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How Does Ford’s 2014 F-150 Tremor Compare To The SVT Lightning?

Being in a category of its own, the 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor is as “sporty” as trucks get. And as Ford prepares to unleash the new-school sport truck upon performance truck enthusiasts across North America, we became curious about how it compares to its spiritual predecessor — the F-150 SVT Lightning.

As it turns out, the 2014 Tremor’s 3.5 liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 has slightly less power (15 hp) and torque (30 lb-ft) than the 1999 SVT Lightning and its 5.4 liter supercharged V8. But when you consider that the 2014 Tremor’s powerplant is smaller by nearly two liters, and that it will attain significantly-better fuel economy while featuring a much better interior and technology than the Lightning could ever hope for, the Tremor’s power disadvantage becomes less of a concern, especially given the healthy tuning community around the turbocharged EcoBoost engines. Of course, there’s a lot more to a sport truck — such as ride and handling, safety, etc. — than pure power numbers, but we all know that vehicles such as the F-150 Tremor will be judged first and foremost by power, before anything else.

But what’s perhaps even more interesting is the fact that the Tremor won’t really have any competition when it launches later in 2013, as neither General Motors nor Dodge (Ram) offer a full-size sport truck nowadays. This means more sales for The Blue Oval — and that’s a good thing.

2014 Ford F-150 Tremor vs. SVT Lightning
METRIC 1993 SVT LIGHTNING 1999 SVT LIGHTNING 2014 TREMOR
ENGINE 5.8L WINDSOR V8 5.4L SUPERCHARGED TRITON V8 3.5L TWIN-TURBO ECOBOOST V6
TRANSMISSION 4-SPEED E40D AUTO 4-SPEED 4R100 AUTO 6-SPEED AUTO
POWER HP / KW 240 / 179 380 / 283 365 / 272
TORQUE LB-FT / NM 340 / 460 450 / 610 420 / 568
PRIMARY COMPETITOR CHEVROLET 454 SS CHEVROLET SILVERADO SS NONE

Note that the tenth-generation F-150 had different power outputs for the SVT Lightning, depending on model year. The first was 360 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque in the 1999-2000 Lightning, while the second was 380 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque in the 2001-2004 model.

Motrolix Founder with a passion for global automotive business strategy.

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