We Like

• V8 sounds great with plenty of performance
• Improved handling and steering
• Nicer interior with up-to-date tech

We Don’t Like

• Prices have risen significantly
• Touchscreen HVAC controls
• GT manual gearing too tall

Street Machine doesn’t do many new car launches these days. Let’s face it, there aren’t a lot of new cars worth getting excited about for people like us, but we’ve made an exception for the seventh-generation Ford Mustang. If you want a V8 rear-wheel drive with a manual gearbox – and no doubt you do – then it’s the only new car option left.

Those who were familiar with (or perhaps purchased) the previous-generation S550 Mustang might get a case of sticker shock when it comes to the latest S650. Starting at $64,990 plus on-road costs for the Ecoboost and rising all the way to $103,002 (+ORCs) for the Dark Horse auto, prices are up $15-20K across the board.

This is somewhat offset by more equipment, with even the Ecoboost now having heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, a 12-speaker B&O stereo with subwoofer, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and wireless phone charging.

It’s also no poor relation in terms of the mechanical spec, with huge brakes – 390mm discs and six-pot calipers up front, supported by 355mm discs and four-potters at the rear – a four-mode active exhaust, limited-slip diff, 19-inch wheels with Pirelli P Zero rubber and all the track apps like acceleration and lap timers, a line-lock function and drift brake.

To be honest, stepping up to the GT doesn’t add much – apart from four cylinders, obviously – just slightly wider rear tyres (+20mm), thicker anti-roll bars and the option of MagneRide adaptive suspension and Recaro seats, though the latter lack the heating and cooling functions.

Sitting atop the range is the new Dark Horse, which carries the torch lit by the S550 Mach 1. It has a fraction more power, half-inch wider rims at both ends (but the same tyres), revised calibrations for the steering and suspension, standard MagneRide but, most importantly, the close-ratio Tremec six-speed manual originally developed for the Shelby GT350 as well as a shorter 3.73:1 final drive (3.55 is standard).

Let’s start here and work backwards down the range. Our time with the Dark Horse was limited to a few laps of The Bend Motorsport Park but back-to-back with the GT its superiority was clear.

It may only have an extra 5kW, the revised dual-throttle 5.0-litre V8 producing 350kW, but the shorter gearing makes it much more urgent. The shift requires more muscle but the reward is worth the effort. Keener handling, awesome brakes, plenty of grip and a screaming atmo V8 make the Dark Horse a stack of fun on track and no doubt pretty handy on the road, too.

Not that the standard GT is any slouch. Even on track it’s enjoyable, the overheating issues that soured the experience with the facelifted previous-generation car now a thing of the past, but there’s just an added level of polish to everything it does. The handling is more secure, the clutch and gearshift are slicker, the engine sounds stronger and the steering is quicker and more consistent. The manual’s gearing is still ludicrously tall and the auto can sometimes take a moment to shuffle the 10-pack, but in
general this is an excellent interpretation of the modern muscle car.

And the Ecoboost? It remains possibly underrated, a quick and capable coupe with plenty of tuning potential that’s very difficult to make a case for compared to its V8 sibling.

Combine the new car’s greater dynamic talents with an interior that is a clear step up in terms of materials and technology – the screen graphics are powered by the Unreal Engine behind many of today’s leading video games (like Fortnite) – and you have a car that wears the higher price tag comfortably. Whether the improvements are enough to justify the upgrades might be down to the individual owner’s preferences or bank balance.

2025 Ford Mustang