Facelift Ford F-150’s punch South Africa won’t feel revealed

Its path unlikely to lead to South Africa soon in spite of ongoing pressure from Australia to make it available with right-hand-drive, Ford has officially revealed engine specifications for the updated F-150.

Unveiled in July as the first major refresh of the 14^th generation of the best-selling new vehicle in the States, the F-150 is offered in six trim levels; XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Limited with a choice of three bodystyles; single, Super and Crew Cab, plus the option of rear-or-four-wheel-drive with the standard transmission being the General Motors co-developed ten-speed automatic.

At the bottom of the line-up is the normally aspirated 3.3-litre V6 that retains its outputs of 216kW/359Nm, while the next-step 2.7 EcoBoost V6 follows a similar route in continuing to deliver 240kW/542Nm. Added muscle has however been given to the next pair of engines with the 3.5 EcoBoost V6 now punching out 294kW/678Nm instead of 276kW/637Nm, while the normally aspirated 5.0 Coyote V8 has been revised to produce the same 294 kW instead of the previous 290 kW, with its torque rising from 542 Nm to 556 Nm.

On the other side of the all petrol line-up, the 3.0 Powerstroke turbodiesel V6, rumoured for the next generation Ranger, continues as is with outputs of 184kW/597Nm, while the all-new hybrid, called PowerBoost, pairs the senior EcoBoost V6 with a 35 kW electric motor for a total system output of 320 kW and a diesel smashing 773 Nm of torque.

Set for arrival next year though, the already spied F-150 Raptor will revert back to V8 power for the first time in six years in taking aim at the Ram 1500 TRX. Based on reports, the current twin-turbo 3.5 EcoBoost will make way for the 5.2-litre supercharged Voodoo V8 used in the Shelby GT500, with a projected output of between 540 kW and 559 kW.

Pricing is still to be confirmed, but is expected to start at around $30 000 or just under the equivalent of R500 000.

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