The Dark Horse is the best-driving Ford Mustang since the GT350. There, I said it.
Sure, it weighs two tons, but it's a well-controlled two tons.
Pricing on the fully loaded Dark Horse Premium I drove is an entirely reasonable $81,550, but you get a lot of 'Stang for that. Dark Horse prices start at $64,675. A Mustang GT Fastback starts at $48,480.
Right out of the box—like as soon as they dropped it off—I hopped in the Ford Mustang Dark Horse and drove it all the way up my favorite mountain road.
Didn’t even wait to break it in (it had 2,000 miles on the odo already, and it had just been driven 30 miles to my house). And as soon as I hit the first curve up on that magnificent highway, “Hooo man,” I thought, “this is fun.”
That sensation didn’t stop all 26 miles up the winding, twisting curves of the Crest, all the way to the Good Vibrations Breakfast Club at Newcomb’s Ranch and back down.
Woo hoo!
I drove responsibly, of course, slowing down for cyclists, slowing way down when passing trailhead parking areas, even anticipating when the dangerous knuckleheads in C4 Corvettes and late-model Dodge Challengers coming the other way might cross the double-yellow line and drift into my lane (way too often).
And the Dark Horse gobbled it all up like gourmet hay.
The Conundrum
I was having the best time since my last Ferrari drive, and yet, I was left with two questions:
Is this fully loaded Dark Horse Premium worth 40 grand over the base Mustang GT?
Is it worth the 56 Gs over the EcoBoost Mustang Fastback with the 2.3-liter four?
Answer 1. I’m pretty sure it is, and 2. Oh heck yeah!
Let’s unfold the spec sheet.
The Possible Players
The base EcoBoost Mustang is surprisingly fun and agile, despite having “only” 315 hp. If you’re expecting it to behave like an ancient muscle car of yore, it will not. It is controlled fun presented in an almost sports car-like way.
The base Mustang GT, meanwhile, gets many of the performance parts shared with the Dark Horse.
The base Mustang GT Fastback makes 480 hp with a 5.0-liter Ti-VCT V8 engine. (Ti-VCT is Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing, which optimizes performance, fuel efficiency, and emissions by independently adjusting the timing of both the intake and exhaust camshafts.)
The modified 5.0-liter Coyote V8 in the Dark Horse makes 500 hp, a mere 4% increase in peak output. But the Dark Horse engine has:
Massive dual throttle body cold-air intakes that dominate the view when you pop the hood
Forged crankshaft and con rods
Engine oil cooler
And a lighter, higher-efficiency radiator with modified cooling fans.
All those are present to keep the Dark Horse galloping along when you take it out to track day.
Both base and Dark Horse V8s are mated to six-speed manuals with rev-matching downshifts available, but the Dark Horse gets a Tremec six speed. They are not the same transmission.
The Tremec (“…the leading global manufacturer of torque-transfer solutions” since 1964) can handle higher torque loads and is generally more robust on track.
Beware the Titanium Shifter Ball
It gets its own transmission fluid cooler. It also gets a titanium shifter ball, the only advantage of which seems to be that it heats up to nearly the temperature of the sun if exposed to direct sunlight. Ouch!
The Dark Horse also gets:
MagneRide magneto-rheological dampers that automatically adjust stiffness as needed for road or driving changes
15.4-inch Brembo brakes with six-piston front calipers and 14-inch four-piston rear brakes so efficient that our Hearst colleagues over at Motor Trend say they recorded a 60-0 distance of 86 feet (!)
A strut-tower brace and K brace to make sure the chassis doesn’t flex
A stiffer suspension tune with larger anti-roll bars
A 3.73 Torsen limited-slip differential with its own cooling radiator (a Torsen LSD uses a system of worm gears and spur gears instead of clutch packs to transfer torque based on the resistance encountered by each wheel, for smoother and more predictable torque transfer).
Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) summer tires
The above list is standard on the Dark Horse. The handling package is a $4,995 option on top of all that.
On The Road
My loaner had it and I’m glad it did. But some drivers may not want all that stiffness. Indeed, going over those V-shaped rain gutters at an angle with the Handling Package in place will whip your head back and forth like a jack-in-the-box in a teen scream movie.
The handling package gives you even firmer suspension tuning, a more aggressive aero package, and Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires mounted on 19-inch wheels that will stick your Stang to the road like crazy glue (Pirelli says the Trofeo RS is, “Pirelli’s Streetable Track & Competition tire developed as original equipment for hypercars and supercars.”
TireRack says: “The P Zero Trofeo RS is …built to be driven by the most discerning drivers for both road and track use. It merges Pirelli’s motorsport experience with its knowledge of standard road tires for a tire that can be driven in both dry and wet conditions.”).
So yes, back to the road.
When you first get in your Dark Horse for a drive—say you’re at your Ford dealer thinking of buying one (and you should)—the brakes will feel a little touchy. Give it a few stops and you’ll get used to it.
The Brakes Never Faded
Also, the electronic power-assisted steering, while superb at high speeds on a great road or track, is a little wonky in stop-and-go and city driving, requiring minor corrections constantly.
Try it for yourself and see what you think. There are three modes for it: Normal, Comfort, and Sport. Surely you will find a mode that suits your driving style.
The next thing you’ll notice is the torque. There are 418 lb-ft peaking at 4,900 rpm but available at much lower engine speeds. Use them all! You may find you can cruise in city driving in third gear all day, fourth gear if you’re in slow-and-go traffic.
Get up to a really good road, or a track, and you’ll find that the Dark Horse is happiest at 6,000 rpm, powering around corners with nary a care or a whinny. The brakes never faded on my drives, and I was on them more than most sports cars up there.
The car weighs a road-taxing 3,993 pounds, over two tons with me in it, but all that mass is so well-controlled you don’t really think about it. It’s not like driving an AMG, where everything feels over-corrected. The Dark Horse allows for smooth inputs and even power delivery.
When other motorists on Angeles Crest Highway see it coming up in their rear view mirrors, most seem to take a turnout, even though I generally stay well back of slower cars. People don’t necessarily hate you in a Mustang, if you drive with even a modicum of politeness. Most people loved it.
Indeed, there’s a whole nation of Mustang owners out there who want to talk about it. I met most of the LA population in this way.
“Hey man,” beautiful car, said a young guy in a 1992 Mustang that he was trying to get to run on ethanol. “Beautiful car, man,” said another as I slowly exited the Shore Shifters car show. “I love your car,” said an actual girl!
There is hope for us all.
With the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger going away, Mustang will once again rules the muscle car roost. Maybe this is because William Clay Ford loves Mustangs. Maybe it’s because they represent such a good value for the money.
Last year Ford sold 44,003 Mustangs, which, if you consider it a sports car, makes it the best-selling sports car in the country once again. Drive this one and you’ll see why.
Is this too much money for a Mustang? Let us know in the comments.
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