Ford Mustang Dark Horse – Review
By Liam Bird, August 2025
My Facebook feed was awash a little while ago with photos of Bruce Springsteen concerts. Apparently, The Boss, as his legions of devoted fans refer to him, had brought his Land of Hope and Dreams Tour here to the UK. To his followers, old Bruce is a true blue collar icon, and despite his no doubt near-astronomical wealth, he’s seen as very much the working class hero. I watched him being interviewed on The Graham Norton Show once, he was quite funny; more jovial than I expected. As for seeing him in concert though, or buying any of his records… not a chance! I can’t put my finger on why, but I’ve never fully harmonised with the whole Bruce Springsteen thing.
Another born in the USA icon I’ve never really understood the fascination for is the Ford Mustang. Although, I will concede, I think it makes a much nicer noise than Bruce ever did. I know the Mustang also has legions of devoted, near-religious, admirers. And if my recent time with Ford’s latest Mustang Dark Horse Mustang is anything to go by, judging by the amount of positive comments and looks it received during my tenureship, it continues to gain them in ever increasing numbers. I, however, am still failing to completely fall for its charms.
“A certain presence”
Now, before we go on I know Steve McQueen, in his role as detective Frank Bullitt, looked about as cool as he could get in his Highland Green Mustang Fastback GT 390. I’ve watched that film countless times. But, I’ve always thought the Slate Grey Porsche 911S McQueen drove, whilst playing the role of the conflicted endurance racer Michael Delaney in the opening scenes of Le Mans, was a far nicer, more sophisticated, dare I say, looking car. (It was certainly a far more sophisticatedly engineered one…).
On first seeing it, a friend of mine commented that the latest version of the Mustang looked as if its front and rear had been designed by different people in different rooms, the one not seeing the product of the other until it was too late to change anything. Even I thought that was a bit harsh.
“What of this latest version?”
So then, what of this latest version of Ford’s most hallowed and star-spangled muscle car? The Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
Despite most of the metal work now being new, all of the classic Mustang styling cues are still very much in evidence. The glass and the roof have actually been carried over from the previous generation, and the long nose, short tailed silhouette is still all-but unmistakable. The Dark Horse is distinguishable by its large rear wing and decal set, exclusive – albeit slightly nailed-on looking – pony badging, and set of 19 inch alloy wheels that have a less elaborate spoke pattern than those found on the more common-or-garden Mustang GT.
They also, bizarrely, look a size or two too small for the Mustang’s brawny and generously proportioned wheel arches. The Dark Horse facelift also adds a more aggressive grille, quad black tail-pipes, blue brake calipers with Grabber logo, LED headlights, and trademark tri-bar LED taillights. Whichever way you look at it the Dark Horse certainly has a certain presence, especially-so in its exclusive Blue Ember paint job complete with black roof. It’s all a bit Fast and Furious.
“More than enough muscle”
Beneath that long bonnet sits Ford’s Coyote 5.0-litre V8, in this guise packing 447bhp. That’s actually less than the American spec Dark Horse Mustangs as a result of “our” cars having stricter emissions regulations and a fuel particulate filter. The strut front/multi-link rear suspension layout is as before albeit now with the addition of MagneRide adaptive suspension with pothole mitigation as standard, and a Torsen limited-slip diff. It’s rear wheel drive, of course, and customers can choose either a 10 speed auto ‘box or, exclusive to the Dark Horse, a 6-speed Tremec manual.
The big surprise is just how good the ride is. The Dark Horse irons out bumps in a way I simply wasn’t expecting. The steering too inspires confidence, it doesn’t feel soft or over assisted as so many American systems often do.
That said, you will need an awful lot of space if you like making your Mustang wag its tail. At over six-and-a-half feet wide and over 15 feet long it never feels anything but ginormous. Country roads just aren’t its thing. It feels heavy too. 0-62 might only take 5.2 seconds – still quick by anyone’s standards. But because of the Mustang’s size and its almost lazy-feeling nature it never feels as fast as it actually is.
Motorway cruising speeds equate to little more than 1800rpm, and even though there’s more than enough muscle to bludgeon your way past row after row of slower moving traffic once out in the open – that V8 bellowing as you do so, the Mustang makes a far better cruiser – a GT – than it ever will an out-and-out sports car.
“Retro styling”
That Tremec gearbox also makes the whole experience almost too physical too – it’s as if it’s been made to feel deliberately heavy and recalcitrant – an unnecessary reminder, should you need one, that you’re driving a proper good ol’ hairy-chested V8 hot-rod from the other side of the pond.
And let’s not forget the Mustang’s thirst. Drive fast, or go racing in the street – as Bruce might say – or drive the Mustang like a stolen car, and you’ll soon see less than high-teens mpg. You certainly won’t drive all night without having to stop for a fill-up, that’s for sure. Come parking time you’ll also need the skills of a super-tanker captain to avoid any embarrassing multi-storey mishaps.
Still, perhaps it’s better to look out of Mustang than to look too closely into one. The retro styling of the exterior may well be the cat’s whiskers to some eyes, but the new TFT screen festooned interior is, to mine eyes at least, a bit of a dog’s dinner. Everything’s still configured for left-hand drive, so the “handbrake lever” – it’s actually an electronic switch in disguise – feels a long way away; the indicator stalks are straight out of a Transit van; the rear seats are hopeless if you’re any taller than three feet six; the switches feel flimsy, and the “leather” trim and hard, scratchy, and highly reflective in bright sunlight, plastics seem to have come from the same synthetic source. Like in many a Ford of old, this interior feels it’s been built down to a price.
“Easy to get caught up”
Ah yes, the price. That’s where once the Mustang used to make sense. You used to be able to buy Ford’s 5 litre V8 coupe for £36,495, whereas today the Dark Horse will set you back almost double that. “My” car rang the tills at £72,340.
If you let it, it’s still very easy to get caught up in the mystique of the Mustang, to be blinded by the light; this is very much a car you buy with your heart rather than your head. Nevertheless, if it was me having to pay my money down I’d be looking elsewhere, and no doubt at something in a decidedly more European state of tune.
Ford Mustang Dark Horse 5.0 V8 Fastback 6 Speed Tremec Manual
Engine: 5,038cc 32V V8 DOHC Petrol
Power: 447 BHP @ 7,250 rpm
Torque: 398 lbft @ 5,100 rpm
Transmission: 6 speed manual, rear wheel drive
Performance: 0-62mph 5.2 sec
Max Speed: 163 mph
MPG: 23.5 Combined
CO2: 279 g/km
Price: From £70,740 (as driven) £72,340
Liam Bird first stepped into automotive journalism in 2009, and since then has gone on to write motoring-related content for numerous titles. A former approved driving instructor – he also holds a motorcycle, and a HGV licence – Liam is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and, despite being born on the other side of the border, is treasurer of The Welsh Motoring Writers. He lives in the South Shropshire Marches with his partner Rebecca, her VW Up!, and his ever increasing collection of cars both large and small. When he’s not writing, more often than not, Liam can be found test-driving something worryingly expensive.
@bird_liam
