2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse & 2024 Lexus TX

Hi, I'm John Davis and this is MotorWeek !

We're track-testing Ford's latest high-performance pony, the Mustang Dark Horse... Then, we'll ask our "Your Drive" pro how to decipher auto shop repair bills... We'll spend quality time with an old-school hot rod wagon... Then, test out a totally modern luxury people mover, the Lexus TX...

So, come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: The Mustang name alone is about as nostalgic as it gets, but it seems like whenever Ford ups Mustang's performance ante, they double down with throwback names like "Boss" and "Mach 1."

But now they've actually come up with something all-new for the 7th gen pony car.

It's the Mustang Dark Horse... and around the race track, it's anything but stealthy!

♪ ♪ Recently, MotorWeek awarded the all-new, 7th generation Ford Mustang with two top honors in our Drivers' Choice Awards: "Best Sport Coupe" and, even more impressive, our 2024 "Best of the Year."

There are lots of reasons for that ultimate decision, from the modernized take on the iconic profile, to Ford's unwavering support of the V8 engine and manual transmission.

but another reason is this, the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, the first new Mustang livery in decades.

Bred as the next evolution of Mustang performance, the Dark Horse takes that pony car formula and really kicks it up a notch.

It roars to life with Ford's 4th gen 5.0 liter, naturally-aspirated "Coyote" V8, cranked up to 500 horsepower-- 14 ponies more than a GT with active exhaust which is, by the way, standard here.

This modern "five-oh" cranks out 418 pound-feet of torque, sent to the rear wheels through your choice of transmission: 6-speed manual or, in our case, 10-speed automatic.

Note that 6-speed is the same Tremec used in the last Shelby GT350 and Mustang Mach 1, an upgrade from the GT's MT-82.

On track, our drivers certainly would have preferred the 6-speed, as the 10-speed felt more reactive than proactive, with automatic downshifts rather unaggressive.

Manual mode using wheel mounted paddle shifters does improve things, allowing us to find better footing through all nine corners of Roebling Road Raceway.

However, for acceleration runs, there's no doubt about it: this 10-speed rips!

After a few trips to warm up the tires, we caught grip for a 0-to-60 time of 4.3 seconds.

We have no doubt sub 4.0 seconds with this 10-speed is doable in ideal conditions.

But, the 40 degree air temps didn't slow us down too much, racing down Roebling's front straight to hit a 12.7 second quarter-mile at 117 miles per hour.

Talk about warming us up!

And the day's fun didn't stop as we wrung out this 5.0 liter V8 to its 7500 rpm redline.

Like, Coyotes that came before, the Dark Horse's V8 loves to rev, and with an exhaust note like this you'll be compelled to oblige.

We managed to hit 147 miles per hour before pulling back the reins: 6-piston front Brembo's that made easy work of hard stops.

Joined by 4-piston calipers clamping on the rear discs, these brakes were remarkable.

We enjoyed interrogating them lap after lap, but it took a lot for the Dark Horse tires to squeal: grippy Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber; 305s in front and 315s in back, both wrapping 19 inch wheels.

Those wheels and tires are part of the available Handling pack, as are adjustable top strut mounts and revised chassis tuning.

This $5,000 upgrade also adds the performance rear spoiler and Gurney flap-- low enough to not limit visibility, but big enough to show you mean business.

And on the topic of appearance, the Dark Horse, despite the name, will stand out from your neighbor's fresh-off-the-line GT.

Available only as a coupe, it wears bespoke "Dark Horse" badging and graphics.

The front end is almost evil with large nostrils sending air directly to the dual intakes, bookended by the 7th gen's tri-bar headlights.

Opting for a bright color will show all these blacked-out elements even more, but we think it's rather appropriate in this Blue Ember Metallic paint, reserved for Dark Horse Premiums.

The interior isn't too far removed from the GT Premium.

All models come with two large displays, a 12.4 inch instrument panel and a 13.2 inch infotainment touchscreen, mounted in one continuous housing.

The Deep Indigo cloth seats can be swapped for these leather-trimmed RECAROs; quite comfortable on the street and very supportive on the track.

And although that's where this machine truly shines, the Dark Horse is perfectly capable of gallivanting you around town too, as the standard MagneRide adaptive suspension means great handling in both scenarios.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are on-par with a GT running on Regular, 14 city, 22 highway and 17 combined.

The Mustang Dark Horse pricing starts at $61,080, stepping up to $65,075 for a Dark Horse Premium.

Add all the bells and whistles, and you can easily exceed $70,000.

But that still smacks us as a supercar-style bargain.

So, is Dark Horse worthy of a permanent slot on Ford's high-performance mantle?

Or, does it simply live in the shadow of 60 years of Mustang greats?

Well, its name is "Dark Horse."

That's far from "Black Sheep."

It's loud, proud, and does everything a 5.0 liter Mustang should, and a lot more.

So, our answer is undeniably...yes!

♪ ♪ JOHN: For years, America's Audi fans could only dream of owning one of the sporty station wagons only available to the Quattro faithful across the Atlantic.

Finally, in 2021, Audi brought the 591 horsepower RS6 to our shores, and this year, they're sending an even faster version.

But as our Roger Mecca is going to show us, Audi's history of lightning-quick wagons under the RS name are what U.S. car fans have been lusting for, for more than 20 years.

♪ ♪ ROGER MECCA: In the early '90s, Audi was living in the shadow of its German peers Mercedes and BMW, and considered an alternative, quirky option like Saab or Volvo, not the premier luxury brand they are today.

Audi was eager to be taken as seriously as its Bavarian brethren and needed a big splash with a halo car that could not be ignored.

The result was the RS2, the first Audi to ever carry the RS badge and the world's first truly fast station wagon.

And it helped Audi succeed in getting the attention of serious car fans.

But they didn't do it alone.

They had help from another very iconic German brand.

In the early '90s, Porsche was in deep financial trouble, but still carried respect as a premier performance brand.

Though, Audi knew plenty about making fantastic racecars, with their storied rally racing history, they didn't have the cache or recognition as a company that made sports cars.

So, when Audi approached them with a proposal to collaborate, Porsche was happy to take the engineering fee.

Using the existing Audi 80 wagon as the base, the RS2 was developed over 18 months, and roughly 2900 of them rolled off the line at Porsche's Stuttgart factory from 1994 to 1995.

The very same line where another legendary 4-wheel-drive turbocharged car was produced, the Porsche 959.

So, just how much Porsche is there in the RS2?

A lot.

Starting in the front, you got the badge that says Porsche, the front fog lights are from a 911; the sideview mirrors are from a 911; these wheels are from a later 911, but they rolled off the factory with a 968 club sport wheels.

I think the rear taillight bar looks a lot like a 911 from the time.

The suspensions tuned by Porsche, the brakes are from Porsche, the calipers say Porsche, and then we haven't even gotten to what Porsche did under the hood.

(engine starts up) The engine started out as Audi's stalwart, if odd, 2.2 liter turbocharged 5-cylinder.

But then Porsche added a bigger turbo, a larger intercooler, a new ECU and a new camshaft.

Porsche also added a 6-speed manual gearbox, the only shifting option available for RS2 buyers.

As you might expect, the results of Porsche's tinkering were remarkable.

The engine puts out 315 horsepower and goes to 60 in 4.8 seconds.

Now, that does not seem super-fast today, I know, but back in 1994 that was faster than Ferrari's flagship V12 coupe, the 456.

In fact, Audi would not make another car that was faster to 60 for 10 years.

Unfortunately, that power isn't nearly as immediate or available as Ferrari's grand tourer, and the addition of the RS2's bigger turbo came at a price that was all too familiar in the '90s...turbo lag.

To get everything out of this car, and the engine, you need to keep the exhaust pressure up and the turbo spinning.

Let them wind down and the performance goes with it, along with the excitement, until the RPMs climb back up into the fun zone.

But once it hits, oof, it is intense!

You go from no drama at all to being thrust into the back of your seat like you're on a rocket."

In terms of how it rides, it feels wonderfully civilized and firmly planted at speed.

Though, the RS2 has a reputation for not being a great car in the twisty stuff, I found it to be a ton of fun to power into a corner, have it confidently hold its line, and shoot out the other side.

Porsche's work on the suspension is evident and there's great steering feel and feedback.

Plus, you get all of this excitement in a car with terrific visibility, comfort, and practicality.

The RS2 was the best of both worlds.

You could pack the whole family up for a wonderful vacation, but you could go 100 miles an hour down the Autobahn to get there.

Since the RS2, Audi has introduced a plethora of cars, wagons, and SUVs with the RS name, all of which could easily leave the RS2 in a cloud of dust and smoke.

But none of them made as much of an impression as this unassuming station wagon, the car that helped Audi grab the world's attention.

JOHN: Here at MotorWeek , we love to do basic car care ourselves and encourage you to do the same.

but sometimes you just have to enlist the pros.

And, when it's all said and done, the bill can be long and confusing.

So, we asked Audra Fordin to decipher the facts to save you some moolah on MotorWeek's "Your Drive!"

♪ ♪ AUDRA FORDIN: Here at MotorWeek, we love seeing people tackle their own car troubles, although sometimes it's best to leave it to the professionals.

But, one of the most common fears about going to the auto mechanic is overpaying.

Here we have typical dealer estimates, and at first it might look like hieroglyphics.

Today, we're going to talk about shop estimates and how to decipher them.

You know, it starts when you walk into the auto shop.

It's your car, it's your money, it's your experience.

So, before you get any work done, get an estimate.

And if you are unsure at that time, wait around or ask for a telephone call before any work is done.

Request a breakdown of all the parts, labor and fluids, and services required to fix your vehicle, and you should get a fairly accurate idea of what you'll be spending.

While that's not always possible when it comes to diagnosis, however for most routine services, like fluid flushes, maintenance and brakes, there's typically a flat rate or simple standard pricing.

We're going to review a disturbing estimate sent by a viewer.

So, let's take a look at this 2001 Honda Insight.

The car went into the shop needing an oil change, a new oil pan, and a lot of other work, but the owner knew it had rear brakes and a seized left front caliper.

Okay, that needs to be fixed.

Now, the estimate calls for 4-wheel brakes and rotors, including the pads, the rotors, the drums, and the brake shoes.

The cost for the parts alone is $742.

The concern here is that the rear brakes were new.

To make some matters worse, some unscrupulous shops will charge for parts that were never installed.

To avoid this, keep your records and reference your records before taking your car in to the auto shop.

Ask them to save the old parts for you.

The hourly labor rate should be posted on the wall somewhere, but what they don't tell you is that the amount of time that they will charge for the job is not actually the time that it will take, so ask in advance.

There are labor rate guides that give you the average time it should take for every maintenance on every repair for every car, and that's what the estimate is based on, on most cars.

But, when we get these extra fees, like, in addition to parts and labor, and fluids, there's the testing and diagnosis; but then hazardous waste and administrative fees, and shop supplies, and miscellaneous.

It's a lot of extras.

You know, while some are mandated by law, but when it comes to the administrative fees and the road test fees, those feel a little bit unnecessary.

In this case, the customer racked up an extra $42 here in admin fees alone.

In total, this estimate came out to $5,500, and our calculation was only a fraction of the cost.

So, the lessons here are to read through your invoices and make sure you understand what everything means.

If something is unclear, just ask.

And if there any jobs you can do yourself to save some cash, it might be worth the effort.

If you have any questions or comments, reach out to us, right here at MotorWeek .

♪ ♪ GREG CARLOSS: This week, we're kicking off some extended test time in this 2024 Mazda CX-50 2.5 Turbo compact crossover.

Sporting Zircon Sand Metallic paint over a Terracotta interior, our CX-50 sounds pretty fancy, and it is.

Premium Plus trim means 20 inch alloy wheels, leather-trimmed seating for five with heating elements for front and rear passengers, lots of fine stitch work, panoramic moonroof, and a 10 inch infotainment display are all included.

The engine is just as special, the turbo version of their 2.5 liter I4 which outputs 256 horsepower with 93 octane fuel to a 6-speed automatic transmission, with standard all-wheel-drive.

Crazy as it sounds, an automatic transmission with only six gears is borderline retro at this point, but it operates so smoothly with the CX-50's 4-cylinder turbo, one could easily be fooled into thinking it's an 8-speed.

But there really aren't any tricks here.

Just good old-fashioned engineering on a tried and true powertrain.

We've already put a quick 3,000 miles on the odometer with a trip south to our winter testing grounds and our early fuel economy average of 25.2 miles per gallon is right on the Government's Combined Rating.

Mazda seems to have thought of everything with this CX-50, even including a comprehensive Roadside Assistance Kit complete with jumper cables.

Unfortunately, it's the end of the road for another member of our fleet, as we'll bid adieu to our fun-loving Acura Integra sport sedan on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test update.

JOHN: We saved the front seat for you on this week's QuickSpin!

♪ ♪ JESSICA RAY: There's been a lot of updating going on in the full-size truck ranks over the last year or two, but none more extensive than what we've recently gotten a taste of from Ram, as we're just back from the Texas Hill Country and a QuickSpin in the 2025 Ram 1500.

There's a new force churning up power under the hood, an inline-6 in regular or extra strength forms.

It's the Hurricane twin-turbo 3.0 liter from Jeep's body-on-frame Wagoneer.

Standard output in this truck focused six is the same as in the Jeep at 420 horsepower, but the high output version sees an increase from 510 to 540 horsepower here in the Ram.

KYLE SCANLON: So, here we are outside of Austin, Texas, driving on these beautiful country and ranch roads in this new Ram 1500, and one of the newest things about it is the straight-6 twin-turbo.

That's right, you heard me: HEMI is out, straight-6 is in; and let me tell you, I'm not mad about it.

It has more power in the standard output than the outgoing HEMI, and then they have the high-output engine which pumps another 140 horsepower into it...this moves this truck; it is a powerhouse, and I'm honestly surprised.

JESSICA: Also, new for Ram is a range-topping Tungsten trim that takes the truck further upscale, looking more city slicker than TRX-inspired, with unique grillwork and lighting outside, along with plenty of leather and metal inside; plus, a 23 speaker sound system and 10 inch touchscreen for the front passenger.

While, not a hybrid or the soon to arrive REV EV, the new Ram does have 2.0 kilowatts of on-board power available for tailgating or for tools at the jobsite.

The 2025 Ram 1500 will be available this spring with prices starting just over $42,000, soon to be joined by a pair of plug-in Rams before year's end.

And we'll have more QuickSpins...soon!

JOHN: Lexus sells SUVs in just about every shape and size, but until now has never had a true large 3-row family-style crossover in their lineup.

Well, the new TX is just that.

So, let's find out if the seventh SUV to enter the Lexus brand is also able to usher in a new era of big-family luxury.

♪ ♪ Lexus has been in the SUV game longer than most luxury brands, but the all-new 2024 Lexus TX is their first purpose-built, large 3-row crossover utility.

Looking equal parts enormous and luxurious outside, it's a big jump up from the no longer available RX350L, as far as space inside front to back, but especially in the 3rd row when it comes to legroom, but also in flexibility and ease of use compared to their other current 3-row offering, the truck-based LX600.

The TX's 20.2 cubic-feet of space behind that 3rd row is a real bonus too.

That space expands to 57.4 cubic-feet when you fold the 3rd row seatbacks, with a 97.0 cubic-foot max with all seats stored and folded.

And of course, there are charging ports just about everywhere you look inside, ensuring families are as connected as they are comfortable.

And it is a very comfortable family hauler with seating arrangements for either six or seven passengers.

It's easy to make things bigger inside, much more difficult if you're Lexus to make them vastly better.

And while the TX interior is very nice, it's not as big of an upgrade from platform mate Toyota Grand Highlander as we expected.

Though, considering our Premium trim tester is just one step up from base, there's lots of standard content, but also a lot going on when it comes to controls and touch-sensitive surfaces.

It did take some getting used to, with many dash controls looking very similar, and the steering wheel controls being somewhat temperamental.

There are plenty of choices when it comes to the powertrain.

Standard is this 2.4 liter I4 turbo in the TX350 rated at 275 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque.

It works with an 8-speed automatic transmission and comes in front or all-wheel-drive.

An available 500h adds hybrid assistance to that 2.4 liter, and at the top of the lineup is Lexus' first-ever V6-based plug-in hybrid, the 550h+, which packs 301 total horsepower and delivers 33 miles of EV range.

Both hybrids are all-wheel-drive, and all TXs are rated to tow 5,000 pounds.

Our all-wheel-drive 350 had a nice little jolt of power for getting a nice little jump off the line at our Mason Dixon test track, and then after a slight pause, power began pouring on in full force, ushering us to 60 in 7.5 seconds.

The engine was plenty willing to keep dealing out the power, but the ultra-smooth automatic shifts were a tad sluggish, creating a noticeable drop-off in momentum as we worked our way down the track.

Still, a 15.6 second 92 miles per hour quarter-mile is quite acceptable for a family hauler.

The TX is almost 17 feet long, but it sure doesn't feel that big when you're driving it around, and it scooted thorough our slalom course with the ease of a vehicle half that size.

Its predictable nature allowed us to easily manage its luxury-minded steering feel and carry quite a bit of speed through the cones.

While the TX shares the same basic suspension design as the Grand Highlander, tuning is unique.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 20-City, 26-Highway and 23-Combined; we averaged a great 25.3 miles per gallon of Premium, and it only goes up from there with either of the two available hybrids.

Pricing starts reasonably for a luxury SUV with the TX350 beginning at $55,050 and all-wheel-drive a $1,600 option, but things can escalate quickly from there.

While, not their first 3-row utility, the 2024 Lexus TX is their first dedicated 3-row platform aimed squarely at the heart of the American market.

Clearly, they've hit a bullseye, as it makes us want to pack up the family and hit the road.

But this is also the first Lexus to be built in Indiana.

While most of the car business seems to revolve around novelty, wow-factor, and gadgetry these days, Lexus continues to deliver quality, calm, and comfort, all while keeping the luxury experience remarkably attainable.

Well, that's our show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, for more MotorWeek , including daily news updates, podcasts, and even complete episodes, cruise on over to PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

And I hope you'll join us next time when we track test a car that's both swanky and sporty, the Audi RS7 Performance.

Then, it's serious seat time in Honda's new EV effort, the Prologue.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

ANNOUNCER: To learn more about MotorWeek , Television's Original Automotive Magazine, visit... To order a DVD of this program... MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper, a nationwide network of stores and shops providing major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast, and in your local community.

Learn more at AutoValue.Com and BumperToBumper.Com.

TireRack.Com is proud to support MotorWeek !

First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it TireRack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

♪ ♪ This program was produced by Maryland Public Television, which is solely responsible for its content.

(engine revving) ♪ ♪ You're watching PBS.