The Ford Mustang has cemented itself across the past 62 years as the preeminent pony car, not only for the horse on its badges, but by being the only one of its rivals still alive.
That’s not limited to Australia either, given the Chevrolet Camaro went out of production globally at the end of 2023, and the Dodge Charger coupe is all-wheel drive with a twin-turbo straight-six engine – not exactly the rear-drive, V8-powered formula which has been so successful.
Ford Australia’s Mustang lineup is relatively limited, with the entry-level EcoBoost four-cylinder offering a more affordable alternative to the V8-fed GTs, as well as the flagship Dark Horse.
The Mustang Dark Horse serves as the ‘accessible’ flagship to the range, sitting below the mad GT3-inspired GTD, and the upcoming Dark Horse SC revealed for the US last month.
With a true racing pedigree that extends to the upcoming Mustang Cup championship in Australia, Ford threw us the keys to the Mustang Dark Horse to see how it handles daily life – as well as a blast around a race track.
But first, a caveat, and quite a large one at that: you can’t buy one.
Only 1000 examples of the Ford Mustang Dark Horse were brought to Australia when the current ‘S650’ model arrived in late 2024, and all were accounted for before they drove off the ship, with prices starting from $99,102 for the six-speed manual, and $103,002 for the 10-speed automatic, both excluding on-road costs.
Despite being a readily available variant in the US, the Dark Horse remains off limits for now in Australia, even if we are the second-largest market for the Mustang globally. Hopefully Ford’s new Dark Horse-based Mustang Cup inspires a fresh delivery of more examples.
The example in my driveway for the week was equipped with the six-speed manual, a Tremec TR-3160 carried over from the previous generation Mach 1, designed to cope better on track than the GT’s Getrag MT-82.
In Australian examples, the Dark Horse makes 349kW and 548Nm from its 5.0-litre ‘Coyote’ V8, down on the 373kW and 567Nm outputs of US market versions. Boo.
Its relatively short lower gears means acceleration is effortless when departing a street or taking off at a set of lights, meaning you get more time to enjoy the notchy gear selection more often, however a long sixth gear means it rides the torque wave at highway speeds.
Fitted with Pirelli P Zero tyres, road noise is on the slightly higher side on coarse surfaces, and the relative lack of sound deadening is apparent when driving on freshly laid tarmac, with the underside of the car sounding like it’s being pelted by bullets.
However, you can either offset this by turning up the volume on the Bang and Olufsen sound system, or choosing one of the louder exhaust modes: Sport or Race Track (the latter of which will exceed noise limits, so use responsibly).
On a driving loop out to Brisbane’s northern mountain roads, the Dark Horse is comfortable to take a family of three out, with the second row providing ample room for a child seat – and ISOFIX points make it even easier to install one.
The Magneride suspension helps to quell feeling of its circa-1850kg kerb weight, and variable steering weights can allow drivers to choose what best suits them for the conditions.
On a few tight corners, it’s easy to keep the car in third, roll into the corners and ease it out, again using the torque available down low from the V8.
If there’s one complaint about the feeling in the car, it’s that the bolsters of the Recaro seats are a tad on the tight side, even for those with a reasonably average frame. This combined with the awkward placement of cupholders behind the gear selector can make for awkward twists.
You can’t quite throw the Mustang Dark Horse around like a Mazda MX-5, but it doesn’t feel its weight when going through sweeping corners, or even slowing down thanks to the big Brembo brakes all-round.
One fault I previously experienced with the S650 Mustang was a freezing or stuttering of the infotainment system, especially when connected to Apple CarPlay. While this has happened across three cars, two phones and two operating systems, the same issues didn’t plague me this time around.
Though the Mustang Dark Horse shines on fast roads by being more capable than the GT while still retaining some of the good parts of being a grand tourer, it’s the track where it was made to show its strengths off.
With that in mind, we took a quick trip out to Queensland Raceway to give the Dark Horse a shakedown around the Switchback Circuit, a layout which incorporates the Paperclip’s service roads to give drivers a few more chances to show off their slow-speed abilities.
There’s no shortage of straight-line poke, while track-focused features such as no-lift shifting (allowing drivers to not lift their foot off the accelerator above 5000rpm and 90 per cent throttle to change up) and rev matching (automatic heel-and-toe) help to aid drivers on the more amateur levels.
Heading into turn one, the bumps try to unsettle the car, but it rides it out and remains neutral through the corner. Trail braking into turn two helps to get it around the longer-than-expected turn.
While Supercars continue straight and barrel down to turn three, the Switchback circuit takes a sharp right, dipping down before linking up to what’s more commonly known as turn four, the first of the double left-handers.
Out of the second left hander, the Dark Horse sprints to the redline on the approach to turn five, another left turn which rises slightly as it quickly turns into a double right, something which can catch cars with a light front-end off guard.
Finally it’s a case of patience around the last hairpin, leading back to the start-finish straight, allowing the Mustang to be stretched through second, third and fourth gear before doing it all again.
After a few laps grip was down – likely due to running standard road pressures – but the engine and transmission were staying at normal temperature, while the brakes continued to work well despite their harsh punishment.
All up, it felt like there were enough systems to keep the Dark Horse pointing in the right direction, even when the driver overstepped their skill level.
Unfortunately we’re yet to test the Mustang GT on track, but I’m not sure I would have felt as comfortable pushing it as hard for as long around the circuit.
Which begs the question to Ford Australia: why not bring more Dark Horses to local showrooms? It’s getting discounted in the US, it’s being used here as the centrepiece of a new racing series, and it is arguably a solid ‘cost-effective’ alternative for buyers who are looking at European two-door sports coupes, such as the M2.
It isn’t the perfect car – the cupholder placement is genuinely annoying, and those tech gremlins I’ve previously experienced left me worried about when they might next strike – but in a world where thumping V8s and manual transmissions are rare, the Dark Horse feels like a special pony amongst a dying breed.
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