F-150 Upgrades Hint At 2018 Mustang Power Hike

Each F-150 and Expedition customer has unique needs, and we can deliver even more of the capability and efficiency they are looking for. — Hau Tai Tang, Ford

Ford’s top-selling pickup is a juggernaut in sales, so it can support a wide variety of options to meet customer needs. As such, the 2018 F-150 features five engine options, including a 2.7-liter EcoBoost, a 3.3-liter Ti-VCT V6, an upgraded Coyote 5.0-liter, the proven 3.5-liter EcoBoost and an all-new 3.0-liter diesel. For fans of Ford’s pony car, it’s those Coyote updates that might be of interest.

“Each F-150 and Expedition customer has unique needs, and we can deliver even more of the capability and efficiency they are looking for, thanks to our strategic use of lightweight materials and innovative V6 engines,” Hau Thai-Tang, Ford executive vice president, Product Development and Purchasing, said. “Our dedication to this kind of innovation helps our F-Series and Expedition customers take care of their growing families and businesses, all with fewer stops for fuel along the way.”

While the big news is that Ford’s smaller engines, like the 3.5-liter EcoBoost continue to improve versus their predecessors. Many Mustang fans still have a need for V8 power. And, since the market-leading truck and the Mustang share the same basic V8 engine — save for tuning differences like intakes and camshafts — it’s highly likely we will see the truck-engine tweaks headed to the 2018 Mustang GT.

The dual-injection Coyote 5.0-liter in the new F-150 picks up an additional 10 horsepower and 13 lb-ft of torque, putting it at 396 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. The engine also borrows a bit of lightweighting technology from the vaunted Shelby GT350. Its cylinders are lined using the same Plasma Transfer Wire Arc technology as Ford Performance’s top-tier stallion.

That sort of trickle down in technology and improvement in performance is a trend we hope continues. While we are still waiting on official performance numbers for the next pony car, we expect that the Mustang engine will gain quite a bit more than the F-150 5.0-liter engine did. Still it’s great to see that even with EcoBoost garnering the spotlight the Coyote engine is still receiving upgrades.