Okay, folks, here's the scoop. The Chevy Camaro is going the way of the dodo. As is the Dodge Challenger. Or, at least, there's not been an announcement that they'll be directly replaced with something yet. But while GM and Chrysler's respective pony cars are on their way out, the inventor of the whole darn pony show is rolling on as if nothing changed at all.
The standard all-new, seventh-generation Mustang GT is a fantastic car in its own right. But the new Mustang Dark Horse might just be the most aggressive, best looking, and possibly even the fastest pony car at the Jacob K. Javits Center this year, not called the Demon 170. In truth, the Mustang Dark Horse is a much more useable vehicle. Let's take a look at the details.
At the end of the day, a Mustang is a Mustang at this point. We're more or less familiar with what to expect when a new generation makes its face known. But even by those standards, the gen-VII Mustang takes a formula old as the hills itself and makes it feel fresh, interesting, and, dare we say, contemporary as well. You still might be tempted not to think much of the Mustang Dark Horse as you approach it at this year's New York Auto Show. It kind of just looks like another Mustang, doesn't it?
Well, the Mustang Dark Horse wouldn't have its own special podium at Ford's NYIAS booth if it wasn't something very special. Yes, the same basic Mustang silhouette is still as prevalent as ever. You could almost trick yourself into thinking it was a fifth or sixth-gen Mustang from a distance. But as you get closer and closer to the Dark Horse and the Mustang GT sitting below it, you start to get a better picture of what makes the new breed of Mustang so different.
Having only just been unveiled in September of last year in Detroit, the Gen-VII Mustang hasn't even made a full auto show circuit yet. We still haven't had much time to get used to the minutia of what the new face of pony cars looks like. But up close in the flesh, details like two-tone black on Blue Ember metallic paint, aggressive rear spoiler, and black carbon wheels go a long way towards making the Mustang Dark Horse more distinguished.
Photo: Benny Kirk/autoevolution
But more to the point, it's safe to call the gen-VII Mustang more "mature" looking than your average pony car. With a front fascia that's slightly less overtly aggressive than the previous gen VI, you get the sense Ford gave a lot of thought to what lovers of BMW M3s and Audi RS 3s thought of their new Mustang. As if to try and tempt more traditionally Euro-centric side of North American car culture to try getting behind the wheel of American pony cars instead.
If that's the case, Ford's going to need one hell of an engine to lure away fans of European and Japanese sport coupes as well as pony cars from other brands. Does a specially modified variant of the eternally youthful five-liter Coyote V8 engine jetting (a possibly underrated) 500 horsepower fit the bill? Compared to 473 horsepower in the base 2024 M3 with the standard powertrain, the Mustang Dark Horse has a fighting chance against an equivalent German sports coupe it's seldom had in the past.
You might get the impression the Ford Coyote V8 is a little bit like last month's breakfast. Appetizing in hindsight with rose-colored glasses, but a little cold and soggy after a little while. But just keep this in mind, the five-liter Coyota is like the LS3 of Ford engines. Meaning, of course, your average mechanic is going to be able to fix things with no problem when the day comes that this car's factory warranty expires. You might be able to say the same about the equivalent BMW or Audi.
There are plenty of in-depth profiles regarding the particulars of the Mustang Dark Horse's construction out there, including our own. But all these facts and figures are just letters and numbers on a stat sheet until you go and see the car in person. We must say, after meeting the newest hot Mustang in the flesh, we get the impression the seventh Mustang generation is going to be one hell of a fun time.
Photo: Benny Kirk/autoevolution
With a starting price of $57,970 before taxes and fees, there's plenty of ICE and electric hardware in the same price bracket to make the decision to pick the Mustang Dark Horse a very tricky one. But, if you malign how the industry just doesn't build the same kind of hardcore performance coupes they used to, the Dark Horse will feel intimately familiar to you. It'll be as though it's been there your entire life. For those kinds of people, the Mustang Dark Horse is a must-have.
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