The King of Off-Road is back

Source: Eric Stafford, Carbuzz

The Raptor is unlike any production pickup on the road. Ford fit the regular F-150 with advanced off-road equipment and widened its aluminum body for a purposeful appearance. A 450-hp twin-turbocharged V-6 is sheathed beneath its skin. Operate its paddle-shifted 10-speed automatic properly and its sophisticated drivetrain will rocket the Raptor to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. Its oversize dimensions make tight spaces treacherous, but an astonishing suspension and comfy cabin mean no territory is untamable and no trip is uncomfortable. Compared with conventional pickups, the Raptor is on another level—providing pure, dumb fun like no other. Spare no expense.

While the regular F-150 received significant updates for 2018, its alter ego, the Raptor, is mostly the same. The short list of changes includes a revised tailgate design (depending on package, “F-150” or “FORD” is stamped into the surface) and restyled taillights. There are also three new colors: Lead Foot, Guard, and Race Red. These replace Ruby Red and Avalanche for 2018. A new 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo is now optional instead of the Sony audio system that was available on 2017 models.

Despite its racy off-road intentions, the F-150 Raptor is still an F-150 at heart, and that means loads of interior space. Available with either an extended or crew-cab body (the latter is what you really want), space is plentiful, with head and leg room more than abundant. Regardless of which cab style you choose, you get a 5ft 6in load bed as standard, able to haul 1200 lbs without much fuss. The interior is naturally adorned with loads of kit, but in Raptor format you get super-supportive, extra-bolstered sports seats with Raptor stitching, the driver’s one being 8-way power adjustable, manual air conditioning, and a specialized steering wheel with paddle shifters. Spec a couple of options for extra comfort, and you get full-leather upholstery, heated front seats, SYNC 3 connectivity and an 8-inch touch screen.

In the search for efficiency, gone is the hulking V8 of old. Instead there’s a new turbo EcoBoost V6 engine lifted from the Ford GT. 3.5-liters in displacement, it generates 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque – more than what the previous engine could muster. It’s attached to a 4x4 drive system by means of a 10-speed automatic transmission with drive modes that handle anything from snow to towing, comfort, sport, and even a Baja mode. It may be a performance engine, but it can still haul up to 8000lbs in tow capacity.

Standard equipment is extensive, with a lockable rear differential, hill descent control, cruise control, and Ford’s SYNC software. Up-spec to the 802A package and you get heated leather seats, SYNC 3, a bigger touch screen, a 360-degree camera, and a Bang & Olufsen 10-speaker sound system. There’s also a Raptor Technology package that improves safety with the addition of lane keep assist, lane departure warning, auto high beams, and adaptive cruise control with collision mitigation. There’s also blind spot assist with cross traffic alert. The Raptor specification hasn’t been crash tested, but standard F-150s fair favorably in both IIHS tests (Good ratings) and NHTSA tests (5/5 stars).

The Ford F-150 is male bravado and competitive nature rolled into pickup truck format. It’s phenomenal off-road, exceptional on-road, and as usable daily as it is tackling desert races on the weekends. Who said off-road means compromising on performance? The F-150 laughs at that notion.