I've been toying with the idea of getting rid of my workhorse Honda Ridgeline pickup for a while now. Not because it's disappointed me or anything, but just because I have that itch that occurs when an enthusiast has held onto something for a while. It's not that it's boring or doesn't do what I need, it's just...I'm ready for something else.
What's wild is how good it's actually been to me. I've tossed backcountry snowmobiles, ATVs, and motorcycles of all flavors into the bed, as well as a bull elk and big-ass mule deer buck. There might even be a little blood stain here and there, too. And I've towed trailers of UTVs and more with it, too. It's been a great companion, one that's never let me down, and I've got to stunt on the Honda Ridgeline haters of the world by beating the ever-loving-hell out of it without issue.
But lately, the siren-song of a V8 has been echoing in my head. I've had V8 machines before, and there's just something about them. The rush, the performance, the metric ton of torque! It's intoxicating, even as gas prices shoot to the moon. Yet, I can't be without a truck. To do this job, to be the Editor-in-Chief of RideApart, to do all the fun stuff I want to do, I need a truck.
Luckily for me, maybe not so much for my bank account, Ford's 'Lobo' F-150 exists. And now it's just upped the ante, giving folks the ability to strap a Whipple supercharger onto the Coyote V8, and boosting its performance to a whopping 700 horsepower.
And it's cheaper than a Raptor. Oh no, my money is in danger.
For those who haven't been paying attention to Ford's F-Series lineup, the Lobo F-150 is basically an old-school street truck, i.e., it's more about presence and speed than outright off-road or work-horse capabilities. I'm not saying it can't, but the accessories and design is more original F-150 Lightning than anything else. And from the factory, it comes with a standard 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine good for 400 horsepower, 410 pound-feet of torque, a 1,450-pound payload capacity, and able to tow around 8,000 pounds.
Not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, and good for some smokey burnouts, I'd say. But that wasn't good enough for Ford or its customers, both of which demanded more. So they turned to the good folks at Whipple to slap a stonking-great supercharger to that Coyote in order to make all the power.
According to Ford, the Whipple unit was developed in conjunction with the company, and not only meets the brand's performance targets, but also its reliability wants and needs. What that means is that the 3.0-liter supercharger kit is installed at a dealership, and will give customers 700 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, all with the backing of a 3-year/36,000-mile Ford warranty.
The supercharger kit also comes with an intercooler and an updated ECU map to control all those rampaging ponies. Premium fuel, however, is required. As is a cool $10,500 for the whole thing, apart from labor. But given the standard Ford F-150 Lobo starts at $41,000, you could theoretically be into a 700-horsepower monster toy hauler for $20,000 less than the base-model Ford F-150 Raptor. And if you wanted a V8 Raptor, i.e, the Raptor R, you're looking at a cool $60,000 less.
Granted, you don't get the fun go-fast off-road bits, but I mostly need my truck to tow and haul. I've got other stuff to go off-road that is way better, and way cheaper to fix if I break them. But to be able to tow, haul, and rip a fat burnout and listen to a supercharger whine when I want to let out my inner hooligan? Ford, hit me up, I'd like one tomorrow.
