Next-generation Ford Mustang Dark Horse – South African pricing revealed

Ford this week announced that the all-new Mustang Dark Horse is set to go on sale in South Africa in the second quarter of 2024, but its pricing has already been uncovered.

At launch, the souped-up ‘Stang will retail from R1,500,000 and buyers can add an additional R36,667.75 to get the 6-year/90,000km maintenance plan, a well-informed source told Instagram’s Motor Magnet.

As the flagship model, it will naturally be pricier than the standard seventh-generation Mustang GT that is arriving at the start of next year, which in turn is going to be more expensive than the sixth-generation version which will have been on sale for just shy of a decade when it is discontinued in 2024.

As such, the new GT entry-level model is likely to be priced somewhere between the current coupe’s R1,139,000 and the Dark Horse’s R1.5 million, continuing its legacy as a competitively-priced sports car that can battle it out with the best.

2024 Ford Mustang family

First Mustang performance series in 21 years

The Dark Horse is the “first new Mustang performance series in 21 years,” said Ford, setting a benchmark for street and track abilities for the legendary muscle car.

It employs the Blue Oval’s famous 5.0-litre, Coyote V8 engine which has been uprated with piston connecting rods and a dual throttle-body intake design to generate 372kW and 567Nm – 10kW more than the GT – lending it the accolade of being the most powerful naturally-aspirated production Mustang ever.

The drivetrain is completed with a six-speed manual gearbox, with the option existing to swap this to a 10-speed automatic.

To sharpen the Mustang’s on-track performance, the Dark Horse was further treated to unique chassis tuning, larger rear sway bars, heavy-duty front shocks, a Torsen rear differential, and a lightweight strut tower brace and K-brace.

Stopping power comes courtesy of 19-inch Brembo brakes in the front with 13.9-inch rotors, and the 19-inch wheels are shod with standard Pirelli P Zero (PZ4).

The two-door also gets the MagneRide suspension system capable of monitoring wheel and tyre movement up to 1,000 times per second for optimal grip.

A menacing look to match the intense architecture, the Dark Horse features a bold shadow graphic around darkened LED headlamps, a model-unique gloss black grille with trapezoidal nostrils, high-gloss “fangs” in the lower front bumper, extended side skirts, a fixed rear wing, a new race-inspired diffuser, and darkened quad exhaust tips.

It also sees exclusive badging to visually separate it from the GT variants placed on the fenders, trunk, and door sills; mimicked inside on the instrument panel and digital display screens; while a dark anodized version of the famous pony stays on the nose.

Unique to the track-focused Mustang is a Blue Ember metallic paint, described as “a cool, dark shade that emits a warm glow when it catches the light,” said Ford.

Opening the door reveals a driver-focused digital cockpit consisting of a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster with customisable screens, which flows into a 13.2-inch central infotainment system running the latest Sync 4 operating software.

In addition, the Dark Horse gets individual niceties such as a thicker flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in suede and finished with Bright Indigo Blue accent stitching, a dedicated drive mode button at thumb’s reach, and anodised silver paddle shifters on the automatic and a 3D-printed titanium shift ball for the manual.

Furthermore, contrasting blue needlework adorns the door panels, seats, gear shift gaiter, and center console which matches the unique blue seatbelts, and the overall ambience is complemented by a dark metallic gloss finish called Black Alley on the interior trims, bezels, and vents – replacing the familiar bright silver shades of other Mustang trim levels.

The Dark Horse also comes with the latest B&O Sound System, providing crisp audio through 12 speakers and a subwoofer.

More information on the new Mustang range such as the full South Africa specifications and line-up are due to be released closer to its launch date in 2024.