Expecting top-notch paintwork and no panel gaps whatsoever from a Ford is nothing more than wishful thinking. But as far as the Mustang Dark Horse is concerned, that's not your average Ford. It's not your average 'Stang either, but the most powerful variant available for 2024. Priced at $59,270 from the outset, the Dark Horse also happens to be almost twice the price of the auto-only EcoBoost.
Finished in Blue Ember Metallic, the Dark Horse in the video below has only 144 miles (232 kilometers) on the clock. According to Chicago Auto Pros co-owner Jason Otterness, the Ford Motor Company did a pretty bad job with the paint of this particular example of the breed. Problems further include a few gaps here and there, as well as deep scratches in the glass and a trunk gasket that wasn't properly seated.
Regarding those paint imperfections, Jason first identified missing paint on the passenger-side upper corner of the front bumper. The passenger-side rear wheel well features two boogers of paint on the edge of the fender. Moving on to the driver-side rear wheel well, he discovered a piece of paint falling off the edge of that respective fender. Pretty bad, isn't it?
It only gets worse, though. The driver-side wheel well is hindered by a ginormous air bubble that's extremely hard to correct. Jason then noticed a gap between the passenger headlight and front bumper, a gap so big that he could stick his index finger in it.
A small dust nib on the passenger-side front fender is noted as well, along with scratches on the rear quarter window and a small dent with sanding marks on the rear quarter panel. Jason further discovers rock chips on the rocker panel, two dust nibs right next to the door handle, and more sanding marks on the door.
Photo: Chicago Auto Pros on YouTube
Given these circumstances, a paint thickness gauge enters the scene. Lo and behold, the spot with the sanding marks has less paint due to said wet sanding. Think 3.48 millimeters thick compared to 4.1 to 4.5 millimeters thick for the rest of the passenger door.
As if that wasn't enough, the rear window's lower left and right corners feature scratches from the inside rather than the outside of the window. Worse still, the driver's door doesn't sit flush with the rocker panel.
One too many issues for a car worth in excess of $60,000 after optional extras and the destination freight charge, don't you think? At the end of the day, remember that we're looking at a car from a volume-oriented automaker with a spotty quality record.
It would be madness to expect perfection from a Mustang, especially a first-year model like the 2024. On the other hand, the Dearborn-based automaker doesn't put enough effort into build quality. Remember the 2024 model year Mustang GT with the mismatched seats? That kind of stuff isn't really excusable.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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