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A naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8. Rear-wheel drive. Staggered Pirelli P Zero rubber. Brembo brakes. Magnetic damping system. These are all of the hallmarks of a good sportscar, enough to heighten the interest of purists, and enough to stir up some further conversation. In the case of the Mustang Dark Horse, the conversations simply don’t stop.
I was in Detroit nearly two years ago when Bill Ford introduced the Dark Horse to the world, filled with pride and promise at what this new name would be for the brand. What it is, is a significant step forward in terms of outright sportscar performance, with a Mustang that has been upgraded in every aspect that was necessary. Unlike the Anthony Minghella film of the 90s, this Mustang Dark Horse is no pretender. It is the real deal. Where the Mustang GT is a tease, the Dark Horse is a full shot of performance spirit to the veins.
Its design augments the new Mustang GT fastback body style, adding a bespoke rear boot spoiler, a revised front grille, 19-inch 10-spoke alloys and a dose of ominous Dark Horse badges across the bodywork. It’s just enough differentiation to make onlookers gawk, some questioningly, some knowingly, but all taken by the Mustang’s presence of design. Optional extras include a sticker pack for the bonnet and roof. They’re subtle, and in this signature Blue Ember colour, they do work.
That colour scheme is carried into the interior with a blue and black seat combination. Ford has done well to improve the cabin quality, with only a handful of visible areas where the plastic still feels a touch coarse. Blue stitching carries across the cabin from the seats to the wheel and to the dashboard, a subtle touch but enough to show the differences compared to the GT. That said, the cabin is very driver-focused, and so it should be. The concept of the Dark Horse is to unearth all of your childhood fantasies within a gamified, fun user experience.
Two screens sit alongside each other at opposing angles to give an immersive digital feel. Dive into the menus within the 13.2-inch infotainment screen, and you’ll find Ford’s SYNC4 with phone mirroring, connectivity, voice-activated control and more. The real fun starts when you find the Mustang Performance page, which houses access to seven different driving modes, steering modes, exhaust note options, driving assistance features and my personal favourite, a variety of digital instrument cluster gauge options. Imagine the car you dreamt about in your teens – Dodge Viper anyone? Fox Body? Cobra? The Dark Horse allows you to relive your dreams with these customisable gauges. They’re digital, sure, but they do look fantastic, and coupled with the V8 soundtrack, there’s a setup that you will certainly enjoy. It’s an easy-to-use system that appeals to a younger market but won’t lose points to anyone on the other side of a mid-life crisis.
Under the bonnet, Ford hasn’t done too much with the famous 5.0-litre V8. In Dark Horse guise, power hikes to 334kW with torque remaining unchanged. The technical work is all under the bodywork, with Ford tweaking all of the components and elements for vast improvements all round. Cornering? So much better. The suspension has been tweaked in line with a more precise steering, making turn-in on the Dark Horse so much better. Steering feedback and feel is also better giving the driver more confidence when negotiating some tight turns. Despite its short rear and sizable nose, this car really turns and changes direction with excellent composure and balance. Note this isn’t good just compared to the Mustang GT, it’s just all-round good. Pirelli P Zero rubber makes some of the difference too, but the most impressive bit about the Dark Horse is how it brakes. Cross-drilled Brembo discs up front and transform this car’s dynamic ability. The braking system isn’t just good at scrubbing off speed, but the feel is measured, lap after lap, corner after corner, inspiring huge confidence even from very high speeds.
Of course, the Dark Horse engine note sounds as enthralling as a GT, and whining through all ten gears is a pleasurable experience. The car is powerful enough for its setup now, fully immersive and much more approachable. It’s a characterful car with Ford adding an e-brake to the mix for handbrake-turns-made-easy. Ensure all of the traction nannies are off before trying, but the Dark Horse really can be unhinged to burn through rubber and make spectacular power slides and donuts, and that’s in addition to features like line-lock, which is an older but equally fun feature. The last little trick is that of the remote start and rev feature, something that, quite simply, never gets old. From the comfort of your camp chair, you can start the beautiful Coyote V8 engine and rev it. It’s absolutely a show-off feature, but it fits so well here in the Dark Horse.
The Mustang Dark Horse is a sports car that finds itself in name and in price competing against all manner of other car. From hot hatches to hot SUV’s, the Dark Horse is something that must be appreciated for what it is. It’s not has sizable as some SUV’s but it is more practical than most hot hatches and so it’s a strong contender all round.
BMW M3’s are not part of the comparison because they are significantly more expensive which makes the Dark Horse that much more palatable and attractive. It’s also backed by a strong brand with strong support nationwide and all of these cars should be lapped up as soon as they land.
This is the Mustang to have. Mustang as a brand is something all petrolheads and enthusiasts want to love. Its brand strength is undeniable, but when you get behind the wheel of a standard Mustang, many people have felt and continue to feel that it lacks the precision that its charm seemingly sells. It’s something of an anticlimax compared to the story it reads – but – the Dark Horse is the answer to all of that.
The Dark Horse, at only R201,000 more than a Mustang GT, is the one to have. Above all of its actual performance talent, our time with the Dark Horse reminded the whole TopGear SA Magazine office why it commands so much attention. No matter where we went, people looked and pointed and commented, and most notably, young people raised their phones to take pics and videos.
The Dark Horse is good news for young people – it’s a picture of a future that will still appreciate throaty V8s without any force-fed induction or fake, speaker-fed exhaust notes. Dark Horse doesn’t pretend. It really is a talented little ripper.
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