Ford SA announces price of upcoming Mustang Dark Horse

Ford has revealed that the new Mustang Dark Horse will be launched in SA next month at R1.5m.

The most powerful naturally aspirated Mustang yet, the Dark Horse will be the flagship of the new, seventh-generation Mustang pony car featuring more power, a track-tweaked chassis and unique styling cues compared with the standard Mustang GT priced at R1.3m.

“The Dark Horse looks mean and purposeful, and delivers the thrill and excitement of a thoroughbred V8 sports car whether driving it on the road or taking it to the track,” says Sunil Sewmohan, executive director of product marketing at Ford SA.

The car is visually amped up with open nostrils in the gloss black grille to improve breathing, darkened LED headlamps, dark 19-inch alloy wheels, a unique lower front bumper with high gloss “fangs” and lower side skirts. A fixed rear wing, race-inspired diffuser and darkened quad exhaust tips complete the car’s track-focused design cues.

Unique to Mustang Dark Horse is blue ember metallic paint with a black-painted roof, bonnet graphics, blue Brembo brake calipers and blue accents on the seats. New Mustang Dark Horse badges were designed for this performance version, and each car features an individual chassis number.

Power comes from a Coyote 5l V8 petrol engine with 334kW (6kW more than the Mustang GT) and 540Nm of torque. It is laid down via rear-wheel drive, a 10-speed automatic transmission with sport paddle shifters, a traction-enhancing Torsen rear differential and standard Pirelli P Zero tyres with staggered sizes.

The Dark Horse has the claimed capability to blitz the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.4 seconds and reaches a 250km/h top speed. 

To handle the rigours of track work, the car has additional engine and brake cooling, a tweaked chassis with larger rear sway bars and heavy-duty front shocks, and powerful Brembo brakes. Steering response and grip are enhanced by a lightened strut tower brace and K-brace designed by the Ford Performance division.

The Mustang Dark Horse rides on MagneRide active suspension that optimises the ride based on driving surface and driving mode. There are six drive modes: Normal, Sport, Slippery, Drag, Track and a customisable setting with up to six individual profiles.

The Mustang Dark Horse infuses performance style and functionality into the seventh-generation car’s technologically advanced, driver-centric cockpit.

A thicker, flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in suede and finished with blue accent stitching incorporates anodised silver paddle shifters. A dedicated Drive Mode button is at thumb’s reach, allowing drivers to quickly choose the desired driving set-up. This sits in front of a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster with customisable screens.

The digital instrument cluster flows into a 13.2-inch Sync4 infotainment screen angled towards the driver. Together, these screens create an immersive digital experience that emulates a fighter jet cockpit.

Contrasting blue stitching across the door panels and seats, gear shift gaiter and centre console lift the ambience of the cabin, enhanced further by unique blue seat belts. Interior trim, bezels and vents are finished in Black Alley — a dark metallic gloss replacing the familiar bright silver shades of the standard Mustang GT.

The R1.5m price includes a four-year/120,000km warranty with four-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance. Optional service or maintenance plans of up to eight years/165,000km are available.

This article originally appeared in Business Day.