Yahoo Autos How We'd Spec It: 2025 Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse
Ford has announced pricing for the 2025 Mustang, and unfortunately the prices of the desirable V-8-powered models each increased by at least $2600. While we're not huge fans of spending more money, we do love the throaty growl of a 5.0-liter V-8, and with the imminent death of the Chevy Camaro as well as the disappearance of the Dodge Challenger, the Mustang has become the only remaining American muscle car still offering a V-8. Unsurprisingly, when four Car and Driver staffers delved into Ford's online configurator to build our ideal Mustangs, we all ended up choosing the V-8 and stick-shift combination.
Caleb Miller’s $52,640 Mustang GT
The Mustang Dark Horse is a pretty cool package, but the Mustang GT is also powered by a 5.0-liter V-8 paired with a six-speed manual transmission. It may have 20 fewer horsepower, but 480 ponies is still not too shabby, and the Mustang GT’s starting price is nearly $20K cheaper.
The 2025 GT coupe starts at $47,055, and I aimed to keep the price as low as possible. However, I did add a few key options to enhance my experience with the iconic muscle car. I stuck with one of the no-cost colors and chose Iconic Silver Metallic and matched it with 19-inch polished aluminum wheels, which cost $995 but looked far better than the standard black 18-inchers. Inside, I chose the no-cost Space Gray seats, since the standard all black look was a bit gloomy.
I chose to spend $2300 on the GT High equipment group, mostly for the heated front seats. The package also brings a nine-speaker sound system, ambient lighting, SiriusXM, and a six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar control. I also dropped $1595 on the Active Valve Performance Exhaust, which brings quad exhaust tips and allows me to put the car in a quieter mode if I want to be discreet. Given my surprising resistance to the options list, my Mustang GT rang in at just $52,640. –Caleb Miller
Eric Stafford's $54,640 Mustang GT
I really wanted to spec the cheapest Mustang with all the best handling add-ons. Last year, that would've been an EcoBoost coupe with the $3475 2.3L Performance package (stickier summer tires, upgraded brakes, and various chassis improvements). Unfortunately, the 2024 model that I could've had for just under $37K is no longer available, as Ford killed off the four-pot's Performance pack for 2025. That combined with the company's decision to only sell the S650 EcoBoost Mustang with an automatic tells me that Ford has lost interest in offering a truly affordable performance car. But I digress.
Instead, I'm forced to pick the next best thing—the V-8-powered GT with all the best handling add-ons. The latter is mostly unlocked with the $5295 GT Performance pack that includes similar equipment as the 2.3L kit. It adds Brembo brakes, a limited-slip rear diff, heavy-duty front springs, extra bracing, a prominent rear spoiler, wider wheels wrapped with summer rubber, and an electronic handbrake to cosplay as Keiichi Tsuchiya. The only thing that's missing is the $1595 active exhaust that lets me pick how loud I want Ford's latest Five-Oh to sing. That's the only option I'd pay for, as my little pony's six-speed manual, Shadow Black paint, and Space Gray interior color are all free choices. So how much does a 2025 Ford Mustang GT with only the performance upgrades cost? The answer is $54,640. –Eric Stafford
Carter Fry's $67,690 Mustang GT
I’ve been a Mustang guy my whole life, and I gotta say I built this pretty pony properly. I chose the GT Premium coupe because I am sparing no expense for my dream Mustang. Iconic Silver Metallic paint shows off the car’s body lines so well, and the Matte Black Racing Stripe with the red accent ($475) adds just the right amount of visual contrast. Obviously, I’m keeping the six-speed manual transmission.
I chose the GT Premium High equipment group for $2900 to get the full suite of interior goodies and tacked on a few more packages. The $5295 GT Performance package will help the V-8-powered coupe get around the corners, while the Mustang Nite Pony package for $1295 darkens as many of the exterior details as possible.
As for other options, I chose the Active Valve Performance Exhaust ($1595) and swapped out the black brake calipers for red ones for $600. Inside, I checked off the carpeted floor mats with the Mustang logo for $270, added the Recaro leather-trimmed sport seats for $1995, and chose the very necessary B&O sound system ($995.) If you haven’t heard that sound system in the new Mustang, it bumps so hard. The grand total comes to $67,690, and I wish money wasn’t real. –Carter Fry
Jack Fitzgerald's $71,065 Mustang Dark Horse
Listen, I'm not the biggest Mustang fan. In fact, I don't even like them very much. They often feel heavy and unwieldy behind the wheel. Not the Dark Horse, though. Now there's a Mustang I can put my support behind. It's a car I'm excited to fire up just to hear all 500 horses shouting with fury.
That's why I selected the top Mustang model—excluding the upcoming $300K Mustang GTD—in this wonderful thought experiment. I opted for Oxford White paint with the low-gloss hood decal. I stuck with the six-speed manual because why wouldn't I? I also chose the $5495 Dark Horse Handling package to add the wider Trofeo R tires and revised chassis tuning, both of which give the Dark Horse, and more importantly me, more confidence. I went for the $1995 Recaro seats for the same reason. Outside of that, my options were pretty light. My out-the-door price rounded out to $71,065, which feels reasonably modest when compared to the Dark Horse's $65,570 base price. –Jack Fitzgerald
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