2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse (10-Speed Automatic) - POV First Driving Impressions
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2023
- Base MSRP: $63,265; total price as tested: $75,145
Engine: 5.0 L V8 making 500 hp @ 7250 rpm, 418 lb-ft torque @ 4900 rpm
MPG: 15 city / 23 highway
Options:
-Tech Pack - B&O Sound System, 12 speaker
-$1500 Dark Horse Appearance Package - Black painted Roof, blue calipers w/blue logo
-Hood stripe, gloss black w/tarnished accent
-$4995 Dark Horse handling package - Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires
F: 305/30ZR-19, R: 315/30ZR-19, spoiler w/gurney flap,
-$200 Premium floor liners w/carpet mats
-Wireless Charger
-$1650 Recaro Seats
-$1595 10-Speed automatic Transmission - 3.55 torsen rear axle
-Gas guzzler tax
-$1595 Destination
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Авто/Мото
Highlight of the week in the Dark Horse: I wanted to switch the exhaust into quiet mode leaving the neighborhood…hit the menu button in my driveway and it took UNTIL I HAD LEFT THE NEIGHBORHOOD for the exhaust menu to load. Truly a menace, the new Mustang.
I never really gave a conclusion in this video, so here it is - there are some notable improvements here with the Dark Horse. Steering is tighter and more responsive and gearbox tuning is a lot better on the 10-speed auto. Can’t wait to drive the 6MT Tremec TR 3160. Performance here is next level for a Mustang, we’ll have to get this out on track where we can truly explore the limits, cause it ain’t happening on the street!
Now onto the rest - The screens look pretty badass at night, and definitely bring a cool modern feel to the interior. The menus, gauges, and animations are all really well designed and are beautiful to look at imo. I'm sure Ford will fix some of this with OTA updates but we experienced a lot of bugs with this car in the week we had it. Adaptive cruise control not wanting to work, exhaust modes not changing, proximity key settings absent in the menus that are in other Ford products (car would auto lock/beep every time after walking away and couldn't turn it off), and the worst of which was the touch screen that sometimes froze for 15-30 seconds when making menu selections. Sometimes the screen response was great, sometimes it was abysmally laggy.
Interior materials have never been the Mustang's strong suit, but for the price tag here all the plastic (everything) is a hard swallow. C'mon Ford, you're calling it the Dark Horse "Premium" make us believe it. Alcantara wheel? Magnesium paddle shifters? Real carbon fiber? A lot of interior rattles too. Though these press cars are driven very hard.
In the end, some of this could be chalked up to it being a pre-production car (not sure, we just assume most of Ford's press vehicles are pre-production with all the rattles they have), so time will tell if other cars show the same faults. The new Dark Horse drives awesome, but the devil is in the details.
@@doberchic this car has been in development for a long time, but you never know about last minute supplier issues, layoffs on teams that QC this type of stuff, etc.
UI is more laggy than the VW GTI/R?
Might have to do an infotainment shootout someday.
@@TheTopher I am still astounded VW went from the Mk7.5 to the Mk8.......either they had a bad focus group feedback or they ignored the feedback :/. Fingers crossed that VW do a better job with the 8.5, hearing that real buttons will be on the steering wheel.
Sigh, honestly Ford forgot what the Mustang was all about, cheap thrills. Get rid of this stupid looking tablet, give me some analog gauges and a normal infotainment (or hell, give me a 90s stereo with 100 buttons on it) with the same looks and performance exterior and under the hood. All this stuff does is inflate the price. This is more expensive than the GT350 was when it came out, and with options it's more expensive than the GT350R. Ridiculous.
A/C controls should NEVER be on a touchscreen. I won't buy any car that doesn't have analog controls. Gotta be able to reliably change things without having to look.
Agreed. Or give us proper hands-free driving so we don't die changing climate settings
I do agree with you on analog but sadly, in 10 years time, all cars will most likely go down the screen route :(
I have touchscreen HVAC controls in my car, it’s just something you get used to, just like everything else. Nothing to cry about
Sobeit...seems silly but do you.
I have a bmw with the idrive 8 in it and I can't tell how many times I veered off my lane trying to access climate controls
74k for a Mustang that isn’t a GT500 is wild
Gets beat by the old GT’s too lol
Worse than that. It's slower than the 2018s.
@@Selfmade44 Not sure what’s special about the 2018 model compared to any other year after it but how do the 2018 Mustangs compare in a track setting?
@Justin_GFM Nothing special just comparing the fact this car is 30k dollars more plus its slower. Most Mustang GT guys are not really concerned about a track.
@@Justin_GFM it’s America, stoplight to stoplight times are usually the most important.
74k is wild. There’s a lot of competitors both in that price range and cheaper that can provide almost as fun experience and a better interior. Great looking car tho
At 74k you better be offering a corvette equivalent or better.
Чувак, ты просто в россии не был. Тут за новую шкоду октавию просят 50к$
Let it settle, pricing will go down based on demand. And why do you need a dark horse for the streets anyway, rather get a gt and slap the vinyls on, better as a daily
@@homyk1996because of sanctions lol
$74k is more than an IS500 costs, and the IS500 will still work after 200k miles.
I am getting too old... $75k for a mustang.... crazy times
It' s not you, it's Joe Biden and the out of control inflation (Liberals)
Even a can of corn is up 40% than before the Joe Biden era.
If you want 300hp get the base 30k you get what you pay for
@@bellamafiaquackafellarecor7770 my ss 1le is faster than this car 😂
@@Hiddentrax so what? you still gotta drive within speed limit. Plus going "fast" ain't making you a better driver.
@@pepsibottle8465track?
I swear this the perfect channel to watch when u sleepy love it
Seems like a nice ride. Still riding around in my BRZ but can’t help but appreciate a V8.
Hey, you have a car at more than half the price that isnt half the fun. I LOVE mustangs, but 75k is a hard price to swallow when theres heavy competition at that price point.
I'd take a proper drivers car over a mustang any day
@@tradd1763 lol the dark horse is way better than any brz. You just can't handle anything with power.
I have had my BRZ since 2017 and I was thinking of doing an LS swap instead of buying a new car.
wish i had a v8 sometimes tbh. I drive a honda s2k LOL
The color looks really nice in that lighting
His passion is very inspiring, I admire him
I'm glad that Ford decided to keep the mustang going for 2024, where the others have called it quits, but i still think the 18-23 will be the pinnacle of what Mustangs are all about. I could never justify $70k for some body line reshapes, 2 screens, an extra throttle body, and a non-tuneable PCM. I respect it, but i won't own one. im more than pleased with my 2019 401A performance pack for half the cost. 👍
Also as far as the transmission characteristics, that's easily fixed with a calibration reflash. I changed mine to the one from the MACH 1 and it made a nice difference.
I wonder at what point do giant screens in vehicles find diminishing returns on the obvious cost savings by annoying customers to the point of not purchasing. I've never understood committing fully to big screens and then not following through with an adequate hardware/software combo to make them functional. It seems inexcusable, especially at the price point. Entire generations of modern enthusiast cars (Mk8 Golf GTI/R comes to mind) have been ruined by botched UI. I'm not totally against touch screens, but in 2023 a ground-up new software experience needs to blend into the background rather than sticking out like a sore thumb. I don't see that as a huge ask.
100%. I’d argue the level of touchscreen involvement we’ve been seeing lately doesn’t even belong in a car that is light on autonomous driving and safety tech. We’ve seen some manufacturers learn their lesson and backpedal to more simple interiors with physical controls and I hope that the other oems wise up and follow suit.
Tech in the mk8 is fine. Heated seats can be set to come on automatically, as with the heated steering wheel. Android auto connects automatically and switches over. I have a 2023 which suffers less lag than the 2022. That being said, I do think dials and buttons need to be mandatory in all cars for stuff, mostly reliability and safety speaking.
75k for basically a souped up mustang gt is crazy.
That’s zl1 money.
This car is just too cool! I am definitely gonna have one of my siblings get it.
Great video as usual, but please add to the list a video of the DH with manual transmission.
Always enjoy your drives and honest takes. I’m not entirely sure it’s worth $75,000, let alone what the dealers are actually going to charge for the next year and a half…
The price on this thing is crazy, especially considering that the GT350 was $49k when it debuted in 2016 ($56k fully loaded), and the GT350R was only $63k ( i don't think it had options other than A/C and radio deletes/undeletes)
@thetopher Random question: I've been watching your videos since the WR days and I think you're an extremely courteous and logical driver. I've only seen you really push a car with open/safe roads. Have you ever had experiences with road rage when testing a car?
Great review, it really helps remind me that even if I wanted to spend $75,000 that I dont have, there potentially may be better cars. But nonetheless, this is an awesome car, I love the styling. Also, couldn't help but notice early on in the video that you're wearing what looks like a GR logo shirt lol.
Great reviewer! You make it about the car, not the driver❤
lol the revving with the key is amazing
I think the Dark Horse is very cool, but I have no regrets getting my 2023 Mach 1 as a daily driver, especially for 5k off of sticker. I personally prefer the digital dash found on the S550 Mustangs, but the dual screen system is neat. For me personally, the most compelling thing about the Dark Horse is the ~3.8s 0-60 time, compared to the Mach 1's 4.3s 0-60 time. I also prefer the looks of the S550 platform over the S650, the rear has not sat with me since I've seen it during the unveil video.
Good vid Topher!
You made a good choice, especially by not getting the first year of a new gen.
The Mach 1 doesn’t have iPads glued on the dash. Kinda overpriced, but you did good.
The Dark House doesn't do 3.8 with the manual. The mach 1 and the Dark Horse both can do that time in the auto though.
Just a tune and the Mach will run 11’s, can’t say the same for any S650.
@@169abr Very fair point. I am personally a "stock warlord" and plan to keep the car very OEM outside of a few mods offered by Ford, so a tune is likely out of the question for me. Either way, for the price, the Dark Horse is not compelling and the Mach 1 with 470HP is more than enough for me lol.
The turn signal sounds like a heartbeat
It doesss
Jesus is King! Believe in Him and repent to be saved 😁
@@tylerbuck9347 Jesus he is a messenger of allah he is a human like us how he is gonna save us he didn't even can save his self he is a messenger of allah to share islam in the Earth he is a Muslim. May allah guide you to islam please search about islam and see the truth.
The dashboard kills tradition.
It's cray that Ford is charging 75k for this, besides the swede seats that interior is so incredibly cheap looking, so much cheap plastic and fake plastic carbon fiber, if it weren't for that giant laggy infotainment screen it looks like an interior from a 2000s Taurus, not a single cow died to make that interior for your 75k. The Coyote V8 sounds awesome but paired with a 10 speed torque converter is just not it, I would get the manual, but I wish Ford put the 7 speed tremec DCT from the old GT500, that is an awesome transmission and it would be a huge improvement from the 10 speed.
TheTopher makes the best videos ever :)
I love the rectangular retro air vents and dashboard. I don't know if that was an old retro design for this car in the past, but it reminds me a lot of the 80s car designs with the sleek squarish look they were going for then.
Wow that looks like SO much fun to drive. The driver's door seemed rattly every time you shut it. Would love to know what MPG's it gave during your demo drive, which of course is not the point of this car!😂 Exhaust sound was incredible!
@@Brian_Eugene_LeeYou couldn't afford one anyway.
love the videos... love more the Omegas!
The glare on those screens... Ford hasn't heard of anti-reflective coatings?
Made the same comment myself, extremely reflective and massive screens, must be really annoying while driving.
It’s a ford, enough said 😂
@@username8644then the bezel are huge to. It’s like comparing a XR iPhone (the mustang) to a 15 pro max (Tesla)
This actually seems way more affordable then I originally thought. Options with real carbon are probably going to be closer to the 90-100k range these days.
People forget...this a Ford. It's not a luxury brand. It's not meant to be upscale. Corvettes have always caught shit about their interiors as well...people forget...that is a CHEVY. Not a Lexus.
that color is insane
Car looks fantastic!
People in the comments complaining about the price… here in Argentina a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach 1 costs 115K, and the minimum salary is 300 U$S
This is actually sick
Looks like an Aston; beauty
1. Wow, that was fast! Just a day ago I saw that Substitute Topher made a video on this car and assumed that your take was coming soon, and voila, you uploaded your take just a day after!
2. It's interesting that you uploaded a video on this car's predecessor, the Mach 1, on this same month last year. Only difference is (a bit disappointingly) that the Dark Horse is automatic and the Mach 1 tested last year was manual. At least we get to see how the automatic is; we all know the Tremec manual is good! Still would love a video on the manual Dark Horse from you!
Edit: Sub Topher's video was uploaded four days ago! Still relatively quick timing, I think.
definitely will try to get into a manual! And out on track if timing allows
The 10 speed may be better than before, but it still seems disappointing compared to a ZF8 or DCT system. There's no drama with the shifting and it still looks like it has a bit of lag between tapping the paddle and the transmission actually shifting.
ZF8 is probably the best auto trans on the market at the moment, the 10R is great at WOT but that’s it.
yea i bought my mustang with the 10 speed and i heavily dislike using the paddles, the lag time and rev hang varies depending on gear, the gears being so damn close makes it a nuisance having to shift so many times, and even in auto mode it works mostly fine but sometimes it doesnt know what gear it wants. my other cars are dct's and the difference is night and day
That’s the issue with the Automatic mustangs, a 10 speed torque converter in a muscle car just isn’t fitting, it has so many gears and such close gear ratios that it sounds like a CVT when accelerating and the shifts are not that quick either. The 8 speed ZF in the Challenger is a much better transmission. It behaves more like a duel clutch, long gearing and much faster shifts. This 10 speed just doesn’t suit the character of this car. Which is why I’d pick the 6 speed manual, Ford should have offered a 7 or 8 speed dual clutch for a automatic option instead of this 10 speed.
@@zoomzoom3839 the shifts are stupid fast, in normal mode is does sound like a CVT floating thru the gears but in anything other than Normal. In sport or track it feels like a solid shifting auto like the ZF8 and at WOT the gears and super tight ratio feel amazing. I would’ve preferred 8 gears as well but the 10R does fight the high revving nature of the Coyote.
@@169abr The whole point of a 5.0L mustang is to enjoy the high revving nature of the Coyote engine. Why would you put a 10 speed transmission in that fights the nature of the vehicle, as well tuned as this 10 speed is. It was never built to be in a performance vehicle. It’s not a sporting transmission, it’s a fuel saver for the F-150 or the expedition. All I’m saying is that if it didn’t have 10 gears you could actually enjoy revving out the engine without worrying about it upshifting all the time.
Sounds so 🔥
Stunning!!
I honestly had a completely different interior experience. The touch screens were super responsive and fluid, and the materials felt MUCH better than the s550. Was this a preproduction car?
Idk if it was just the one you were testing but i was in one of the new regular gt and the touch screen was very responsive
8:00 the reflection of the right hand in the screen is so trippy, do you see that as well or just the camera??
Life long mustang fan and driver - I hate that display. The previous model had a digital dash that was actually integrated and good looking.
I wanna see you driving the Z Nismo! 🔥
8:56 that classic cluster though
Mustangs is the greatest car in the world.
Camaro has a better v8.
how is the automatic gearbox ? VS the manual ?
Nice video !
Great video, as always. Did you ever get a check engine light on during your time driving it? I wondered with the exhaust not allowing a change in modes if that caused a CEL. Thank you!
Nope, no CELs. Just a software bug I’m sure they’ll work out someday
@@TheTopher Thank you. I have the same problem on mine, but it has tripped a CEL, as one of the muffler exhaust valves isn’t working right. Was curious how common the issue was, as usually that error was tied to an active exhaust issue on the S550.
I have an 2020 S550 mustang... and the transmission changes about once a month due to over the air updates and has gotten really good... this darkhorse good.
What do you mean by transmission changes?
@@kjk4795I think he means ECU flash updates to probably change the shift points and how the Trans behaves.
Nice looking stang, but the last gen is still my favorite and can’t see myself getting into the newer gen.
I really like the Pre-Facelift S550's, they're my favorite
@@zdgaming7984Same, I wish they had kept with the 2015-2017 S550 front end.
@@Tanner_Teves I also really loved how that second gen coyote sounded with the corsa extreme full exhaust system
@@Brian_Eugene_Lee 😂 The doo DOO doo is.. well… doodoo
I love how everyone is complaining about the car not being as good as other Mustangs but no one is talking about it being _naturally aspirated_ at 500 hp.
This thing has nearly 50% more performance per pound than the naturally aspirated Mazda Miata for only 40% more total weight. That’s HIGHLY impressive coming from Ford.
They need a sport mode for the infotainment screen.
Topher, how do you compare the Dark Horse with the new M2 and which one would you choose?
New chime sounds pretty sick. Bummer about all the lag and controls hidden in the infotainment. Give me the knobs and buttons back.
Please stooooop. you are gonna make me have to get one of these D:
Let me know when you or Substitute Topher get a normal GT to compare lol I feel like most of the complaints I've seen have mainly been narrowed down to just not great tires on the base GT and Base Dark horse. I get the feeling those Trofeo RS's are probably going to net out to being the next wonder tire alongside the Cup 2 R's but time and laptimes will tell that at later date.
The S650 Mustang is the Halo Infinite of cars. Designed by a marketing team trying to hit all the trendy points and ultimately sterilizing the soul right out of it.
Boom boom boom. Nothing will beat 3 or Reach.
You should put put the trans in "S" mode for agressive shifting in any drive mode.
Is the dark horse a limited run model or is it limited for due to supply chain issues?
Finally someone who speaks to squeaks and rattles. Thank you for paying attention to the details. Be well.
mercedes started this one full screen for the dash and info trend then they went away from it and then brought it back just larger in the eqs
Is it just the camera or are those screens really reflective?
I’m telling you, all the touchscreen stuff is cool until it lags/breaks then what do you do? My infotainment system went out (and is still out) on my 2018 Mustang last year and the dealership wanted $1200 to fix it after running me $200 for a diagnostic fee.
Yep. That's exactly what my dad has been arguing over the past decade. He used to work as a mechanic at a local Ford dealer. He would always say all the tech (keep in mind this was pre-2010) is nice and all until it fails and you're out of warranty. That's where the real "fun" begins.
For $200 id buy my own diagnostic tool and then give them the error codes my self.
@@scuba6797 I definitely have to give you an update seven months later. I ended up buying the replacement part that’s directly behind the screen for 500 bucks and spend a couple hours tearing apart all the panels to get to it to replace it. Radio works good as new for now.
I rather have a regular no digital dash than all those screens. Also they need to put AC control below the screen. They also need to just have a smaller screen that shows temperature, time, and music and other setting like how the S550s were.
Are the crash tests safety ratings of hi perf Fords as good as the Explorer"s?
I love Mustangs
75k is crazy might as well buy a c8
in manual mode, when it reaches the limiter, does it change gear by itself?
I wanna see you test drive the 2001 Honda passport next
Remind me of my 2016 focus, “why is my car shifting right now?”. lol
Exhaust sounds very reminiscent of the 2v mustang gt
Oh my gawd, that exhaust....my old ears are approaching the day when they won't work anymore. May the last sound I hear on this earth be the throbbing roar of that beautiful Coyote V-8....
I have the GT. I dont mind the ac controls being on the screen but the laggyness makes it really bad
between lexus is500 and mustang gt which one would you chose?
the key rev is such a cheesy but hilarious feature lol
I have a 97 Mustang GT, the automatic transmission is very weak, and the 10-speed transmission, I don't know how strong it is?
Great car and video. I don’t know if you can control it but 8 advertisements in the video is a bit much
How much for the entry level Mustang? and is it a V6 or V8? (the entry level model)
Was in the Market for a Mustang for a while, was waiting to see what the 2024 looked like. Soon as I saw that dash I went and found a 2022 to make mine. Dunno how anyone could live with that dash plus HVAC in the screen should be illegal.
I have the same opinion of the screens. Looking at getting a S550 soon
The engine sounds fantastic. The interior looks cheaper than cheap. It's easy to see why people can't leave parking lots without puking on their shoes.
Is it possible to drive High Speed in the U.S. like on the Autobahn in Germany?
Can you do a review on the regular GT 10speed
Wow the first time a mustang interior doesn't look like it is from 1985.
Ford definitely needs to fix their QC. Having rattles are a brand new car costing $70k is kind of insane, but I guess now that they are the only game in town there is no competition to push them forward. Car looks great and sounds great though!
I do tend to hate A/C controls buried into screens, but in the new Mustang, the dash area is rather small so I can kinda see that they did this to make it minimalistic and clean. It's more annoying when they do this on vehicles like the new Subarus where even though they have a much larger dash space, they still decide to bury it into a giant screen.
on track in manual mode you wouldn’t be utilizing all the gears, lowest gear you’d probably need would be 2 and the highest is probably 6th or 7th seeing that you can hit well into triple digits in those gears
Remember when the 2020 gt500 started at 73k and it sounded pricey? Now this pos is 74k with some options. Back in 2019 you could get a 2012 roush stage 3 for 28 grand with under 40k miles, i know because i almost bought it.
These prices are just monopoly money
It sounds like a nascar v8 🤩
My question would be on why someone would spend around $3,000 more for a premium when all it offers is cooled seats(standard seating only), 6 way adjustable seating, and mylink? Awesome mustang overall and would love to own one someday.
I don't really understand this car being in the 70-80k price range. You can get some REALLY nice offerings from the germans for that price that would wipe the floor with this thing in just about every category. Definitely with an extreme improvement in interior quality and just as fast, if not faster on a track. Probably faster on a drag strip as well.
I'm not sure that's exactly true. This is faster than a Boxster for sure. And will beat the base M3 for sure. Boxster S is 77.5k. M3 is 76k. This slightly undercuts them while being a decent chunk faster.
Faster where? Idk man an M3 with X drive is going to destroy this 0-60 and quarter mile just from the launch, and around a track its going to take corners way better because of the chassis balance and superior suspension and exit corners faster. I just don't see the value in this when it has the same interior as a base GT or GT premium for 25k less.... @@royshavrick
@@royshavrickyea idk where you got your info from but this is not beating an m3 dude lol
@@Stevie4171 I mean it will definitely beat it around a track, this thing has really good handling mods and is definitely more exciting than a base M3 with the street tires it has. I would take an M3 over this at the price but that's cuz I am a BMW fanboy.
Wow topher cracking on the dark horse already 😮lol. Touch screen is laggy 😆. Well hopefully the software will update that problem.
Will the Dark Horse be the next Indy pace car?
Base MSRP is now around $58,000
Great review, great quality content. Not a comment about you or video, but, damn....$75k for this tacky-looking (IMO, and I have owned 3 Mustang GT Premiums) and it's not even a Shelby. I'm so glad I decided to upgrade out of Ford before this. But, awesome engine and amazing sound!
I have a Camaro and that leaves the Mustang in the dust. Stronger on the track too.
Camaro transmission feels bad.
@@kjk4795 They are reliable on the track. More so than the Mustang.
@@kjk4795 The Camaro has a more efficient v8 than the Mustang.
its cool ❤
Du sagst, dass der Touchscreen langsam ist aber als du gedrückt hast, hat es alle Befehle sofort ausgeführt.
Nice Camaro.
Only complaint I hear from people is "I would buy it if it was cheaper." Which translates to "I can't afford one so I'm mad." Can't wait to see where Ford goes from here with this platform. They are stepping into a world with a specific Mustang for everyone across the board.
Great car but I've been looking for a Shelby myself. Will probably wait until that releases. Sad that the roads you were driving on were full of potholes, a common feature across America these days it seems.
Tener carro es ser feliz