Brawnier Ford F-150 shows face, still bound for Oz but not RSA

Billed as a new model instead of a revised version of its predecessor when it debuted three years ago, Ford has used the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to unveil the updated F-150 as well as its Raptor siblings, the standard V6 and fire-breathing V8-engine Raptor R.

Head-on

Confirmed last year as heading to Australia in 2024 with right-hand-drive, but not any other right-hooking market, the 14^th generation F-150’s adaptions, although small, are said to have been extensive, especially on the outside.

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Now different in appearance to the F-Series Duty that went under the knife last year, as well as the all-electric F-150 Lightning, the F-150’s exterior receives new headlights with L-shaped LEDs, a redesigned grille specific to each trim level, new alloy wheel designs with sizes ranging from 17 to 22-inches, and a new front bumper.

Around the rear…

At the rear, the most prolific change is the tailgate the Blue Oval now calls the Pro Access Tailgate. A no-cost option over the regular drop-down, the Pro Access sports three methods of opening; conventional drop-down and hinged opening either manually or electrically between 37 and 70-degrees.

Although similar in concept to the split barn-door design Fiat uses on the Toro, only the middle section opens so as to prevent, according to Ford, the shutting of two “doors” with a trailer attached.

Selecting the Pro Access Tailgate does, however, come at the expense of the Tailgate Work Surface consisting of an embedded ruler, pencil holder cupholders and smartphone cradle.

Besides the tailgate, all models not specified with the Pro Power Onboard system, comprising an integrated generator and two 120-volt power outlets, receive a pair of lockbox storage areas integrated into the wheel wells.

Carried over from the pre-facelift F-150, the Pro Power sports three generator options; the standard 2.0 kW on all petrol models, the 2.4 kW on the PowerBoost hybrid and the optional 7.2 kW on the PowerBoost that additionally adds a single 240-volt outlet.

As before, three loadbed sizes are available in addition to three bodystyles; single cab, SuperCab and double cab known as the Super Crew.   

On the model front, the XL remains the entry-level F-150, followed by the STX, XLT, Lariat, the off-road focused Tremor, luxury King Ranch, upper luxury Platinum and the flagship Platinum Plus that replaces the Limited.

A trim level long offered on the F-Series Super Duty and Ranger, the Tremor’s added aesthetic consists of a dark anodised and carbon black frontal facia, a unique grille and off-road optimised bumper, Tremor side-steps, Tremor decals on the loadbin and a standard LED light bar plus the option of a Ford Performance approved heavy-duty winch.

Inside

Inside, the changes are limited to the standard fitting of the 12-inch digital instrument cluster across all models.

New or revised on the safety and driver assistance front is the semi-autonomous BlueCruise adaptive control, Lane Changes Assist, a 360-degree surround-view camera system, the Pro Trailer Hitch Assist system, Exit Warning and Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Petrol or petrol/hybrid

Underneath the bonnet, a streamlined range of powerunits now feature, minus the 3.0 Powerstroke turbodiesel V6 and the entry-level normally aspirated 3.3-litre V6 petrol that made 216kW/359Nm.

Once again connected to the General Motors co-developed 10-speed automatic arch rival Chevrolet uses in the Silverado, the F-150’s choice of engines now consist of the 2.7 EcoBoost V6, the volume selling twin-turbo 3.5 EcoBoost V6, the normally aspirated 5.0 Coyote V8 and the PowerBoost that combines the 3.5 EcoBoost with a 35 kW electric motor.

For now, no power or torque figures are known, however, an increase has been mentioned for both non-electrified EcoBoost options.

Raptor and Raptor R

At the other end of the scale, the Raptor and Raptor R models receive the same exterior changes, extending to new graphics, a revised bumper and LED light bar, plus a blacked-out grille.

While the Raptor’s colour palette now sports a new option called Shelter Green, on the Raptor R, Ford has added a new Power Dome to the bonnet and Raptor R graphics and details down the side of the loadbox, tailgate and doors.

Similar to the standard F-150, neither the Raptor nor the Raptor R have undergone any changes underneath their respective skins. The same also goes for the interior.

Up front, Ford declined to reveal any details, but did confirm a power bump of over 522 kW for the 5.2-litre Voodoo supercharged V8 used in the Raptor R.

As it stands, the bent-eight develops 522kW/867Nm, while the twin-turbo 3.5 EcoBoost V6 in the Raptor is expected to retain its outputs of 336kW/692Nm. A strengthened version of the mentioned 10-speed ‘box is standard on both models.

Sorry South Africa

Due to go on-sale before year-end, pricing will reportedly start at $38 565 (R729 212) for the entry-level 2.7 EcoBoost single cab XL 4×2 and top out at $79 975 (R1 512 219) for the Raptor with the Raptor R only debuting in early 2024.

As mentioned though, only Australia will be privy to the F-150 in 3.5 EcoBoost V6 only guise producing 294kW/678Nm.

Unlike in the States, only the double cab will be offered, solely with four-wheel-drive, and with short wheelbase or long wheelbase loadbins in XLT and Lariat trim levels. Pricing kicks off at $106 950 (R1 303 879) and concludes at $140 945 (R1 718 329).

Additional information from motor1.com and drive.com.au.

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