Ford Mustang 2026: orders open for updated range, with new Dark Horse confirmation expected soon

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Ford Australia started taking orders today (August 19) for the MY26 Mustang, which has had its core four-variant line-up confirmed for 2026 – Ecoboost Fastback auto, GT Fastback manual and auto, GT Convertible auto.

A fresh run of the limited-edition Mustang Dark Horse Fastback – to be offered solely with a Tremec six-speed manual in Australia for MY26, if Chasing Cars’ crystal ball is reading correctly – is expected to be announced in the coming months.

While the Dark Horse continues to be an in-demand, full-time variant in Ford’s US Mustang line-up, it will again be sold as a limited edition in Australia due to production availability and build complexities.

When first announced in 2022, the previous Dark Horse sold out almost instantly, even before Aussie buyers knew the volume limit would be capped at 1000 units for the MY24 Dark Horse.

When it does get officially announced, the MY26 Dark Horse is likely to face similar volume restrictions, though no limit has so far been communicated.

The MY26 Mustang is most easily identified by the introduction of two new colours, Orange Fury tri-coat metallic and Adriatic Blue metallic (both replacing Intense Lime Yellow metallic). But unlike the US model, the Australian-market Mustang will continue with an Onyx Black interior as the only offering, even when fitted with optional Recaro front buckets.

The Americans also have the choice of light-coloured Space Grey or rich Carmine Red seating inserts, each with suede-like side bolstering, with or without the Recaros.

The Mustang GT’s 5.0-litre V8 drivetrain continues with 345kW and 550Nm, with either a Getrag six-speed manual or Ford’s 10-speed automatic.

The Dark Horse bumps power to 350kW while retaining the GT’s 550Nm torque output and gets a unique, close-ratio Tremec six-speed manual transmission with a shorter final-drive ratio.

The MY26 Dark Horse also gets standard MagneRide adaptive damping and winged Recaro semi-electric front buckets, both of which remain options on GT V8 Fastback.

Other changes for MY26 include the removal of remote start from the keyfob (though this can still be achieved via the Ford Pass app) and the disappearance of an auto-dimming rear-view mirror (it’s now a manual prismatic type). This follows the deletion of wireless charging from all global MY25 Mustang models.

While Ford Australia is yet to officially reveal pricing and options for the Australian MY26 Mustang, all Ford dealers will have those details available as of August 19.

Following a significant $5000 across-the-board price rise for all MY25 Mustangs on July 1, buyers can expect a much smaller increase for the MY26 Mustang when its pricing is finally announced.