I'd much prefer the simpler grill. Cleaner looking, and those LED running lights are an expensive accident waiting to happen with an errant tree branch on a trail.
You right about the straight line speed, and there is not a lot of difference in HP between the two. But that extra 100 ft/lbs of torque sure would come in handy off-road!
I know the feeling. 6 years ago I wanted a new Focus in blue, with a stick. I had to go from Western PA to the suburbs of Washington DC (3+ hour ride) to get one. Worked out okay, though, as it had an upgrade package with leather, 17" alloys, fog lights, etc. But that's still a long way to go...
Not too long ago, someone did a poll asking which motor you would choose if both were offered with the manual. Almost 9 out of 10 said they would take the 2.7.
And some parts we'll probably never see, like that sweet saddle leather interior. Over the last few years, Ford has seemingly paraphrased Henry Ford - You can have any interior color you like... as long as it's black. :(
I have, and I think the prices are ridiculous for a pickup truck. Their profit margins on them are larceny. That's why you'll see big, big markdowns and incentives on them in a month, when they're trying to move the 2020's to make room for the 2021's.
At this point, I'm not expecting to see pricing until about Thanksgiving. So the "Build Tool" is pretty much useless, if you can't see what the options are going to cost. Now we may be able to see if certain options require ordering an entire package, like Lux, etc, but we still won't know...