Ford F-150 Raptor R
The F-150 has a reputation as one tough truck, but Ford kicked things up a couple notches when it introduced the Raptor, a pickup designed for serious off-roading. Now, it’s going to extremes with the debut of the ultimate F-150, the Raptor R. It’s designed to handle everything from serious trail crawling to desert racing.
The heart of this beast is a supercharged 5.2-liter V-8, a modified version of the powertrain used in the Mustang Shelby GT 500. The first F-150 with a V-8 since 2014, Raptor R punches out 700 hp and 640 pound-feet of torque—and a guttural roar loud enough to shock the devil. To put things into perspective, that’s 250 ponies and 130 pound-feet more than the plain Raptor. You’ll hit 60 in less than four seconds and clock 12-second runs on the drag strip. And that’s in a monster weighing in at nearly 6,000 pounds.
But Raptor R is about more than just power. It gets a beefed-up suspension and shocks, as well as an extra inch of ground clearance. There are a number of design updates, most of them functional, including 37-inch off-road tires, larger air intakes and a big power dome on the hood.
The big truck is surprisingly easy to manage, whatever you throw at it. It helps that it has a series of driver mode settings, each adjusting vehicle functions—including steering, suspension, gearing and throttle—to match unique road conditions. Whether driving in deep snow or packed sand, challenging a boulder-strewn trail or the potholes of a Michigan freeway, the system is uncannily intuitive.
It’s a climb up to Raptor R’s cabin, but it’s worth the effort. Inside, it boasts grabby Recaro sports seats and a customized Sync 4 infotainment system. It also adds some luxurious features, including suede-like Recaro trim.
Raptor R doesn’t come cheap, with its starting price just under $110,000. And you’ll be slurping gas: 10 mpg around town, according to the EPA, and 15 on the highway. But America’s taste for off-roading has only encouraged manufacturers to develop extreme pickups, such as the Ram 1500 TRX and Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Bison. Now, the launch of the F-150 Raptor R sets a new benchmark that, for many buyers, should more than justify the steep price tag.
