F-150 Lobo Drops Suspension And Grows Teeth For The Streets

Ford’s USA team dipped its toe into the modern street truck scene with last year’s Maverick Lobo, and now its applying a similar treatment to its full-size F-150 big brother led by a designer who is steeped in street truck culture.

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Lobo translates as Wolf in Spanish and this new package certainly gives the F-150 a stealthy look. Available on the STX and exclusively with the SuperCrew body style, the Lobo option brings a new grille and a 10-piece bodykit to make the 2-inch (50 mm) rear-end suspension drop appear even more extreme.

Factory Look, Aftermarket Attitude

A set of gloss black 22-inch rims fills the arches, there are vents on the cowled hood, new rear lights, a dual-layer front LED light bar and low-key Lobo badges. We think the Agate Black Metallic paint on the truck in these pictures suits the Lobo perfectly, but if you’re willing to lose some of the stealth factor you can order one in Atlas Blue, Rapid Red, Carbonized Gray, or Oxford White.

Ford’s aim is to give street truck fans the kind of machine they could normally only get by turning to the aftermarket, which could mean voiding their warranty. The Lobo gets the same coverage as a regular F-150, which isn’t now due to be replaced until 2028. But there is one reason buyers might still want to seek out non-official upgrades, and is due to what’s under the hood.

Looks Fast, Stays Safe

For all its performance posturing the Lobo is essentially a cosmetic package that adds $4,695 to the $55,995 price of a stock STX. Behind the grille is a stock 5.0-liter V8 making 400 hp (406 PS) and 410 lb-ft (556 Nm) of torque and driving all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. 

It’s a solid powertrain, but with around 5,000 lbs (2,270 kg) of truck to haul, it needs every one of those horses to live up to the moody styling and dual-exhaust rumble. Being naturally aspirated, there are fewer cost-effective tuning mods than there are for Ford’s 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6, but a simple ECU tune could liberate another 40 hp (41 PS). And Ford knows that some customers will still want to put their own stamp on the Lobo.

“We built Lobo to be the powerful and stylish street truck enthusiasts truly want, from the factory,” said Ford designer and street truck enthusiast Josh Blundo. “[But] while Lobo is ready for the road just as it is, we know some will take this great foundation for future personalization.”

Ford’s not wrong. Lobo might be a factory creation, but it’s walking right into a world of enthusiasts who rarely leave anything alone. Still, would a little more power have hurt?

Ford