Ford F-150 Limited Packs Raptor Power for 2019

The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 has been the premium engine in the Ford F-150 since the 2011 model year, but when the current Raptor was introduced, a new, high-output EcoBoost was added to the lineup. With 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque, the V6 in the Raptor is the most powerful half-ton engine on the market and for 2019, that engine will be offered in the F-150 Limited as well – bringing premium power to the premium luxury truck.

“F-150 Limited customers create their own success. The truck is their reward,” said Todd Eckert, Ford truck group marketing manager. “They wanted more power, so we combined Raptor’s engine with Limited’s business-class features to deliver Baja fierceness, boardroom style and the grit to tackle tough jobs.”

More Raptor Power
For the 2019 model year, the high-output, 3.5-liter EcoBoost is the standard power plant in both the Raptor and the F-150 Limited. The “normal” 3.5-liter EcoBoost with 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque will still be either offered on the rest of the trim levels, but for the off-road-ready Raptor or the luxurious F-150 Limited – the high-output EcoBoost with 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque is now standard equipment.

Again, that is the standard engine for the Raptor in 2018, but this high-output engine is currently available only on the Raptor. With the arrival of the 2019 model year, the 450-horsepower EcoBoost will be far more readily available in the high-volume Limited package, bringing Raptor power to more buyers.

Oddly, while this engine has been in use for 2017 and 2018 in the Raptor, Ford is just now proclaiming the F-150 as the most powerful truck in the half-ton segment. Perhaps because the engine was previously only offered in a high performance package rather than a volume package, but in any case, Ford is marketing the new Limited as the most powerful truck in the segment – even though the Raptor already held that title.

The Competition
So, with the 2019 Ford F-150 offering the 450-horsepower EcoBoost V6 in two trim lines, the Motor Company is calling it “the most powerful light-duty pickup in America” – and it is.

For comparison, the most powerful engine in a Chevrolet or GMC half-ton truck is the 6.2-liter V8 with 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, making it the closest competitor for the 2019 F-150 Limited.

The most powerful engine in the Ram 1500 is the 5.7-liter Hemi with 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque. The most powerful engine in a Toyota Tundra is a 5.7-liter V8 with 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque and the most powerful engine in the Nissan Titan is the 5.6-liter V8, offering 390 horsepower and 394 lb-ft of torque.

In other words, not only does the 2019 Ford F-150 Limited with the high-output EcoBoost lead the half-ton segment, it does so by a pretty significant margin – beating the closest competitor by 30 horsepower and 50 lb-ft of torque while beating the Nissan Titan by 60 horsepower and 116 lb-ft of torque.

We don’t know for sure how the addition of the Raptor V6 as standard equipment in the 2019 F-150 Limited will impact its pricing, but with that trim being the most heavily-appointed in the history of the bestselling half-ton truck – we can expect that this 450-horsepower luxury pickup will have a pretty hefty price tag.