With the debut of each generation of Mustang, there is unbridled anticipation from enthusiasts. When Ford let the latest stallions out of the corral in September of 2022 at its global streaming event, The Stampede, fans were able to get a look at the new car’s style and a preview of its specs. What became clear is that the seventh-generation (2024 and newer) S650 platform is more evolutionary, whereas its predecessor’s S550 (2015-2023) foundation pulled the Mustang into the modern era for a global audience with quantum leaps in driveabilty, performance, and style.Rather than starting from scratch and incurring the engineering costs of ground-up platform creation, Ford opted to build on the known quantity of success it enjoyed with the outgoing car. Much as it transitioned from the Fox to SN-95 in the mid-’90s or closer to the mark, the SN-95 to the New Edge in the late ’90s, Ford took the basic structure of the S550 and pushed it forward with refinements built on what engineers learned from engineering the previous eight model years.
S650 Mustang Interior
“This is a very major program that meets our legal definition of ‘all-new,’ Ed Krenz, former Ford Mustang Chief Nameplate Engineer, said when the car was revealed. “At the end of the day, this was the platform that was best suited for what we wanted to do but don’t mistake that for carryover. Some hard points are the same, but pretty much everything in the chassis is different.”
That meant bolstering the structure for more rigidity and applying some clever engineering to important aspects of the car, like the steering, which can deliver dividends that reward the driver every time they take the car for a spin.
“We’ve got a multi-spine steering shaft that we grabbed from Mach 1. We put that across the board for 650. Then, on top of that, we took out the isolator altogether as well,” Tim Smith, Mustang Engineering Supervisor, explained. “The cross-car beam that it all attaches to is massively better. It pays dividends not just for steering like in the coupes and in the convertibles. It just gives you much more structure under the car. All these things are building blocks to a great experience.”
Making use of Unreal Engine graphics, which brings customization choices come to life on screen, the center screen allows setting up custom drive modes, dash displays, and more. The displays are both attractive and useful while driving, so if you have to have the latest tech, the new Mustangs bring that in spades.
With that in mind, we drove all three models of the 2024 Mustang — EcoBoost, GT, and Dark Horse — and came away impressed with both their mix of performance on the track and ride quality on the street. Power and torque have increased, as have on-track grip. They sound better, thanks to re-tuned exhaust systems, and little things like road wander in the steering wheel and dampening over large surface imperfections is improved.
The question remains as to whether you should make the leap to the seventh generation or stick with the tried-and-true S550. In most cases, this will come down to intangibles like styling and more quantifiable metrics like performance. So, with the latter in mind, we break down what S650 brings to the table, and what S550 counterpart might make a reasonable alternative.
The steering benefits from a quicker 15.5:1 ratio (hastened from 16:1 on the outgoing model) and uses the airbag to dampen its noise, vibration, and harshness to deliver a steering feel that feels quicker and more precise across every model, with the Mustang GT feeling a bit firmer, while the EcoBoost and Dark Horse are precise but playful.
The latest Mustangs also benefit from a more advanced electronic architecture, which brings along the ability to run improved software. This plays out in the calibrations of the drive modes, steering calibrations, and more. All these changes were geared toward pushing the performance envelope while not degrading the driveability.
This new technical capability allowed engineers to run fun extras like the Electronic Drift Brake on Performance Pack-equipped cars. It also facilitated the new digital cockpit, which bypasses the traditional Mustang double-brow dash in favor of a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.2-inch SYNC 4 center stack, which are under the same one-piece glass on all but the base cars, which use separate screens.
S550 vs S650 EcoBoost
On the street and the race track, the 2024 Mustang EcoBoost delivers improved ride quality and playful handling. The improvements in the steering response and feel are clear, and even the exhaust tone sounds better.
The base ’24 Mustang also benefits from a completely revamped 2.3-liter engine, which was redesigned to meet more stringent fuel economy standards. Benefitting from a higher 10.6:1 compression ratio, more refined wastegate control, and direct and port fuel injection, these engines deliver 5 extra horsepower. While you won’t be able to feel those ponies even though the latest Eco ’Stangs tip the scales at 3,588 pounds, which is 77 pounds more than their similarly configured predecessors.
That highlights another difference in the seventh generation, as the EcoBoost cars are only available with an automatic transmission. It is a great combination, as the trans keeps the small engine right in the sweet spot of its powerband, but if you like shifting gears, an S550 option is the obvious choice.
From the S550 era, the 2.3-Liter High-Performance Package is the pinnacle. It can be optioned with either an automatic or a manual transmission, and it produces more power and equivalent torque to the latest EcoBoost Mustang at 330 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque, which is mitigated by slightly higher 3,730-and 3,752-pound curb weights for manual and automatic models respectively.
Ford engineers hit their stride with MagneRide tuning on these HiPo EcoBoost cars, and they will approach the fun of the modern 2.3 Mustang without the sharper steering and fun toys like the Drift Brake. Choosing the base Mustang with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost is a matter of economics, so choosing the HiPo S550 seems like an easy choice, especially if you prefer the styling of the earlier cars.
S650 Mustang GT
Moving to the V8-powered Mustangs makes that decision more difficult. The ’24 Mustang GT benefits from the improved technology and refined driving dynamics then it adds substantial engine output, which might be a combination that’s difficult to resist.
With S650, the Mustang GT deploys the Gen 4 Coyote 5.0-liter engine that cranks out 480 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque in standard form and jumps up by another 6 horsepower and 3 lb-ft of torque with the optional Active Valve Performance Exhaust, which enables adjust the exhaust sound in line with Drive Modes like Normal, Sport, and Track. It also offers a Quiet mode to keep the neighbors happy.
With 30 to 36 horsepower and 8 lb-ft more torque than its predecessor, the latest GT feels fast. However, without driving it back-to-back with the outgoing car, it might not feel like a quantum leap, thanks in part to a curb weight of 3,827 pounds for the manual and 3,832 pounds for the automatic, which is 97 and 80 pounds heavier, respectively, than the outgoing model.
When configured with the optional Performance Pack, the GT not only plucked oil coolers and sway bars from the Mach 1, but it outpowers the car that once reigned as the most track-capable 5.0-liter Mustang, thanks in part to that class-leading dual-inlet intake manifold and new induction system feeding air to the Gen 4 Coyote directly from twin openings in the aero-optimized front grille.
In practice, the 2024 Mustang GT, particularly with the Performance Pack option, delivers handling and ride quality that approaches the Mach 1 with more power. As such, choosing an S550 would be less about a performance advantage and more about preferring the styling of the earlier cars.
If you opted for an earlier Mustang GT, the top alternative from a performance standpoint would be a car optioned with the somewhat rare Performance Pack Level 2 option, as launched in the 2019 model year. These cars were blessed with improved aerodynamics and a suspension that borrows from the likes of the Shelby GT350, plus they sport a 460-horse/420 lb-ft Gen 3 Coyote underhood.
A 2019 Bullitt is on par with the modern GT from a power standpoint with 480 ponies onboard, but its street muscle aesthetic surrenders much in the handling department compared with the modern Performance Pack car, but it could make a suitable substitute for those who aren’t interested in carving corners.
2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Claiming the crown for the most track-capable 5.0-liter Mustang from the outgoing Mach 1, the Dark Horse offers a dazzling level of on-track performance, especially when optioned with the Handling Pack. Even when so equipped, it delivers excellent street driveability.
Dark Horse takes the Gen 4 Coyote to a higher redline of 7,500 rpm and a heretofore unimaginable 100 horsepower per liter from the mature 5.0-liter engine platform courtesy of a unique calibration and forged rods borrowed from the prior Shelby GT500. Paired with an aggressive exhaust tuning, the Dark Horse screams when you stand on it, sticks in the corners, brakes like you’ve thrown out an anchor, and purrs around town.
Impressive in the way it balances both personalities, the Dark Horse also plays in a performance space that exceeds the outgoing Mach 1 and threatens the naturally aspirated supremacy of the previous Shelby GT350. Engineers report that the Dark Horse was faster than the Mach 1 during every track test, and the Mach 1 was said to rival the GT350 on more intricate courses, so the most capable 5.0 could potentially break the spell of the Voodoo 5.2-liter-powered GT350 in some instances.
If you want the ultimate modern 5.0-liter Mustang, the Dark Horse is the obvious choice, but sticking with an S550 offers legitimate alternatives, including the lighter, more powerful Shelby GT350, and the benchmark 5.0-liter Mustang, the outgoing Mach 1.
Sporting all that technology and performance comes at a cost in the form of weight. The Dark Horse tips the scales at 3,949 pounds with a manual transmission and 3,993 with an automatic, which mitigates its impressive 500 horsepower and 418 lb-ft of torque credentials.
While it doesn’t drive “heavy,” that could be a factor in why you might choose an alternative like the comparatively flyweight GT350 or GT350R on the used market. With 526 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque on tap and a weight of just 3,791 pounds for a Track Pack car or 3,703 pounds for an R-model, the GT350 presents a package of style, character, and performance that has yet to be matched, but as such these machines carry used prices that can exceed those of a new Dark Horse, sans dealer markup, of course.
That leaves the Dark Horse’s only other legitimate S550 alternative as the outgoing Mach 1, which is 81 pounds lighter with a manual or 80 pounds lighter with an auto and sports respectable 470 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque output credentials from its Gen 3 Coyote engine.
When fitted with the optional Handling Package, the Mach 1 isn’t far off from the base Dark Horse in terms of handling and power, but when Dark Horse is optioned with its unique Handling Package, that likely puts it in Shelby GT350 territory. Like the GT350, the Mach 1 can also command a premium on the second-hand market, so it comes down to how much you like the new styling or whether you can score a Dark Horse without a dealer markup to make a tough choice like this.