Ford’s lone wolf now has a friend. The Lobo street truck badge, which was first used in the U.S. earlier this year on the Maverick, is now available on the F-150. But instead of a mean-looking lowered truck with a new suspension and a special drift mode, the Ford F-150 Lobo is a bit of a disappointment.
Ford Is Repurposing Lobo for an American Audience
Lobo is far from a new name for Ford. It has been used on higher-spec F-150 models in Mexico for years, where you can buy, for example, a Ford Lobo Platinum Plus. The name came north late last year for an ’80s minitruck-style version of the Maverick with plenty of goodies.
A retuned suspension, twin-clutch rear differential with a drift mode and torque vectoring, performance-tuned brakes, new colors, and graffiti-inspired interior accents. Those are all things that the Maverick Lobo gets that the F-150 model doesn’t.
It Looks Lower, But the Ford F-150 Lobo Really Isn’t
OK, the Ford F-150 Lobo does get one suspension tweak. The back end has been dropped by 2 inches. But the front height is the same.
A 10-piece body kit does work to make the Ford F-150 Lobo look lower. It includes new side skirts along the cab, a new lower grille, and extra trim bits along the sides of the box.
It also comes with new headlights and taillights, as well as a cowl hood. Its 22-inch black-painted wheels help give the Lobo some extra presence, but it is in no way, as Ford describes it, “straight menacing.”
The Ford F-150 Lobo is based on the STX package. That’s the second from base F-150 trim, and really the first one not aimed at fleet use. For a street truck, you’re probably hoping it’s a single cab and a short box. You’d be half right, because it is a short box, but it is only offered as a four-door SuperCrew cab.
V8 Power Comes Standard
At least Ford’s 5.0L V8 is standard. And the only engine. It makes 400 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque, and the two tailpipes poking from the rear bumper are part of the package.
The F-150 Lobo is only offered in 4×4, but it does not get any sort of drift assistance. It does, however, come with a low-range transfer case — perfect for sporty handling. (Can you hear my sarcasm?)
Ford will sell the F-150 Lobo in five colors: black, blue, gray, white, and red.
The package adds $4,695 to the price of an STX-trim truck, bringing the MSRP to $57,800 plus destination and fees. But that MSRP includes the mandatory $2,340 charge for the V8 on top of the Lobo pack. So the real cost of the Lobo is actually more like $7,035.
If you were hoping for a pavement-carving version of the Raptor, this is not it. If you wanted a more capable version of the Maverick Lobo, it’s not that either. So, this leaves us wondering who the Ford F-150 Lobo is for.
For buyers looking for a real sport truck, a base XL is the only one with a regular cab and the 6.5-foot box. It comes standard with the V8 and a limited-slip rear diff. A $38,810 starting price saves you a ton of cash for wheels, a lowered suspension, and more of the features that sport truck buyers want, and the Maverick Lobo already delivers.
The F-150 Lobo arrives at dealers this fall.
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