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The 2026 Ford Mustang: The Last Pony Car Standing Adds a 795-Horsepower Supercharged Flagship — Rated 8.5/10

Ford's seventh-generation Mustang spans ten models, keeps a manual gearbox standard on the GT, and now reaches all the way to the supercharged Dark Horse SC at $144,910. Prices open at $38,229. The Torbrook rating: 8.5/10.

By the Torbrook Rating Agency· TNN Auto Desk · March 20, 2026
2026 Ford Mustang
The 2026 Ford Mustang GT in Orange Fury. Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada.

The Mustang's position in the market is now unique, and it is worth stating first. Of the original 1960s pony cars, it is the only one still in continuous production — the Camaro and the Challenger have both left the market. Everything below is a lineup with no direct domestic rival left.

Ten models are offered in Canada across two body styles. The fastbacks run from the EcoBoost at $38,229 and EcoBoost Premium at $42,120 through the GT at $49,493 and GT Premium at $54,732, then up to the Dark Horse at $73,220, the Dark Horse Premium at $77,633 and, at the summit, the Dark Horse SC at $144,910. Convertibles come in EcoBoost at $44,563, EcoBoost Premium at $46,879 and GT Premium at $59,882 — there is no Dark Horse convertible.

Four powertrains cover that spread, and all of them drive the rear wheels. The EcoBoost pairs a 2.3-litre turbocharged four making 315 horsepower and 350 pound-feet with a ten-speed automatic, the only transmission offered on that car. The GT's 5.0-litre Coyote V8 produces 480 horsepower and 415 pound-feet, or 486 and 418 with the active valve performance exhaust. The Dark Horse takes a modified version of the same V8 to 500 horsepower — a clean 100 horsepower per litre — and the new Dark Horse SC borrows the supercharged 5.2-litre V8 from the Mustang GTD for 795 horsepower and 660 pound-feet through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

The transmission story is the detail enthusiasts will care about most, and it runs counter to expectation. A six-speed manual with rev matching is standard on the GT, with the ten-speed automatic as the option. On the pricier Dark Horse the arrangement inverts: the ten-speed automatic is standard and the TREMEC six-speed manual is the extra-cost choice. On the Dark Horse SC there is no manual at all.

Inside, a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster sits beside a 13.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, with an available panoramic curved display uniting the two behind a single magnesium-framed pane and configurable cluster themes. Track Apps — accelerometer readouts, lateral and longitudinal g, lap timing and countdown starts — is standard, as is an electronic line-lock for track use and the Ford Co-Pilot360 driver-assistance suite. The Dark Horse adds MagneRide adaptive damping, Brembo brakes and a class-first electronic drift brake.

New for 2026, beyond the Dark Horse SC itself, is an FX Package exclusive to the GT Premium fastback and convertible with Oxford White wheels and badging, three new paint colours in Adriatic Blue Metallic, Orange Fury Metallic Tri-coat and Avalanche Grey, and new seat-belt colourways. One number Ford does not publish anywhere is acceleration: there is no official 0-to-100-km/h figure for any 2026 Mustang, and this desk will not print an estimate as though it were one.

An 8.5/10 from the Torbrook Rating Agency reflects a lineup with unusual breadth — four powertrains, two body styles and a manual gearbox still on the menu — at a time when most of the segment has simply stopped existing. The specifications above are Ford's; the score is ours.

This review assesses the vehicle on its published specifications and the manufacturer's stated figures. It is not based on a road test by the Rating Agency, and the score is the Agency's own independent judgment. Ford did not request, pay for, or have advance knowledge of this review. Ratings cannot be bought.