2025 Roush Ford F-150: Pickup utility meets sports car speed

Say, you want a supercharged Ford F-150. The only way to obtain that would be to spring for the (very) off-road-focused F-150 Raptor R. Maybe that’s a bit too much though? Perhaps you’d want something a little more “normal”, and less of an oversize beast. Maybe you rarely go off-road, but still need the versatility of a pickup, just in case. Roush has a very compelling answer with their specially developed package for the F-150, but whatever you do, don’t call it a Lightning.

The Roush-ified Ford F-150 will set you back one Ford F-150 of your choice equipped with the 5.0-liter V-8 engine. Then, you pay Roush another $19,995 to take that brand-new truck and rip it apart to add on their parts and turn it into a monster. Sounds a bit rough, but this is a great example of the “trust the process” motto. All-in, you’ll almost definitely spend less money than you would elsewhere, while gaining a massive list of upgrades and premium parts. I took the Roush on a little tour of LA’s scenic back roads, and some light Malibu dirt roads to see just how versatile it would be in a variety of realistic situations.

2025 Roush Ford F-150 First Impressions

Even from down the street, a first glance at the boldness of the Roush indicates you aren’t looking at a normal F-150. The slightly bulged body and chunky wheels/tires are another subtle hint at the beast lurking within. To some, it may appear like your average modified F-150 (of which there are countless) until you view it close-up. The way Roush integrated their parts was meant to be as seamless as possible. It appears as though it left the factory in such a spec. This shows Roush’s commitment to the craft, and it’s seriously impressive how clever the team was when designing their parts to be added to the F-150 recipe.

The light-up “ROUSH” grille, hood vents, and swollen fender flares with integrated running light all work so well with the factory bones, one could easily mistake it for just another trim level. In essence, that’s exactly what Roush developed. Since Ford won’t do a proper Lightning on their own, Roush took it upon themselves to make it happen. The badging and decals aren’t overly obnoxious, and provide just the right amount of visual yee-haw without being as in-your-face as a Raptor. In white, it almost gives off a “sleeper” vibe, but still makes you feel special walking up to it. The Roush is a bit of a rare bird, so when you’re sure you’ve spotted one, you know you’re in for a treat.

Exterior Dimensions

Driving Impressions And Performance

Roush has successfully preserved all the niceties of the F-150, while introducing a stratospheric level of power. The drivability of the truck seems well-preserved. Even with slightly wider wheels, tires, and bodywork, it feels nowhere as cumbersome as a Raptor to maneuver through traffic or more urban situations, and with less body roll, too.

Although the suspension isn’t as hard-core as the Raptor, the flatter ride pays dividends in handling on-road. This is a welcome driving characteristic to try and wrangle with the elevated performance of the powertrain. It’s an animal on the street, offering a genuinely exciting experience. Shocking, even, at times. It’s a vicious ICE-powered middle finger to all the EV drivers who think they have you beat between lights.

You can off-road the Roush, but honestly, it feels no more capable than an FX4-equipped model. I was hoping for a bit more off-road compliance from the bright-red Roush-branded shocks, but I suspect they are just re-branded off-the-shelf units. Don’t get me wrong, the F-150 is plenty capable off-road, more than anyone would ever need on a daily basis, so the chunkier all-terrain tires accentuate that solid base. The truck has a level kit, which helps with ground clearance and approach angles. This, combined with the larger tires, gives the Roush F-150 the perfect ride height in my opinion.

Braking And Acceleration

If there’s one thing this vehicle was designed to be excellent at, it’s acceleration. I’m happy to report that this silly pickup truck absolutely rockets to 60 miles per hour. Acceleration, especially through first gear, is monstrous. Traction control simply doesn’t know what to do with all the power. The thick tires cling on for dear life, slipping away trying to put down 705 supercharged horsepower to the road surface. It’s hilarious and this is where the Roush F-150 “feels” very (non-EV) Lightning in nature.

The engine is so brutal and produces so much thrust so quickly, that it’s difficult for the 10-speed transmission to keep up. Honestly, it just doesn’t. It can’t shift quickly enough to match the violence of a supercharged Coyote V-8. Turn the traction control off and the truck actually does a decent job of putting the power down, so long as you aren’t in first gear.

I was a bit let down by the laziness of the 10-speed juxtaposed with the urgency of everything else. Still, Roush has created a modern-day hot rod out of the F-150, and I’m so glad it exists. A saving grace is its normal operation as a “normal” F-150, in that the drive modes still make input changes, similar to a factory truck.

Braking power of the new F-150s is genuinely impressive. From the factory, they have a confident bite at the beginning of the pedal and get progressively stronger through the rest of the travel. This is a textbook-ideal brake feel, and especially what you’d be looking for in a vehicle with this much power on tap. They aren’t upgraded here, but then again, this truck is relatively light, so while better stoppers are always a welcome addition, I never felt like the factory units weren’t up to the task.

• Acceleration 0-60 MPH: 3.9 Seconds
• Braking: 70-0 MPH: ~220 Feet

Performance Specifications

Interior Design And Comfort

Roush spent some time making sure their version of the F-150 received a special interior. It feels like a mix of F-150 Platinum with its rich chocolate/wine-colored quilted leather, and Raptor with its carbon-fiber trim. The “Jack Roush” signature is embroidered into the center console leather, a thoughtful touch. The other Roush badges are subtle enough, and the plaque with each truck’s serial number adds some novelty to the experience. As do the little American flag seat tags.

The rest of the interior is standard Ford F-150 which, on its own, is a great place to be. It’s spacious and comfortable, but now more handsome than your average F-150. Visibility is exceptional with very few blind spots. You’ll notice the hood vents from the driver’s seat, which are more subtle than the F-150 Raptor, but still provide visual flair. Soundproofing is definitely present, as you’ll find yourself rolling the windows down just to hear more of that glorious supercharged V-8.

Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use

The tech inside the Roush truck is virtually unchanged from a normal F-150. This is great since Ford’s infotainment and electronic features are very intuitive and interactive. All the features work as expected.

connects easily, and the large display offers a full-screen mirroring of your phone. One addition Roush made, which is rather slick and very OEM in both appearance and feel, is the overhead auxiliary buttons. My favorite, of course, is the switchable exhaust button, which defaults to “closed” when the truck starts up.

This makes for a fighter-jet-like ritual on start-ups as the exhaust note this truck produces definitely deserves full loudness at all times. The gauge cluster has some configurable modes, but the best part is watching the digital readouts give a visual representation of the madness that’s going on under the hood.

Cargo And Storage Space

Cargo/practicality is another area where Roush’s additions have thankfully had no negative effects on all the hard work Ford did to make the F-150 one of the most practical and versatile vehicles on the planet. The only use of interior space is in the center console, which now houses a lockable safe, and the addition of a subwoofer under the rear seats, both of which are optional extras.

Besides that, it’s business as usual. The F-150 is full of nooks and crannies, storage areas, and has clever solutions, such as the foldable table that flips open from the center console storage. To have a flat usable surface, the gear shift lever is electronically retractable, allowing for, essentially, a center console table. This came in handy when taking a lunch break from exploring the dirt trails of Malibu. Instead of burgers and tailgating, we chose lobster rolls and supple leather seating. Then, of course, you have the space of the entire cargo bed.

2025 Roush Ford F-150 Vs. Its Competitors

The high-horsepower pickup truck war rages on. Even though Ram’s own TRX is done for, they still have an ace up their sleeves with the new RHO. From the Chevrolet side, we see the very impressive Yenko-branded Silverado, which is a supercharged solution not unlike what the Roush formula is to Ford.

How The Roush Ford F-150 Compares To The Yenko Chevrolet Silverado

Performance

The Yenko Chevrolet Silverado is, perhaps the only purpose-built, factory-backed beast that could eclipse the Roush F-150’s power figures. To rate the performance of these vehicles is almost an impossible task. Thankfully, we have horsepower ratings, and it seems Ford and Roush, this time, have been overshadowed on paper. While Roush’s 705 is certainly impressive, it just can’t hold a candle to the Yenko’s 1,000. To achieve this incredible output, the folks behind Yenko (Specialty Vehicle Engineering) have bored out the familiar GM 6.2-liter V-8 up to 6.8-liter. This allows the supercharger to do more work and achieve that four-digit number. Obviously, both trucks are mighty impressive, so it’s either a numbers game, or a brand loyalty game.

Comfort

Both trucks offer upgraded suspension, but neither are exactly a masterclass in ride quality. These vehicles are made for those who like it a bit rough. Trucks that drive like, well, trucks. There’s nothing wrong with that. Inside the cabin, however, they both receive upgraded materials that line the interior. Specifically, the Roush has a particular edge over the Yenko in terms of a more luxurious feel and appearance.

Technology

Let’s look at “technology” in a bit of a different light, here. Both the Yenko and Roush offerings don’t touch the factory interior infotainment and tech features. Instead, let’s focus on technology from an engineering standpoint. The main points of each would be that both have similarly upgraded supercharged engines, both have upgraded suspension systems (although the Yenko’s Fox set-up is arguably more aggressive for off-road duty), both have re-upholstered interiors, and both have louder exhaust systems (Roush’s being electronically controlled). These two, on paper, are very closely matched in their respective enhancements.

How The Roush Ford F-150 Compares To The Ram 1500 RHO

Performance

The Ram RHO might be a clever take on generating horsepower from a smaller, more power-dense engine. Let’s be real, we are only here for the V-8 ferocity. I appreciate a straight-six for sure, and applaud Ram for making a real beast out of their ”

” engine, but it just doesn’t offer the same visceral experience as a V-8, especially a supercharged one. The Roush has the performance factor in the bag. While the RHO may perform better on much bumpier surfaces, it will never be as purely wild as a Roush F-150.

Comfort

This is an area where the

will show its true factory refinement. The suspension on the Ram is no Raptor killer, but it definitely runs circles around the Roush in complexity and support over almost any surface. The interior, however, is another story. Roush did a truly wonderful job elevating the everyday F-150 interior into something actually a bit lush. The RHO’s focus on being a mean machine misses out on that suave feel in comparison.

Technology

It’s Ford vs. Ram infotainment, and I personally tend to prefer the Ford’s. It’s more extensive, easier to use, often quicker in operation, and offers a landscape-style layout as opposed to the new portrait style of the Ram. The RHO does have some great interior features, such as the thicker steering wheel and paddle shift levers. Driving the Ford with its 10 speeds was a bit of a tease by not allowing easy access to shift the gears on demand quickly.

Our Recommendation For Which Model You Should Buy

Honestly, the whole package is the most appealing part of the Roush story. They are not just a tuning company. These folks have been commissioned to major engineering projects for some heavy-hitting organizations. Not to mention, Roush has a massive involvement in racing, specifically, NASCAR. If there is anyone who knows their way around an American V-8, it’s Roush. You can (to a degree) pick and choose how much Roush you want added to your F-150, but it all comes together in such a cohesive way, we say just go for it.

The entire package, plus the cost of the F-150, is still tens of thousands of dollars less expensive than the comparable Ford F-150 Raptor R. If you aren’t the wildest of off-road enthusiasts, the Roush F-150 could be a much better solution, and certainly a more unique one.