It’s much too soon for a retirement party, but the V8 engine seems to be losing its clout with buyers of full-size pickup trucks. For the first time in about 50 years, many big-truck customers no longer consider a 6-cylinder engine to be a downgrade.

“The V6s today are V6s in name only,” said Doug Scott, truck group marketing manager at Ford Motor. “The technology that we have been able to apply has really resulted in much better power output, while at the same time achieving much better fuel economy.”

By Ford’s estimates, roughly 57 percent of F-150 pickups are now shipped with V6 engines. The 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6, developing a V8-like 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, is now the model’s most popular engine with a so-called “take rate” of 47 percent. An entry-level, naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V6, which puts out 302 horsepower and 278 pound-feet, accounts for the balance of Ford’s small-engine mix today, or 10 percent of sales.

Just last year, Ford’s 5-liter V8 was the most popular engine in the F-150, accounting for more than 50 percent of sales. But in the fall, Ford increased EcoBoost production. By December, the V8 was taking a backseat to the boosted V6.