Brace yourself, because the Ford Mustang is going somewhere it hasn’t been before in Australia – six-figures. The range-topping 2024 Mustang Dark Horse Special Edition will top out at $103,002, pushing the American pony car into European sports car territory.
But that’s just part of the story, because the rest of the range has jumped in price with the arrival of this new-generation model, due in the second quarter of next year. Ford has confirmed that it will offer six variants of the new ‘S650’ model initially, with the EcoBoost and GT returning alongside the Dark Horse. However, the Dark Horse will be limited to just 1000 units locally and only in the Fastback bodystyle.
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The Dark Horse with the six-speed Tremec manual transmission will set you back $99,102. But while neither model is cheap, they do offer a lot of bang for your buck, as we discovered when we drove the Mustang Dark Horse at the Charlotte Motor Speed Roval earlier this year.
It’s motivated by Ford’s most powerful naturally-aspirated Mustang engine yet, a 5.0-litre V8 ‘Coyote’ tuned to make 372kW of power and 566Nm of torque. The Tremec manual ‘box is capable of ‘flat-shifting’ and it has a unique suspension tune compared to the GT.
Speaking of the GT, it will be priced from $77,002 for the six-speed manual and $80,902 for the 10-speed automatic coupe. The GT will offer the only convertible variant, with the V8-powered drop-top priced at $86,102.
The GT is powered by the Coyote V8 but is tuned to make 347kW and 550Nm.
READ MORE: Ford Mustang Dark Horse review
Finally, the entry-point to the range is the EcoBoost Fastback which costs $64,990. It’s powered by a new version of Ford’s 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine, making 232kW and 475Nm, and paired exclusively to the 10-speed automatic transmission.
These prices represent a major increase for this latest version of the pony car. For example, the EcoBoost is more than $12,000 more expensive and just $300 less than the out-going GT model. The new GT, meanwhile, is $11,712 more than the current GT and puts it in the same ballpark as the $87,380 Toyota Supra and above the $75,800 Nissan Z.
But this price increase does come with a ramp up in standard equipment, including the introduction of the line lock feature that we missed on the previous model and the all-new Drift Brake.
The other major change is inside, with the new Mustang featuring a new digital display, which incorporates a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 13.3-inch infotainment touchscreen into a single element that is tilted towards the driver. Unlike the rest of the world, this single massive display will be standard across the range in Australia.
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Ford says this was a key request from younger buyers who prefer technology over the retro-inspired look from the sixth-generation model. However, it means the famous ‘double brow’ dashboard design that was a Mustang hallmark has been dropped to accommodate the big screens.
“Given this is a new generation, there are significant technology and feature upgrades across the line-up,” said a Ford spokesmans. “Also, any pricing adjustment across our line-up is undertaken after an evaluation of market conditions, which takes into consideration a number of different external factors.”
Ford says it has secured “strong supply” of the new model and is confident it will be able to match demand for the popular sports car.
2024 Ford Mustang range and pricing
EcoBoost Fastback – $64,990
GT Fastback (manual) – $77,002
GT Fastback (auto) – $80,902
GT Convertible (auto) – $86,102
Dark Horse (manual) – $99,102
Dark Horse (auto) – $103,002
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