Ford listened to F-150 customers who want the Raptor model’s power without its bloodthirsty looks, rugged hardware, and off-road chops. The full-fat Limited trim level receives the Raptor’s engine for the 2019 model year along with new trim and color options inside. The engine swap is the main highlight of the changes the Blue Oval is making to its perennial best-seller for 2019.
The Limited already came with a twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine but Ford de-tuned it to 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. The 2019 update bumps its output to 450 hp and 510 lb-ft. of torque, figures that place the Limited model on par with the Raptor. And, like its desert-storming sibling, it’s exclusively available with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy figures haven’t been released yet.
Ford notes it complemented the power hike with a new-for-2019 dual exhaust system. Car spotters will be able to tell they’re looking at a truck equipped with the updated engine because the EcoBoost exhales through exhaust tips integrated into rear bumper cutouts. There are no other visual changes to report, meaning the Limited model continues to stand out from other trim levels with a model-specific emblem on the hood, a more upscale-looking grille, and 22-inch alloy wheels.
This isn’t your grandpa’s loud, beat-up old farm truck. It’s available with soft-touch leather, massaging front seats, a heated steering wheel, and hand-finished ash swirl trim. The list of tech features includes adaptive cruise control, pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and active park assist, which attempts to take the stress out of parallel parking a truck the size of Luxembourg by automatically steering it into a spot.
The Limited also offers Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system, a touchscreen-based software compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The in-car 4G LTE modem lets passengers connect up to 10 devices to the Wi-Fi network. If one of them streams music, rest assured it will play through a Harman sound system.
The 2019 Ford F-150 Limited — and the rest of the F-150 lineup — will arrive in showrooms nationwide in the coming months. Ford will release pricing information closer to the truck’s on-sale date. To add context, the 2018 Limited starts at $61,360 (about $33,655 more than the base model) before adding options.
The king of Ford’s F150 pickup range, the 2019 F150 Limited, has just been given a pretty serious steroid injection. Using the latest-generation, high-output 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6 engine from the F150 Raptor, the Limited now makes a monstrous 450 hp (335 kW) and 510 lb-ft (691 Nm) of torque.
And that’s not where the upgrades end. The new most powerful F150 ever also gets a boost in the brains department, with standard 360-degree camera systems and optional trailer backup assist.
As the “luxury” flagship of the F150 range, the Limited also gets some interior upgrades. Miko suede headliners join leather-topped instrument and door panels, while graduated ash wood paneling raises the tone.
The heated and cooled front seats gain Active Motion lumbar supports that offer a massage as you cruise down the highway, and if you thought the previous model didn’t cool your butt quickly enough, Ford concurs, and has enlarged the ventilation holes to make the system work more efficiently. Even the steering wheel is heated this time around, and the audio is taken care of with a B&O Play system from Harman.
Beyond that, it’s an F150; expect major road presence, broad utility and jokes about your manhood from pedestrians. There’s also driver assist gear like stop/go adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking, semi-autonomous parking to get this giant barge of a thing into tight spots, and lane keeping assist.
Connectivity is what you’d expect, with a Sync 3 touchscreen including AppLink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The built-in FordPass 4G LTE system pulls data for the car’s systems, but also distributes it via a Wi-Fi hotspot to up to 10 devices simultaneously, which will just about keep the back seat happy in most modern families.
The 2019 F150 Limited will hit showrooms later this year.