Consumer Reports previews the all-new 2024 Ford Mustang coupe and convertible. Could this be the last of the V8 muscle cars?
This not only smooths the ride but may also save the tires and wheels from expensive damage. The 5.0-liter Coyote V8 continues, with modifications that increase output from 460 horsepower to more than 480 horsepower—enough to make this the most powerful Mustang GT ever. The modes are Normal, Sport, Slippery, Drag, Track, and a customizable one. It uses a heavier-duty, six-speed manual transmission developed from the latest Mustang GT 350, a track-focused version inspired by Carroll Shelby. The exterior borrows from the current muscle cars, with a Mustang angular grille and sloped roofline. The dash itself is more of a flat shelf than before. The base powerplant is again a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Ultimately, this Mustang is destined to be a future collectible, one of the last old-school muscle cars. Even the steering wheel now has a flat bottom. An available large glass panel spans from the 12.4-inch digital instrument panel across to the adjacent 13.2-inch infotainment screen. This new car builds on that, and frankly, it starts from a much stronger position than the current generation. The strong base turbo-four powertrain along with thrilling GT V8 muscle suit the car well.
The new Dark Horse performance variant will spawn two race cars, while Ford will also compete in GT3, GT4, Australia Supercars, NASCAR, and NHRA racing.
There will also be a fire suppression system, as well as a pit speed limiter and a data collection system. The Dark Horse R is even more racing-focused, with a fuel cell to boost range, special Ford Performance Parts wheels, and strategic seam welding to make the body of the car stiffer. The Dark Horse will directly spawn two track cars, the Dark Horse S and Dark Horse R, neither of which will be street-legal.
Ford isn't offering power and torque figures for either the 2.3-liter EcoBoost or 5.0-liter Generation IV Coyote V-8. We still got a lot of details on these ...
The automatic is the Ford's familiar 10-speed, introduced with the face-lifted Mustang of 2018, with new control electronics. "It's important to keep the EcoBoost in the base car to keep things affordable and attainable," Krenz says. Both the manuals are carryovers, with the Getrag unit offered in GT models, while the Dark Horse gets upgraded to the Tremec first introduced on the Shelby GT350 and offered on the Mach 1. Like the V-8, the EcoBoost benefits from a new dual-fuel system with both port and direct injection and the compression ratio is up to 10.6:1 from 9.5:1. Both variations on the new 5.0 get a new steel oil pan designed to reduce windage losses, and a new left-side exhaust manifold to increase flow. Still, there's a lot to talk about with what's going on under the hood of the new S650 Mustang.
The new trim, which debuted at the 2022 Detroit auto show, marks the first all-new Mustang performance name in over 20 years.
Ford says it’s targeting 500 horsepower with the V8 Coyote engine that will run at “480-plus” in the regular V8 models. It’s called the “Dark Horse,” and it’s the brand’s first such new performance name on Mustang since the Bullitt trim was introduced in 2001. Turns out the event wasn’t over, and even as the Internet saw pre-written stories about the launch, written by journalists using materials provided in advance, crop up, Ford did what is increasingly difficult in this digitally enabled world and surprised us all with a brand-new performance model that nobody saw coming.
So it is appropriate to compare the two and see what Ford designers thought should change, and why. The Mustang is a somewhat difficult car to do a new design ...
The taillights have been slimmed up as have the headlights. Overall, the upper rear end tried to eliminate the fussiness of the current Mustang, while the lower section comes up to give the rear some visual foundation. Again, this helps to downplay all of the surface changes and fussiness of the current Mustang. The hood and how it leads into the base of the windshield have also been flattened out. And the sharp break of the upper fender bulges has been softened, too. Yet, the shoulders have a bit more crown to emphasize their muscularity. In the front, the grille that tapers down has almost been flipped top to bottom. From the side, the beltline is dipping down more through the door and then extends higher towards the rear to emphasize the aggressive fender shoulders. The Mustang is a somewhat difficult car to do a new design for because there are so many previous [generations that are iconic](https://www.motorbiscuit.com/ford-mustang-popular-sports-car-40-states-state-one/). And the separate parking lights have given way to integration in the three-section LED headlights. So, while the overall design is cleaner, it is also visually less flabby, if you will. [Mustang](https://www.motorbiscuit.com/tag/ford-mustang/), you can see that, in spite of it using essentially the same architecture as the current version, there are huge differences in technology, interiors, and overall styling.
True to its name, the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse roared into Detroit without warning. We're glad it's here.