I don't get the Dark Horse vs GT

[BoostRabbitGT]

Anyone who says they would rather have a GT over a Dark Horse is either drag racing or jealous. IMO.

Apparently I'm jelly then . I'll just say I prefer the ride quality of the standard GT/Premium over those with the Performance Pack (even with Magneride).

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[mvfjet]

I’m in the same boat, DH non HP vs GTPP.

X plan pricing for a 2025 would be about $3k off so $51,000 for a GTPP with active exhaust and that’s not counting if there is incentives when the vehicle is delivered.

$65k for a no option DH.

After TTL it would be about $15k difference.

 

[broncoboy22]

I can see the argument for either. They serve different purposes and markets which is what makes it great to have options

 

[GripTime]

I use this site to watch for newer variants that might fix the shortcomings of the DH. I am glad some of you are crazy enough to pay the exorbitant prices for the new ones as it is keeping things alive for the possibility of a variant that might be worth the asking price.

One thing I have learned is that the expensive variants for any car brand are really targeted to those with a budget and love for the car. Meaning I love Mustangs and I saved for years waiting for the DH. IMO just as long as it was good as the Mach 1 I would be good. I don't like the styling of the Mach 1 but love the DH.

Furthermore it was the consensus of the instructors at the DH Track Attack that the Mach 1 and DH had the best, sharpest turn in and the best handling. Not the best feel, GT350, and not the most power GT500. All variants have some type of advantage.

I believe you have a Mach 1 so you really aren't going to improve upon that car a whole lot unless Ford really comes with something. I was crazy enough to pay exorbitant prices and absolutely love the DH. Everyone seems to always be complaining about price nowadays. I don't understand why. I just buy what I can afford.

 

[RebelMan]

This isn't really a debate. A10 is much faster and has been since 2018

Launches harder, more gears, faster shifts...

Perhaps for the causal driver. For experienced enthusiasts the jury is still out.

Launch harder is a driver variable. More gears does not imply used gears. Faster shifts is debatable. Pretty much everyone that has tracked the car would/does prefer the M6 because the A10 does not shift fast enough in the turns, there are delays in reaction times.

Driver skill notwithstanding, the comparisons are still not equitable. The A10 has a higher rev limit. I suspect once the M6 can be adjusted to match that of the A10 the numbers will slide.

 

[robvas]

Tell me you know nothing about drag racing without telling me you know nothing about drag racing...

 

[RebelMan]

so you are saying to get what I want I would have to pay the dark horse price and then pay a few thousand more to gut the interior and buy aftermarket stripes. That does not cover getting rid of the ugly deep indigo which I can’t stand.

The small bump in performance is not worth the comprise for me. I would rather get the interior I want and get a set of 10.5 and 11s and now look I have a 95% dark horse with no diff cooler.

Btw there are no incentives for GTs right now aside from interest rate. So are saying give the dark horse incentives and not the GT?

Well, the Deep Indigo is an option that only comes with the DH AP. So, there is a choice, don't get the AP. There are several options for stripes and some not that expensive. If you are planning to PPF your car, then it's a wash, because you can do it then too.

I think you are trivializing the benefits of the DH too much. There's not just the bump in HP (which is inconsequential) but rather quite significant bumps in steering, handling, comfort and aero. Getting a set of 10.5s and 11.0s has nothing to do with the DH because it also comes in a set of 9.5s and 10.0s.

When available Ford offers discount plans on the GT but not the DH. Again, its pricing incentives that primarily drive people to the GT (all else being equal).

 

[RebelMan]

Tell me you know nothing about drag racing without telling me you know nothing about drag racing...

You know nothing about me...

 

[Hasler74]

Well, the Deep Indigo is an option that only comes with the DH AP. So, there is a choice, don't get the AP. There are several options for stripes and some not that expensive. If you are planning to PPF your car, then it's a wash, because you can do it then too.

I think you are trivializing the benefits of the DH too much. There's not just the bump in HP (which is inconsequential) but rather quite significant bumps in steering, handling, comfort and aero. Getting a set of 10.5s and 11.0s has nothing to do with the DH because it also comes in a set of 9.5s and 10.0s.

When available Ford offers discount plans on the GT but not the DH. Again, its pricing incentives that primarily drive people to the GT (all else being equal).

First you are wrong on the interior. The only option available for the 2024 is deep indigo. That is the only interior available on the Dark Horse premium.

The dark horse has three stripe options vinyl, painted or delete, with two sub options high gloss or low gloss.

I am also not trivializing anything. A dark horse without the HP handles about the same as a PP GT. The magic happens with the upgraded wheels and ability to adjust the struts in the HP. The funny thing is go to the configuration and select HP and it says it removes the PP.

Finally those plans are not available to most people. They sure as hell are not available to me. Apparently I could get X plan if I join a mustang club for some time period, but not doing that.

It’s a nice car, but It is focused on the track. It lacks what I want in the interior as my daily driver, and does not offer enough of a benefit for me to overlook that.


Anyway we will disagree on this. You like it for its incremental gains and I don’t like it because it lacks what I want. I believe we are getting lost in the weeds here since the original premise was everyone is jelly of Dark horses and wants one, which is objectively false.

 

[BreadBurner]

I guess the latest MotorTrend review suggest that the GT's Getrag M82 gearing is why the extra ponies in the DH do not help much the DH in a straight line drag race. Maybe the DH should have had more ponies to shine against the GT. Attached cut from MotorTrend web article.

Would you happen to have the link to this article? Or the name of the article itself?

 

[Radiant]

Apparently I'm jelly then . I'll just say I prefer the ride quality of the standard GT/Premium over those with the Performance Pack (even with Magneride).

I don't think you like getting feedback from the vehicle, to the point where you might want to test drive a BMW 3 / 4 series.

 

[BoostRabbitGT]

I don't think you like getting feedback from the vehicle, to the point where you might want to test drive a BMW 3 / 4 series.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Are you implying that I should or should not test drive a 3- or 4-series?

 

[smurfslayer]

you might want to test drive a BMW 3 / 4 series.

Harsh. Brutally harsh.

 

[Radiant]

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Are you implying that I should or should not test drive a 3- or 4-series?

You definitely should, you seem to like a soft suspension and road isolation. Based on your impressions of the Cadillac CT5, I think you'd like the BMW 340i.

 

[RebelMan]

First you are wrong on the interior. The only option available for the 2024 is deep indigo. That is the only interior available on the Dark Horse premium.

The dark horse has three stripe options vinyl, painted or delete, with two sub options high gloss or low gloss.

I am also not trivializing anything. A dark horse without the HP handles about the same as a PP GT. The magic happens with the upgraded wheels and ability to adjust the struts in the HP. The funny thing is go to the configuration and select HP and it says it removes the PP.

Finally those plans are not available to most people. They sure as hell are not available to me. Apparently I could get X plan if I join a mustang club for some time period, but not doing that.

It’s a nice car, but It is focused on the track. It lacks what I want in the interior as my daily driver, and does not offer enough of a benefit for me to overlook that.

Anyway we will disagree on this. You like it for its incremental gains and I don’t like it because it lacks what I want. I believe we are getting lost in the weeds here since the original premise was everyone is jelly of Dark horses and wants one, which is objectively false.

First, I am not wrong on the interior, I own one. Second, Ford's order builder has not always been accurate. There seems to be some misleading information on their site. The seating details concurs with what I already mentioned, in that your get Deep Indigo seats with the AP...

That said when you do not include the AP the seating options do not change which not consistent with the details. I would check on this to confirm. Since the order banks for the 24MY are closed, it could be that all that is available on the dealer floor is Deep Indigo implying that what DH models remain have already been ordered/shipped with the AP.

I think you are missing the point on stripes. The painted stripes are $6K and vinyl is take it or leave it. If you're looking for more options than the DH has to offer, they are available to you, aftermarket, and again for reasonable cost. PPF negates this cost (you can get PPF stipes) if you are so inclined.

The DH w/o HP is more than a PP and more than a PP2. I suggest more exhaustive research.

The discount plans are available to EVERYONE that knows how to get them.

It is ignorant to say the DH is incrementally better than a GT. A factory GT can approach a factory DH in overall performance, but not close enough to call it nearly as good, that would be delusional at best and it's going to take a lot of coin to get there.

I purchased a DH but I also find value in the GT. If the GT offered the Tremec I very likely would have gone that route. However, at that point, it would be a tossup between GT interior aesthetics vs DH exterior aesthetics.

Just to be clear here, the OP questioned the value of a DH, he never implied that everyone wanted one. As everyone should know value is very subjective. There is value in both the GT and the DH. It's okay to see value differently. It's not okay to say one's version of value is better than another when comparing the features of inanimate objects. Facts are the DH is better than the GT regardless of the value we place on them.

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