Official Ford order guides have leaked for the 2021 F-150 Raptor and Tremor packages, confirming that the high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 will return as the base engine in Ford’s range-topping off-road pickup. The guide images, leaked to F150Gen14.com’s forum, also give us a top-down glimpse of what Ford has in store for the F-150‘s two off-road-heavy packages.
“But wait,” you might be thinking. “Didn’t you guys just post video of a V8-powered Raptor mule? Indeed, we did. In fact, here it is, in all of its rumbling glory:
These leaked details confirm two things: Most important, they tell us that the rumors of a two-engine strategy for the Raptor were true. Secondly, this is our first solid confirmation that the High Output variant of the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 is returning, having been absent from the initial slate of F-150 models (which obviously excluded the Raptor).
This is great news for customers for two reasons. For starters, it means that those who want all the Raptor goodies will not be forced into a high-dollar, Ram-TRX-caliber pickup with a likely Ram-TRX-caliber price tag. With FCA setting a precedent for V8 performance truck upgrades commanding premiums close to $20,000, that’s absolutely noteworthy.
Secondly, this gives us hope that the base Raptor will be offered with a good bit more than the 400 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque produced by the base 3.5L EcoBoost elsewhere in the F-150 lineup. The old High Output packed 450 ponies; we’re betting that figure will tilt a bit closer to (or maybe even exceed?) 500.
The leaks also confirm some color options for the Tremor model (which, before you ask, is not getting the High Output 3.5L) and some tweaks to the hood and grille design for both variants. The latter is bad news for the OEM upgrade crowd, as it appears the days of plug-and-play Raptor hood and grille upgrades on more garden-variety F-150 models may be coming to an end.