The 2024 Ford Mustang is the Ultimate Muscle Car Swansong

Ford finally revealed the 2024 S650 Mustang at the North American International Auto Show last week. And as a Mustang fan, almost every single thing about the new-gen pony car is music to my ears.?

First off, Ford has rightfully quashed the long-standing rumours of the Mustang lineup going all-electric, and how. The new Mustang will not only offer the familiar 5.0L Coyote V8 and the 2.3L 4-cylinder EcoBoost, it won't have an electric or hybrid variant, period. Although I strongly suspect that this is the last generation of the Mustang before it’s fully electrified.

On to the new Mustang, then. The styling builds on the foundation set by the previous model, which is to say it looks pretty damn good. The front grille and lower air vents (which are functional) have been enlarged and given flourishes like the gloss black inserts, and the headlights have a new LED pattern. The whole fascia looks busier and more aggressive, although the air extractor on the bonnet looks rather odd in my opinion. As a first for the Mustang, the EcoBoost model will also have unique front-end styling compared to the V8-powered GT model. The EcoBoost variant misses out on the air extractor, and the lower air vents will be smaller and defunct.

Tauter haunches and a more tapered roofline make up the side of the S650 Mustang, with the signature 5.0 badging being retained on the GT. Interestingly, the roof was specially designed for drivers to be able to enter and exit the cabin comfortably with a helmet on, lending credence to the fact that the new Mustang was developed with racetrack pedigree in mind. There are also those gorgeous?17-inch wheels, which can be specced up to 20-inchers, coupled with the electric blue Brembo brake calipers which look extremely cool.

The rear end is where the most noticeable changes have been made. The iconic tri-bar lights return but are slightly angled, the centre portion is the same colour as the body (a downgrade compared to the S550 Mustang in my opinion), and there’s a new spoiler on the GT to aid downforce. The lower portion has also been slightly redesigned, with glorious quad-exhausts for that classic V8 symphony.

While the exterior of the new Mustang is more evolutionary than revolutionary, the interior definitely doesn’t follow that philosophy.

Two enormous screens dominate the dashboard, with one replacing the analogue instrument cluster, which to me is a big no-no. The S550 Mustang had a beautiful instrument cluster with large inset dials and a small screen in the middle that got the job done without being too distracting. Having a plain 2D screen for the whole cluster just robs you of that old-school charm that muscle cars capitalize off. The central circular triple AC vents of the S550 have also been binned in favour of two boring rectangular vents. Another big downgrade is the AC controls being integrated into the central screen, which has not only proven to be slower and more inconvenient, but more distracting for the driver too. Thankfully, there are positive things to report on. The steering wheel has a flat bottom (yet another indicator that track performance was a priority) and has fewer buttons on it, which means fewer accidental presses while driving. And of course, that lovely manual gear shifter which is standard on the GT. However, something even more noteworthy is that Ford hasn’t done away with the conventional handbrake in favour of a button, and instead, they’re touting it as an “electronic drift brake”, much like the ones you would see in custom-built drift cars. I can’t wait to see this very exciting addition in action.

The 5.0L V8 in the GT is very much the same engine from the S550 but has been updated with a twin throttle body cold-air intake, which allows about twice the airflow compared to the previous intake, and a steel oil sump. This means performance should well exceed the 450hp and 570Nm of the current model. The 2.3L EcoBoost has been tweaked for better fuel efficiency and fewer emissions while keeping the power output unchanged from 310hp and 474Nm, but won’t offer a manual option. Keeping that in mind, I expect the V8 GT to account for the lion’s share of all Mustang purchases.

The 2024 Mustang will be available in the above two engine configurations – with fastback and convertible body styles for both. However, alongside these, a very interesting Mustang variant was unveiled called the ‘Dark Horse’. If the name isn’t enough to make you immediately want one, allow me to elucidate upon this race-ready variant.

Everything I talked about regarding the S650 Mustang GT’s performance, the Dark Horse dials up to 11. That means a new forged crankshaft and connecting rods to withstand higher combustion pressures, strengthened camshafts to handle revs above 7500rpm easier, a lightweight radiator, auxiliary coolers for the engine oil, larger air dams on the front fascia, a higher-performance Tremec 6-speed manual as standard, a bigger rear wing for more downforce, grippy Pirelli P-Zero P74 tyres on 19-inch wheels as standard, larger six-piston Brembo brakes, high-performance front shock absorbers, and a bigger anti-roll bar. If this laundry list of insanity is somehow too tame for you, Ford would be happy to sell you an optional Handling package that bumps up the tyre size even further, stiffens the shock absorbers, enlarges the front and rear anti-roll bars, and includes a Gurney flap on the wing for better aero. Visual differences are minimal, except for unique badging on the sides and rear, and blackened front and rear lights, which look stunning. The Dark Horse essentially seems like a stopgap for buyers seeking a more track-oriented Mustang model until the Shelby GT arrives onto the scene, but given the upgrades over the GT, I don't think anyone is going to be left disappointed with the Dark Horse.

With Chevrolet and Dodge both confirming that the Camaro and Challenger lineups respectively will be electrified by 2024, the end of the gas-guzzling loud-mouthed muscle car seemed nigh (especially with that vulgar all-electric Dodge Challenger concept with the fake exhaust noise). The onus, thereby, fell on Ford to give the muscle car a deserving swansong, and they delivered in spades. The old-school Mustang will receive the send-off it deserves. Not with a bang, but with a V8 burble.