The biggest car news and reviews, no BS. Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday. Is the V8 still America’s truck engine? It’s hard to say. Ram brought back the Hemi after discontinuing it just a year prior, and General Motors is rolling out a new generation of small-blocks. All the while, Ford has kept its 5.0-liter Coyote around while selling way more EcoBoost V6s. That trend is sure to continue for the Blue Oval automaker, as it just cut the V8 from its high-volume top-trim pickups.
You can see this for yourself on Ford’s online configurator, though it was first spotted by CarBuzz. The only engine options for the F-150 King Ranch and Platinum are the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and the hybrid PowerBoost variant. If you want a V8, you’re left with the XL, STX, XLT, Lariat, and Tremor to choose from.
View Price on AmazonIt makes sense on paper to offer your highest-performing engines on your highest-priced models. For reference, the 5.0-liter V8 makes 400 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost makes identical horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, while the PowerBoost takes it up to 430 horsepower and 578 lb-ft of torque. But sometimes, people prioritize large displacement and the characteristics of a naturally aspirated engine over sheer power.
The Drive reached out to Ford for comment on this decision, and a spokesperson confirmed that the V8 is no longer offered on King Ranch and Platinum. However, they stopped short of providing an explanation. I wrote an in-depth story about pickup truck engines last year, analyzing the industry’s shift toward six-cylinders. Ford explained to me that each engine offering represents a mostly equal sales split, and considering the manufacturer provides multiple V6 options and only one V8 in the normal F-150, that shows which configuration wins out.
Data from S&P Global backs that up, as V8 models accounted for just 38% of half-ton truck registrations in 2024—down significantly from 64.6% in 2020. While there are plenty of truck customers who do care what engine is underneath a pickup’s hood, the reality is that many do not. At the same time, manufacturers have faced massive regulatory pressure to lower emissions and increase fuel economy (even if that pressure is far lower right now). So is the transition away from V8s customer-driven? Maybe, maybe not. Whatever the case may be, it’s far more nuanced than what most people assume.
Source: thedrive.com
