2026 Ford Mustang Dark Horse

As we dive into the Mustang's seventh decade, the old formula remains: big engine, small car, rear-wheel drive. Well, sort of. Certainly that's still there. But there's also a highly capable small engine — a turbocharged four-cylinder good for 315 horsepower. And of course there's a V8 with multiple outputs culminating in the 500-horsepower Dark Horse trim. Every Mustang is rear-wheel-drive and every version conforms to 21st-century muscle car standards, which means well-behaved handling and proper braking to go with the ample power.

Ford makes almost no meaningful changes to the Mustang for 2026. Sure, there's a new FX package that jazzes things up with white wheels and trim and a few new colors, including Adriatic Blue Metallic, which looks stunning with those white wheels. But this is basically the same Mustang that was rolled out for the 2024 "redesign," which was modest at best. Perhaps the most significant change this year is that the 10-speed automatic is standard on the Dark Horse, while it remains a pay-extra option on the GT. Last year, it cost an extra $1,595 to get the 10-speed gearbox with the Dark Horse. But the flagship Mustang's base price is bumped only $465 for 2026. Maybe Ford realized it needs to make its quickest version a better value after watching a few of our U-Drags episodes.

American muscle cars? What American muscle cars? The Mustang is truly the last one standing at the moment, though there are some other fantastic, powerful front-engine rear-drive coupes available — like Toyota's GR Supra, Nissan's Z and our personal favorite, the 473-horsepower BMW M2. Check out our Expert Rating below to see all the details about how the Mustang stacks up.

Earlier this year we bought our very own Mustang Dark Horse. With only 1,151 miles on the odometer as of this writing, there are few observations to report. But we did pay extra for the automatic transmission because our testing shows it to be quicker than the six-speed manual. Note that the automatic is now standard for 2026 on the Dark Horse. Read all about our Dark Horse One-Year Road Test here.