Ford F150 Truck Blog

The folks over at LeftLaneNews have spotted what appears to be a 2011 Ford F-150 Lariat Limited edition. Here’s a quote from them:

Our spies have caught a half-dressed engineering mule of what’s believed to be the 2011 Ford F-150 Lariat Limited… By the time we see the production version of the 2011 Lariat Limited, we expect the lower front air dam will be body color. The wheels may change to a different style or they’ll be painted with body color accents. The diamond mesh grille is likely to stay the same as shown, to differentiate it from the Harley F-150. It’s identical to the 2010 Ford F-150 Lariat’s grille. What else is the Lariat Limited package likely to come with? Though the pictures show a single awkward looking exhaust tip, the side view shows it’s really two pipes merged into one. Based on that and the loud exhaust note, we expect the Lariat Limited will feature Ford’s all-new 6.2-liter premium V-8 engine, as Ford rolls that engine out to high-end F-150 models.

Check out the article @ http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-f-150-lariat-limited.html

Want custom graphics for your F-150? AutoBlog has posted news about Ford’s new custom graphics coming soon to Ford vehicles near you.

The generically-named Ford Custom Graphics are a series of vinyls that can be used to add a little extra something to your blue oval beauty. Ford says the graphics are scratch-resistant and weatherproof, and retain the car’s 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty. They will be sold exclusively through Ford dealers.

Check out FordCustomGraphics.com for details, or see this post at AutoBlog.

And in other news, information was leaked that the 2011 Mustang GT will get a 5.0 engine with 412hp. We suspect you’ll see a 5.0 V8 engine return to the F-150 as well. Expect the 6.2L V8 engine to be available on the Raptor and Super Duty only. More 5.0 info, again, at AutoBlog.

Here’s one of the latest F150 SVT Raptor videos to hit YouTube. It’s the Raptor at Monster Jam in Detroit that was last weekend.

Good PR move for Ford – bringing the Raptor to Monster Jam. But…. you could just hear the disappointment when they didn’t jump the Raptor F150 over junk cars…. oh well, maybe next time. The Raptor is still a sweet truck!

PickupTrucks.com is reporting on the future of F-150 truck engines. We’ll see the EcoBoost V6 engine available (which we knew about) and a new 5.0L V8 engine (shared with the Mustang), it’s codename is Coyote.

Here’s a quote from the article:

By late 2010, the new standard engine for the F-150 will be a 5.0-liter, modular, four-valve, naturally aspirated V-8, developed under the code name “coyote.” This eight-cylinder engine (described as having “huge heads”) will be shared with the new Ford Mustang. Power figures are said to be approximately 400 horsepower and 400 pounds-feet of torque. Fuel economy is expected to be comparable to the current 5.4-liter engine.

In an interesting reversal of tradition for trucks, the premium engine for the light-duty F-150 will be a V-6. The new rear-wheel-drive version of the 3.5-liter, six-cylinder EcoBoost gasoline turbo direct-injection motor will occupy the top slot.

Read the full article over at PickupTrucks.com

The first 2010 Ford Raptor SVT F-150 sold at auction on Saturday, January 17 for the nice sum of $143,000. That price includes a $13,000 buyer’s premium. It was lot #1333.

We’ve started a Raptor F150 section here at FordF150.net, you can check it out at http://www.fordf150.net/raptor/

The Raptor truck details from the Barrett-Jackson website are as follows:

Summary: The DNA of a Baja Prerunner. Built Ford Tough. The Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) takes performance supremacy off-road with the new F-150 SVT Raptor. All proceeds above MSRP vehicle will go directly to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Details: The DNA of a Baja Prerunner. Built Ford Tough. The Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) takes performance supremacy off-road with the new F-150 SVT Raptor. This purpose-built, high performance truck is rugged enough to take on challenging desert adventures, and refined enough for everyday use. F-150 SVT Raptor-specific triple internal bypass Fox Racing Shox, an electronic locking rear differential, and hill descent control mark its serious off-road capability. Outrageous styling backs up its performance with a brick-wall grille, unique front fenders, box outer panels, hood and front bumper, plus a Raptor-exclusive interior. This is one awesome truck. The winning bidder will take delivery of the first F-150 SVT Raptor offered for sale. All proceeds above MSRP vehicle will go directly to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Over the last three years, Ford and Barrett-Jackson have raised over $2.5 million dollars for charity through the auction of Ford products. This new model will give the winning bidder an opportunity to contribute to a worthy cause while making automotive history. Features include 7″ Wider than a standard F-150, 5.4L SOHC V8 FFV with 320hp and 390 lb-ft. of torque, 11.2″ of front suspension travel, unique cast-aluminum front control arms, unique skid plates, 12.1″ of rear suspension travel, unique rear springs. 4.10 rear axle, electronic locking rear differential, 17″ cast-aluminum wheels, BFGoodrich 35″ All-Terrain T/A KO (315/70R17), Hill Descent Control, unique Off-Road Mode and auxiliary switches for additional lighting and accessories.

Well of course well all know that Ford builds the best trucks. And of course every generation is better than the previus. Well I thought I’d re-post the list of awards that have been handed to the 2009 F-150 so far (and it’s only Jan/09).

Don’t forget we have oodles of 2009 F-150 information here: http://www.fordf150.net/2009/

and the 2009 F150 Forum is here: http://www.fordf150.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=69

The 2009 F-150 has won the following awards and accolades:

• Motor Trend 2009 Truck of the Year Award
• Top honors as “Truck of Texas” as well as “Best Luxury Pickup” for the 2009 F-150 King Ranch from Texas Auto Writers Association
• Finalist 2009 North American Truck of the Year (with 2009 Ford Flex for Car of the Year)
• 2009 Best Redesigned Vehicle from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com
• “Best Overall Half-Ton Pickup” from PickupTrucks.com
• “Automotive Excellence” award in the Workhorse Category from Popular Mechanics
• Detroit Free Press Truck of the Year
• Detroit News Truck of the Year
• “Top Safety Pick” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for its standard safety technology: Safety Canopy side curtain air bags and AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control
• “Residual Value” award from Automotive Leasing Guide (ALG) for retaining the highest percentage of its original price among 2009 full-size light duty pickups at the end of a conventional three-year lease, based on ALG projections
• Motor Trend’s Truck Trend Top 5 Trucks from Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) for 2009 Ford F-150 Heavy Duty DeWalt Contractor Concept
• “Accessory-Friendly Truck” Design Award from SEMA

Source: Ford Press Release

For the 32nd year in a row, Ford’s award-winning F-Series is America’s best-selling truck with 2008 sales of 515,513. F-series outsold its nearest truck rival by more than 50,000 units.

In addition, for the 27th year in a row, F-Series is once again America’s best-selling vehicle of any type – car, crossover, SUV, truck or van.

“Our thanks go out to our customers, our dealers and, of course, the Ford employees and supplier partners who design, engineer and manufacture quality, fuel-efficient trucks delivering unmatched capability,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s group vice president, Marketing and Communications.

Above Source: Ford Press Release

Congratulations Ford on pulling this off during one of the toughest sales years in recent times. Gas prices went up sharply and truck sales dropped, but obviously Ford has the best built trucks and truck buyers know that. I guess you could say Ford is King of Trucks.

I know, I know, you see the headline and think there must be a mistake. A four cylinder engine in an F-150? That’s crazy talk. Well, until recently that was a crazy idea.

With gas prices as high as they are and truck sales so low, it’s maybe not such a crazy idea after all. Derrick Kuzak, the Vice President of Product Management from Ford has said “it’s a potential”.

If Ford does offer a four-cylinder engine, it would most likely would be an EcoBoost engine (turbocharged with direct injection). It’s projected the engine would be offered in 2013.

Ford has already acknowledged that they are working on and plan to produce a diesel F-150. Heck, there’s also talk of a new F-100 truck (a bit smaller than the F-150). And the Ford Ranger plant that was scheduled to close multiple times now just might stay open for a few more years.

Source: [Automotive News]

Here’s what we do know about a potential SVT truck for 2009. Earlier this morning AutoBlog reported that an SVT rep commented “a new SVT truck is coming … later this fall”. Shortly thereafter PickupTrucks.com reported from a credible source that the truck won’t be called a Lightning. In fact it looks like it’s going to be part of the Harley-Davidson line-up of trucks.

Here’s what we don’t know. We don’t have details but it’s probably safe to say the truck will likely be a version of the supercharged Harley F-150. Expect big custom wheels, a custom instrument cluster, perhaps special stitching in the seats. Production may be limited. We also don’t know whether this will satisfy 01-04 Lightning owners. Will this new SVT truck be a Lightning replacement? We’ll see.

One thing is clear. Ford needs to keep coming up with new models and incentives to get truck sales levels back to where they were not that long ago. Trucks are big business and the F-Series was the top selling vehicle for many years (that is until this year). With rumors of a Raptor F150 and a new Ford F100, this potential new SVT truck might be just what Ford needs to be #1 again.

Sources: [Ford SVT Lightning Concept 2004 - Photos] [Autoblog] [PickupTrucks]

Here’s what we do know about F-150 Raptor.

Four Wheeler Magazine broke the news about a truck in the works from Ford. It’s a Raptor edition truck which features:

• Fox Racing long, reservoir shocks
• Fender flares to help fit large tires (possibly 35″)
• Unique styling
• Boss 6.2L V8 engine (380 – 420 hp) or EcoBoost engine

The big question is…. will it sell? Gas prices are at record levels and show no sign of going down. Truck sales are already down this year so in a year or two will this even be produced? Only time will tell.

More reading: Four Wheeler – PickupTruck – AutoBlog