford introduced the Mustang on the Fox platform that it shared with the Fairmont coupe and sedan. Power returned with the 5.0-liter V8 and Ford started supplying 140 mph Mustangs to any police agency that wanted one.

From 1994 to 2004, the Mustangs continued on with various powerplants including the 4.6-liter “Modular” V8 that was rather weak at the torque end of the equation. Let’s consider that era as “the lost era.”

Finally, the 2005 model year brought forth a new Mustang with a retro look that was surprisingly true to its roots. At this point, Dodge brought back the Challenger and Chevrolet brought back the Camaro. Pony car wars were back!

The 2015 model year brought forth the “Modern Mustang.” Improvements included an independent rear suspension (Finally!) and massive power from both the V6 and V8 engines.

And this doesn’t even consider all the Shelby High-Performance Cobra models.

What’s under the hood of this Mustang Dark Horse?

The Mustang is available with three engine choices. These include a 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine pumping out 315 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. The second choice is a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 on the Mustang GT. It delivers 480-hp and 415 lb-ft of torque or 486-hp and 418 lb-ft of torque with the optional active exhaust system.

Finally, our Ford Mustang Dark Horse includes a 500-hp V8 delivering 418 lb-ft of torque. It is standard with a Tremec six-speed manual transmission. Our tester included the available 10-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shift levers.

The Mustang Dark Horse includes Magneride Damping system, which constantly adjusts the suspension from soft to firm, depending on road conditions. As such, it is in good company with vehicles like the Chevrolet Corvette, Yukon Denali, Cadillac Escalade and several models of Ferrari road cars.

To bring things back under control, there are Brembo performance brakes at all four corners.

How does the Ford Mustang Dark Horse look?

In a phrase: As dark and evil as ever.

The belt line (the bottom of the window opening) is lower than before and gives the Dark Horse a long and leaner look than others. A blacked-out look on the grille adds to the overall sinister appearance of the vehicle. A large, functional vent sits atop the engine compartment. As cool air enters the grille, it forces the heat to exhaust itself through the vent. At the rear is a spoiler to provide additional downforce.

The scene inside.

It’s a typical Mustang layout inside, with a pair of Recaro sport seats to keep the driver and passenger firmly placed during some “driving in anger” escapades. This interior has been modernized, bringing the Mustang up to today’s standards, as far as technology and features are concerned.

In front of the driver, there is a 12.4-inch digital instrument display cluster that is configurable according to your style and tastes. To the right is a 13.2-inch infotainment screen covering navigation, car settings, audio system, cellular connectivity and climate controls. They were vibrant and colorful but frankly, they aren’t our cup of tea. Thankfully, “Siri” was always at the ready to dial a number or perform a task. But when the call was over, I had to physically reach over to the screen to push the “Call ended” button. It was the same with the climate controls because instead of buttons and dials we were forced to go deep into menus to get slider controls to speed up or slow the fan, change the temperature and more.

The rear seat is usable but best suited to a couple of small children or a dog. In front is a Bang & Olufsen 12-speaker premium audio system to pump out the tunes. But with such a melodious sound coming from the rear tailpipes, why even turn it on?

Behind the wheel of a beast.

Starting the Dark Horse in a quiet, residential neighborhood can raise some eyebrows. Like those of my neighbor commenting that it sounded as though SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy was lifting off the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Eventually, the idle speed (and noise) calms down, and the Dark Horse acts like a docile pony once again. As if.

Shifting into drive finds a tall tip-in as we apply pressure to the skinny pedal. That leads to a lower, more mature growl from the 4.5-inch performance tailpipes with active valves enabled. It’s an intoxicating feel to hear the roar emanating from behind the fastback.

Power is plentiful. It’s as it should be on a highway when you need a sudden burst of speed to pull past a lally-gagging casual driver. And the look of surprise (and sometimes annoyance) is totally worth it.

Ford Mustang Dark Horse Specifications