Payne: Ford Performance 700 F-150 is Frankenstein’s monster

Posted by Talbot Payne on September 8, 2023

Pontiac — If the Mustang GT500 and F-150 Raptor R F-150 had a child, it would be called the Ford Performance 700 F-150.

This insane, supercharged 700-horsepower V8-powered pickup could star in “Meg 2: The Trench.” Or maybe “Oppenheimer.” It’s a nuclear bomb strapped to a Ford F-150 chassis. Fishtailing onto M1 Concourse’s back straight, I dropped the hammer and hung on for dear life. The three-ton beast exploded down the straightaway — the speedometer mercifully limited to 110 mph before we took off for the moon. Or before the Goodyear Grabber tires vaporized off the 22-inch wheels — whichever comes first.

That’s right, I took an F-150 to the race track. Apparently, Ford found that making a 700-horsepower supercharged $109K Raptor R off-road hellion wasn’t enough to satisfy buyers’ appetites for all things V-8. Ford says the future is electric pickups, which is like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse introducing a vegan menu. They know their customers still come for the red meat.

Indeed, the Ford Performance 700 package was introduced at the annual Carlisle Ford Nationals red meat-fest in Pennsylvania this June amongst a celebration of Ford hot rods, aftermarket mod shops, drag racers and more. If my week with the Meg is any indication — it should sell like hot cakes. Make that hot steaks.

My friend Kevin took one look at my Regular Cab two-door stealth weapon and called his dealer on the spot.

Order: I want a standard $40K XLT pickup with extra beef, quad pipes and a side of 22s.

Dealer: Boom. Done. That’ll be 67 grand.

Ka-ching.

Ford must have been sick of seeing all that V-8 accessory business going out the door to Hennessey, Saleen and Roush. So it’s made the FP700 package available on any F-150 trim. You read that right, any trim you want. XL, XLT, Lariat, Platinum. Rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Those wheels are a tell. The Ford Performance 700 F-150 pickup comes equipped with 22-inch, low profile wheels in addition to the 700 horses under the hood.Those wheels are a tell. The Ford Performance 700 F-150 pickup comes equipped with 22-inch, low profile wheels in addition to the 700 horses under the hood.

Plenty of upscale customers who could afford a $109,145 Raptor R — but who don’t want the rugged, look-at-me off-road wardrobe — will opt for, say a loaded $66,650 Platinum Crew Cab stuffed with the smokin’ supercharged V-8 FP700 package. For such customers, adding $27,000 — $12,350 for the engine plus installation — will be pocket-change totaling $93,000-plus.

But if you don’t have that kind of coin, then outfitting a base F-150 is not only half the price of a Raptor R — but a serious, muscle-car-slayin’ sleeper supertruck.

The Ford Performance 700 Regular Cab was the first time I have taken a pickup on the track. The closest thing to that was a Dodge Durango SRT that I terrorized Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a few years ago. The Ford Meg was surprisingly manageable around M1’s technical 1.5-mile course. Credit the two-door’s relative light weight, rear-wheel drive and short wheelbase (you can only option a 5.5-foot bed) compared with the volume four-door Crew Cab F-150.

Bringing the cruise missile back to earth after the back straight was a challenge for the F-150’s standard brakes (the FP700 package is a drivetrain option only) and General Grabber tires, so driver beware. But the one suspension modification — a lowered rear end — seemed to keep the Meg planted through the long, almost-180-degree, Turn 7 right-hander. More impressive was that I could keep it floored through M1’s uphill Turn 8 right-hander — a test for any sports car — before I properly backed off for the 90-degree righthander to follow.

Light weight aside, the short wheelbase XLT model had its drawbacks — most obviously some serious rear tire squirm thanks to the solid rear axle. Outfitting my pickup with limited slip out back would make tight parking lot turns more comfortable. Hit the highway, however, and you can let the big boy roam.

The Ford Performance 700 F-150 pickup (right) takes a page from the Mustang GT500 with a supercharged V-8 making 700 horsepower.The Ford Performance 700 F-150 pickup (right) takes a page from the Mustang GT500 with a supercharged V-8 making 700 horsepower.

I took the FP700 to the Celebrate Lutz event in Ypsilanti (it feels like something Maximum Bob would have designed, yes?) and it was no secret to some of the motorheads there.

“I heard you drive up. That’s the Ford Performance V-8, isn’t it?” said one industry insider, his face lit up with a smile as wide as the Ford’s chrome fender.

For all of its grins, the FP700 demands respect. Put the similar 700-horse 5.2-liter V-8 in the Raptor R and it will hit 60 mph in an astonishing 3.7 seconds. My XLT can’t be far off, and the truck gulped traffic on I-696 like a killer whale devouring goldfish.

Triple-digit speeds come in a hurry in a truck that, remember, is still sitting on stock suspension.

Beyond the visceral thrills, the FP700 pack comes in two flavors: Black Edition (mine) and Bronze Edition. The Black features black wheels and graphics, the Bronze boasts appropriately colored accents. Both come with the aforementioned 22s, rear lowering kit, a black painted grille, fender vents and special graphics. Other available goodies include sport exhaust, roof spoiler, tailgate spoiler and tires to wrap around the big wheels. While the pickup lacks rear seats, it boasts a healthy 8,200-pound towing capacity.

The Ford Performance 700 F-150 pickup ate up M1's straightaways with its supercharged V-8. Corners were more of a challenge with leaf springs and solid rear axle.The Ford Performance 700 F-150 pickup ate up M1's straightaways with its supercharged V-8. Corners were more of a challenge with leaf springs and solid rear axle.

I figured my $48,000 XLT — which included features like adaptive cruise control and 360-degree camera — pushed $76K when outfitted with the FP700 package. While that’s a bargain compared to a 700-horsepower Raptor R, it’s only about five grand shy of the standard 450-horse, turbo-V6, terrain-chewing Raptor supertruck, which is loaded with SuperCrew cabin and top-line F-150 interior amenities.

Dealer installation means the pickup is, like its F-150 stablemates, backed by Ford’s full 3-year/36,000 mile warranty. So don’t be shy with your right lead foot when you pull up next to a 495-horse Corvette at a Woodward stoplight.

Next week: 2024 Subaru Impreza

2023 Ford Performance 700 F-150

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, five-passenger pickup

Price: Estimated $75,775 as tested ($48,755 XLT plus estimated $27,000 FP700 dealer upgrade)

Powerplant: Supercharged 5.0-liter V-8

Power: 700 horsepower, 590 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, NA; top speed, 110 mph; towing, 8,200 pounds

Weight: NA

Fuel economy: 10 city/15 highway/12 combined (Detroit News estimate)

Report card

Highs: Sleeper truck; Raptor R power for two-thirds the price

Lows: Lacks amenities of a $70K truck; nearly as expensive as a V-6 Raptor

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne

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