2021 Ford Raptor V8
2021 Ford Raptor V8 Despite being a sales success the stupid, brilliant Ford Ranger Raptor’s 2.0-liter bi-turbo diesel engine continues to grate with much of an enthusiast. However, the days of that cynicism would soon come to an end. According to a new report by Australian publication Which Car, the Raptor is set to inherit V8 power for 2021 in the form of the 5.0-liter Coyote engine of the current Ford Mustang GT.
In its current state, the Mustang GT Coyote V8 makes 339kW of power and 556Nm of torque. That’s a healthy step up from the 157kW/500Nm of the current Ranger Raptor, although of course it hasn’t been confirmed how much power the Raptor is set to get.
Indeed, the Raptor’s current powertrain is not particularly fast (especially on paved road) and is in some ways relatively similar to the 3.2-liter 5-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that features elsewhere in the Ranger lineup. But, what it does is play handy support in off-road situations.
Read next: 2021 Ford Raptor Ranger
The bi-turbo format means torque and power are always on hand, despite the changeable surfaces and slopes, and the off-road capabilities are something we praised both at the off-road launch in Darwin, Australia, as well as on home soil.
This pixel work shows visible styling changes, albeit without also showing the back of the bed. Still, the headlight design comes to complete the styling of the grille – we’ll have to thank digital artist Mo Aoun for these pixels. Oh, and you easily compare this digital work with the current car, which is depicted in the image gallery above.
Nevertheless, the main changes for the revamped Raptor should land on the tech front. For one, spy shots have shown prototypes without the leaf spring setup of the current model, albeit with the Blue Oval yet to confirm the transition to coil springs.
Even if the Raptor switches to the latter solution, the standard F-150 should retain its leaf springs, with 2021 Ford Raptor V8 betting on assets such as improved drag stability and load-leveling for the latter – the automaker has introduced a similar schedule for the Ranger and Ranger Raptor, with the latter with a handling improvement of coil jumping setup, unlike its base siblings.
Entering rumors mill country, I must mention that certain voices talk about the V8 architecture making a comeback. So while the current Raptor worked hard to convince die-hard enthusiasts that six cylinders and turbos are enough, Ford could borrow the supercharged 5.2-liter V8 from the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 for the 2021 F-150 Raptor.
However, we should keep in mind that while the 2020 release of the revamped F-150 is almost certain, the revised Raptor may make us wait until next year.
Read next: 2021 Ford Raptor News
