Is a Ford Performance 2019 F-150 Raptor V-8 Actually Going to Happen?

TopSpeed

By Safet Satara

Published Oct 16, 2018

It's not really possible

A few months ago or so, the Internet became a battleground for those who believed that Ford would reintroduce a V-8-Powered Raptor and those who thought it would not. One article from fordtips.com was enough to convince armies of dedicated Ford F-150 fans to start fantasizing about the new Raptor V-8. A Reddit thread was formed, people were commenting on the new car, sourcing some long forgotten quotes from unreliable sources, and imagining a Ford F-150 Raptor with a 7.0-liter V-8 engine.

Some months after, PaxPower - a well-known Ford tuner - revealed just what all of those dedicated fans wanted - a Ford F-150 Raptor V-8. Not with the 7.0-liter V-8 mind you, but with a 5.0-liter V-8 that offered extra motivation thanks to a massive supercharger. I already wrote about the F-150 Raptor V-8 developed by PaxPower. It is quite a magnificent machine actually, and it has real Ford F-150 Raptor gear.

Nevertheless, this article will actually discuss the possibly a real Ford F-150 Raptor V-8 by Ford Performance.

A V-8 Powered F-150 Raptor Is Not going to happen

Consider this - the CAFE standards are excruciatingly tough to meet with a V-8 engine, Ford already invested a fortune to develop the 3.5-liter EcoBoost in all of its models, and the company is actually quite successful with it. Plus, if gently cuddled, this engine isn’t that big of a fuel waster. So, no, personally, I do not believe that Ford is going to develop and produce a V-8 powered Ford F-150 Raptor. Like ever.

The next one may even go hybrid. Just deal with it.

What about the alleged speculation?

That is just it about speculation. It is only speculation. Speedtwitch reported some unsupported claims:

“Variants of the 7X (7.0L V8) motor will make its way into top-trim F-150 models, including the Platinum and Raptor models. If you remember a few years back, we offered the 6.2L V8 in the Platinum F-150’s and first generation Raptors. Expect the 7.0L V8 to pattern Ford’s placement strategy of the old 6.2L.”

Alleged comments like this have never been confirmed nor declined by Ford. Personally, I believe that this is only a third party fabrication. Nevertheless, the 7.3-liter V-8 is in the works. Intended to replace the aging 6.2-liter and 6.8-liter V-8 engines, the new massive 7.3-liter unit, according to TFLTruck should come in early 2019. The engine will be the backbone for Heavy Duty applications and F-Series cars such as the F-250 to F-750.

A 7.3-liter In A Ford Performance F-150 Raptor V-8

Ok, I admit, this sounds awesome. Fantastic, actually! Yet, it is not going to happen as the EcoBoost of the latest Raptor will still be more powerful than a N/A engine double its size. Coupling it with the 10-speed automatic clearly demonstrates that it will be the one to have if you want to tow heavy loads. Not if your plans are to roam the desert with your friends and a couple of GoPros vacuumed to it.