Ford Mustang Dark Horse: How does it gallop on track?

Still figuring out how all of this GRM+ content works. Will this article be in a hard-copy of the magazine? If so, I look forward to the great write-up and glossy pictures!

It's strange to me that the Ford publicists would give journalists a gelded version of their strongest horse. WTH are they thinking?

confuZion3 said:

Still figuring out how all of this GRM+ content works. Will this article be in a hard-copy of the magazine? If so, I look forward to the great write-up and glossy pictures!

Some GRM+ articles will also appear in print, but you can read them all if you link your print subscription in your website account settings. 

Oh! Neat! I'll figure that out tonight when I get home. I didn't realize the print subscription granted me access to GRM+ articles. I'm excited to read this one!

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

It's strange to me that the Ford publicists would give journalists a gelded version of their strongest horse. WTH are they thinking?

I once brought a turbo Miata to (major automotive magazine). They gave it to a journo who I don't think had ever driven a stick before.

Most journalists are never going to do a track test. They'll drive the car on Angeles Crest or maybe in Spain if Ford flies them there. So putting the car on 180 TW tires with what are undoubtedly stiffer suspension settings will lead to complaints about poor ride quality and tire noise. 

Ford never learns. See Shelby GT350 and Performance Pack, Boss 302 and Track Pack, etc, etc

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

It's strange to me that the Ford publicists would give journalists a gelded version of their strongest horse. WTH are they thinking?

This isn't Edmund's or Consumer Reports, its Grassroots MotorSports!!  What a bunch of schmucks / putzes that work at the Ford Media Press core motor pool.

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

It's strange to me that the Ford publicists would give journalists a gelded version of their strongest horse. WTH are they thinking?

Tom touched on it before in this column, but often we're at the mercy of what's in the pool of test cars:

How do we pick which cars? Well, we’ll make special requests when new cars are announced (think GR Corolla or new Mustang), but in general we take what we’re offered. The cars are specced and loans are planned strategically by the fleet managers, in partnership with the manufacturers’ PR staff. 

We’re local to the Miami metro area, for example, which means most of our test cars are luxury-oriented and fully loaded. A fleet in the Northeast would have plenty of AWD cars with heated seats, while a fleet in SoCal would have every flavor of off-road-oriented special truck to play with. Generally, we learn the make and model of a loan a few days before it’s delivered. And after a tour of duty (usually the current model year), press cars are generally sold to the dealer network as run-of-the-mill used cars. 

I was actually just reading that column about how you get press cars shortly before I read the dark horse review.

I suppose the thing that I couldn't quite decipher from the story was: does it just need wider/stickier rubber to be great? Or did it seem to be something more fundamental?

It's less than a second faster than a Civic Type R. Which maybe says more about the Type R than the Mustang....

You're better off buying your own wheels and tire than the handling package anyways. If you should want the  HP stock wheels for some reason you usually can find them pretty cheap. So unless you're planning on running some class where having the stuff stock on the car matters....