Ford’s hottest pickup truck will continue to offer a boosted V6.
Reports from overseas have revealed Ford F-150 Raptor will be reintroduced as part of the 14th-generation F-Series line and looks set to carry over its twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine.
User TXhauler on the F150gen14.com forum shared a screenshot of an internal ordering screen revealing the standard V6.
Recent rumours had suggested the next Raptor could use a worked over version of the Ford Mustang’s Coyote 5.0-litre V8 engine, or even the supercharged 5.2-litre V8 of the wild Shelby GT500 that produces 566kW of power and 847Nm of torque.
This revelation doesn’t rule out the possibility Ford has a more powerful version in the works, particularly as the Ram 1500 TRX has stormed onto the Raptor’s turf with its 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine with 520kW of power and 881Nm of torque.
The outgoing F-150 Raptor was the second generation of truck to wear the name and the first to use a V6 engine.
Packing a detuned version of the Ford GT’s engine, the Raptor produced 336kW of power and 691Nm of torque and was mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The engine was also optional in the Limited, the most luxurious trim level in the F-150 range.
Though it was down two cylinders on the first generation Raptor, it was more powerful.
The first Raptor initially offered a choice of 5.4-litre and 6.2-litre V8 engines, though the former was quickly dropped.
The 6.2-litre V8 produced 306kW of power and 588Nm of torque and was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
While the Raptor may have lost its V8 engine in 2017, V8 engines have lived on in the F-Series range despite the increasing popularity of turbocharged V6-powered models in the range.
As recently as 2017, Ford said over 60 per cent of F-150 sales were of models equipped with the 2.7-litre and 3.5-litre turbocharged V6 engines.
Despite that, Ford has continued to offer a lone V8 – a 5.0-litre Coyote mill – in the new 14th-generation F-Series, which was introduced last year. The V8 produces 298kW of power and 555Nm of torque.
As befitting the United States’ best-selling vehicle, the 14th-generation F-150 offers a dizzying array of engines.
The range opens with a naturally-aspirated 3.3-litre V6 producing 216kW of power and 359Nm of torque, while above it sit the turbocharged 2.7-litre V6 (242kW/542Nm) and 3.5-litre V6 (298kW/677Nm).
A 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 (186kW/596Nm) was introduced with the 13th generation, while new for the 14th generation is a turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 hybrid dubbed PowerBoost that produces a combined 320kW and 772Nm.
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