Dark Horse poorly received??

[MJS54]

Generally speaking I haven't seen very many S650 Mustangs at all and I have never seen a Dark Horse in person. Part of that is where I live (Montana) but it is early spring so I expect to see more this summer.

I am surprised to see several Dark Horse models for sale at msrp on the internet. Last fall they were asking 10-20k or more ADM.

My opinion is Dark Horse needed to come in around 550hp to really put separation between it and the GT. 14hp is so close it probably is only noticeable on a dyno. The HP is an obvious upgrade over the PP1.

I will say despite the price or my opinion of the car overall the Dark Horse looks a lot better than a GT. The GT sits way too high and without an obvious front splitter it looks awkward to me. And the blue ember and vapor blue are awesome colors.

I agree, the DH should have had more HP and more torque than the GT...and better 0-60 times.

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[Karguy]

Maybe they can give the DH at least the 5.4 from the GT3 and shorter gearing to make it feel more torquey…Change the steering knuckles to tone down the tramlining , turn the touchscreen into a screen operated by a few knobs and buttons and get rid of the droopy black bags under its eyes and call it Boss or GT-R without raising the price by another 10 grand…LOL

 

[roadpilot]

Maybe they can give the DH at least the 5.4 from the GT3 and shorter gearing to make it feel more torquey…Change the steering knuckles to tone down the tramlining , turn the touchscreen into a screen operated by a few knobs and buttons and get rid of the droopy black bags under its eyes and call it Boss or GT-R without raising the price by another 10 grand…LOL

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

 

[Mustang406]

I agree, the DH should have had more HP and more torque than the GT...and better 0-60 times.

I would really like to see Ford bring back PP2 for GTs. Basically everything in the Dark Horse HP and add the coolers this time at a GT level. Maybe after a couple years replace Dark Horse with GT PP2 and then bring out a new Boss or Cobra. Give it 550hp or so and then there is plenty of room for a GT500 as well.

 

[Lastoutlaw_21]

I don't think the car is poorly received. I just think the economy is poor and not in the best situation to spend money on a car for fun. At the end of the day all the NA V8 cars are the same, they add a little HP, add weight, use the same nsne or gove a different name and increase price. The only difference this time is that people are struggling situations due to how the everyone handled the pandemic and cut corners. Heck the only thing that saved the s550 was the 10A. Other than that, it was the same talk about the s550 that we having with the s650 in the beginning.

I have enjoyed my DH and honestly haven't seen one in my color or spec and rarely see them at any of the big car shows in my state or the summit events. Ford could have separated the DH by giving it a built maxed effort 5.2 in the GT500 as an NA build.

 

[GripTime]

I don't think the car is poorly received. I just think the economy is poor and not in the best situation to spend money on a car for fun. At the end of the day all the NA V8 cars are the same, they add a little HP, add weight, use the same nsne or gove a different name and increase price. The only difference this time is that people are struggling situations due to how the everyone handled the pandemic and cut corners. Heck the only thing that saved the s550 was the 10A. Other than that, it was the same talk about the s550 that we having with the s650 in the beginning.

I have enjoyed my DH and honestly haven't seen one in my color or spec and rarely see them at any of the big car shows in my state or the summit events. Ford could have separated the DH by giving it a built maxed effort 5.2 in the GT500 as an NA build.

What color did you get?!?

 

[GripTime]

I agree, the DH should have had more HP and more torque than the GT...and better 0-60 times.

So the DH has upgraded internals. I can't imagine Ford just did that for track durability. They had to be thinking power and rev limit too. Meaning they gave a platform that could take more power and still be track durable. Therefore I can't imagine they are only planning on one or two power adding options. I know Whipple has stuff and maybe one other company, but there has to be plans for more modest power gains and keeping the engine NA. I will wait patiently for the S650 to be unlocked.

 

[Mustang406]

So the DH has upgraded internals. I can't imagine Ford just did that for track durability. They had to be thinking power and rev limit too. Meaning they gave a platform that could take more power and still be track durable. Therefore I can't imagine they are only planning on one or two power adding options. I know Whipple has stuff and maybe one other company, but there has to be plans for more modest power gains and keeping the engine NA. I will wait patiently for the S650 to be unlocked.

Of course Ford is adding models above the Dark Horse. At a minimum a GT500 I would assume. I have doubts about a 350 but a Boss or Cobra is certainly in the realm of possibility.

Also with Dodge having an R/T Charger at an alleged 550hp Ford has room for a mid generation refresh and increase the power of the GT and Dark Horse both to stay competitive numbers wise.

 

[roadpilot]

I would really like to see Ford bring back PP2 for GTs. Basically everything in the Dark Horse HP and add the coolers this time at a GT level.

They did.

They just changed the name.

They named it the Dark Horse.

 

[Mustang406]

I don't think the car is poorly received. I just think the economy is poor and not in the best situation to spend money on a car for fun. At the end of the day all the NA V8 cars are the same, they add a little HP, add weight, use the same nsne or gove a different name and increase price. The only difference this time is that people are struggling situations due to how the everyone handled the pandemic and cut corners. Heck the only thing that saved the s550 was the 10A. Other than that, it was the same talk about the s550 that we having with the s650 in the beginning.

I have enjoyed my DH and honestly haven't seen one in my color or spec and rarely see them at any of the big car shows in my state or the summit events. Ford could have separated the DH by giving it a built maxed effort 5.2 in the GT500 as an NA build.

I agree with you 100% the Dark Horse is too expensive. 75k for a Premium HP car is in the range of cars the Mustang can't compete with.


However the S550 had a lot more positives than the A10. The GT 350 was a massive boost. The 18 refresh also brought the Gen 3 Coyote and the Bullitt and Mach 1 HP were nice additions as well.

 

[Navyeod]

I've owned (and built) many Mustangs including plenty of Fox bodies and several S197s. I skipped the S550, opting for a C7 Z06 instead.

I've been without a pony/sports car since 2017. When I decided to look into another Mustang, I did the S550 vs S650 comparison, and decided on a new '24. When it came to the GT vs DH thing, I ordered a GT with all the same options as the DH Premium and the MSRP difference was $5,700.

I then came across a DH that was literally on the assembly line.

I took delivery of the DH 7 days later.

Why?

1. I was leaning DH to begin with
2. I'm not planning on drag racing
3. I'm not planning on tracking
4. I had no desire to spend time and money to build a GT when I could just buy the DH (my serious wrenching days are behind me)
5. I don't care if a BMW or any other car is better/faster/lighter/more nimble than a S650 "on the track" or "at the strip"
6. The price difference between a GT and a DH is a non-issue for me, as I can afford what I want
7. If I choose to FI the car, the DH Coyote has some stronger components than the GT Coyote
8. I don't care about depreciation or resale value
9. I don't care what anyone else has to say about why I made a decision that differs with thier decision
10. Whether you think it was worth the extra money or not, the DH is still a special vehicle

That said, if I already owned an S550, would I trade it in on a S650? Probably not. But since I didn't have to make that choice, I went S650 because I like new stuff.

If you don't agree with my decision to pay MSRP for a DH when I could have saved $11K on a comparably equipped GT PP using my AZ Plan discount, that's your opinion and I respect it.

But that doesn't mean I made the wrong decision. It means I bought what I wanted to buy, not what you think I should have bought. And in the end, that's all that matters to me.

Well said!!

 

[AlloyPony]

So as I look into purchasing my Dark Horse a few things are apparent. I’ve been to 4 dealers for reference.

1. They are sitting in showrooms with no dealer markup. That’s good news and bad news.
2. The dealers generally know very little about them. And seem disinterested in selling them.
3. The highest percentage of reviews on YouTube seem negative or MEH.

I’ll say that I was able to test drive a 6sp DH Thursday and truly loved the car. Obviously I wasn’t on the track or drag strip. But from an overall awesome interior, the sweet Tremec and overall fun factor I was impressed.

I’m guessing the price point, interest rates and the enthusiast’s continued love of the 2018 GT350 seems to have stalled any excitement for the DH.
Just wondered what others thoughts are.

It’s not that the Dark Horse is a bad car. The problem is it’s not a special car. It’s not meaningly faster than a base GT, it doesn’t have any ground breaking features, etc. Yet the pricing is much higher, insurance rates are higher because of how it was marketed, etc. The resale is going to be horrible on them. This all makes the Dark Horse the worst buy in the entire lineup.

I was at my local body shop last week and they have a Dark Horse in there with 400 miles on it. Guy didn’t even have it for a week and a truck backed over top of it. The owner of that Dark Horse just lost his shirt. He probably overpaid for it to begin with, and now with the dirty Carfax he’ll be upside down in it forever. ooof…

 

[roadpilot]

It’s not that the Dark Horse is a bad car. The problem is it’s not a special car.

Disagree. I haven't seen another one in person myself. I've seen a crap ton of GT's, though.

It’s not meaningly faster than a base GT,

So it HAS to be faster to be 'special'? Disagree.

it doesn’t have any ground breaking features, etc.

It HAS to have 'ground breaking' features in order to be special? Disagree.

Yet the pricing is much higher

If you don't want to pay extra, then don't. Get an EB or a GT. But lots of folks can easily afford to pay the extra and justify it any way they choose. Their money.

insurance rates are higher because of how it was marketed, etc.

My premiums are no different than they would have been for the GT. I had them quote both because I originally ordered a GT before I found the DH.

The resale is going to be horrible on them.

Crystal ball? Clairvoyant?

This all makes the Dark Horse the worst buy in the entire lineup.

You know what they say about opinions ...

I was at my local body shop last week and they have a Dark Horse in there with 400 miles on it. Guy didn’t even have it for a week and a truck backed over top of it. The owner of that Dark Horse just lost his shirt. He probably overpaid for it to begin with, and now with the dirty Carfax he’ll be upside down in it forever. ooof…

He'd be no less pissed if the truck had backed over his EB or GT. Guaranteed.

 

[MJS54]

I agree with you 100% the Dark Horse is too expensive. 75k for a Premium HP car is in the range of cars the Mustang can't compete with.


However the S550 had a lot more positives than the A10. The GT 350 was a massive boost. The 18 refresh also brought the Gen 3 Coyote and the Bullitt and Mach 1 HP were nice additions as well.

I agree…an 1LT C8 Corvette trim will only cost around $72K (with a few options) and it will do “circles” (quarter mile in the 11’s) around the DH…only thing is that the C8 (even with the performance exhaust) can’t match those DH “thundering hooves.”

 

[topdawg4ever]

Having just bought one at MSRP I’m super happy with mine. Beyond fun to drive and have yet to see another. I get comments everywhere I go too. It’s a sweet ride.

It’s not that the Dark Horse is a bad car. The problem is it’s not a special car. It’s not meaningly faster than a base GT, it doesn’t have any ground breaking features, etc. Yet the pricing is much higher, insurance rates are higher because of how it was marketed, etc. The resale is going to be horrible on them. This all makes the Dark Horse the worst buy in the entire lineup.

I was at my local body shop last week and they have a Dark Horse in there with 400 miles on it. Guy didn’t even have it for a week and a truck backed over top of it. The owner of that Dark Horse just lost his shirt. He probably overpaid for it to begin with, and now with the dirty Carfax he’ll be upside down in it forever. ooof…

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