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Pictures do not actually convey simply how freakin’ large this truck is. Andrew Krok/RoadshowBig boiCrew cab vehicles are nearly giant sufficient to require business zoning, however the Raptor turns the entire shebang as much as 11. The fender flares add extra width to an already broad pickup, whereas its face removes any trace of visible shrink trickery thanks to an enormous black grille with daring Ford lettering spanning the width between the headlights.Equipped with Ford’s 37-inch-tire efficiency bundle ($7,500), the Raptor is hella tall, too, providing 13.1 inches of floor clearance and nearly all the time leading to an old-person grunt whereas getting out and in. You’ll be completely happy the facet steps are commonplace. Overall, the look is critically imposing, about as a lot of an eyeball-buster because the Ram 1500 TRX, particularly when my tester’s off-road bundle wraps its 17-inch beadlock alloy wheels in a set of beefy BFGoodrich Ok02 all-terrain tires.The Raptor’s near-comical largeness continues inside the place, like each different F-150, the aesthetics are all about large, chunky issues. I recognize the blended use of supplies throughout the dashboard to maintain the design fascinating, though it’s kind of of a bummer that almost each shiny floor seems to be plastic and never actual steel — a fair greater bummer when you think about this tester’s $80,000 price ticket. At least that aforementioned $7,500 efficiency bundle does enhance the inside high quality a bit by means of some blue leather-based and suede throughout the seats and heart console.What impresses me extra in regards to the Raptor’s inside is its day by day usability, one other excessive level shared with different F-150 fashions. The doorways have two tiers of storage for objects giant and small, and the cubby underneath the middle armrest is positively cavernous. The $6,150 Equipment Group 801A Package boosts the flexibility by providing the F-150’s trick work-surface improve, which folds the shifter flat and permits using a big fold-out desk. Out again, the rear seats have oodles of legroom, plus extra cup holders, extra door-card storage and a flat load ground that is accessed by folding the seat bottoms. The Raptor might solely have a 5.5-foot mattress, however that is sufficient for Christmas bushes or most building supplies. The damped tailgate provides a touch of comfort, too.
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The Raptor’s non-obligatory 37-inch tires give the truck a fair beefier stance than regular. Andrew Krok/RoadshowA bruiser that will not depart you bruisedYes, the Ford F-150 Raptor is now nicely behind within the high-output-truck sport, with its 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 placing out simply (“just”) 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. There’s an enormous gulf between that and the TRX’s stonkin’ 702-hp determine. Yet, after having pushed each for per week, I feel the Ford has much more on-road potential than the Ram.I used to be commonly working out of highway with the TRX, however the Raptor remains to be very fast in day by day driving, and that decrease energy output means I’m much more prone to pull a higher share of water out of its nicely. The Raptor is completely happy to leap ahead from a cease, its V6 screaming by way of each analog and digital means, satiating the senses with out overpowering them outright. It’s not so fast that I really feel like a nigh-dangerous ingot of pure momentum, but it surely’s shut sufficient.
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The Raptor’s large heart stripe on the steering wheel will not actually come into play in avenue driving, but it surely’ll assist while you’re blasting round within the filth. Andrew Krok/RoadshowThe Raptor’s four-mode exhaust, simply accessible by a steering wheel button, can add or cut back noise as desired. You, like me, is perhaps tempted to roll round in all places within the “off-road-only” Baja setting, however belief me once I say that the impressively loud drone of steady-speed cruising will get previous shortly. The steering and suspension are additionally adjustable on this method. The brakes are usually not adjustable, however with 13-plus-inch rotors on all 4 corners (13.7 entrance, 13.2 rear), the Raptor is able to some spectacular stops.The steering is okay in any mode, however I’m fairly impressed with the change in really feel between suspension settings. The newly developed multi-link rear suspension provides civility irrespective of the mode, particularly when accelerating or cruising over certainly one of many pockmarked roads. In Sport, the Raptor settles right into a stiffer stance that has it feeling a bit extra carlike in its operation. Baja mode would not actually have a use in city and suburban driving, until I need to faux my neighborhood’s velocity bumps do not exist. But, based mostly on the in depth off-road programs we performed with throughout our first drive, I do know for a proven fact that Baja mode actually comes into its personal when blasting by way of the filth.
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The 3.5-liter V6 might not sound as sonorous because the TRX’s V8, however Ford tries to treatment that by including a little bit of digital noise to beef it up. Andrew Krok/RoadshowHonestly, I’m a bit stunned at how nicely the Raptor fares as an everyday ol’ day by day driver. The TRX felt like a monster at almost each alternative, but it surely’s straightforward to settle into a totally authorized groove with the Ford. The throttle has the correct amount of sensitivity for clean takeoffs that hardly faucet into the V6’s reserves, and the 10-speed automated transmission swaps gears effortlessly, so driving easily is not actually an issue. The greatest challenge in day by day use is the Raptor’s measurement. It’s about as broad as most lanes, so it’s totally straightforward to dip a tire over the white line. Surround-view cameras and parking sensors let me park on the grocery retailer with out ending up atop a RAV4, however the truck nonetheless requires a stage of self-awareness that smaller automobiles don’t.One place that the 2021 Raptor is assured to harm is on the gasoline station. While its V6 provides it a slight benefit over the V8 TRX’s hilariously dismal figures, the Ford remains to be fairly the thirsty brute. The most effective variants will obtain an EPA-estimated 15 mpg metropolis and 18 mpg freeway, however the 37-inch efficiency bundle reduces these figures to, at greatest, 15 metropolis and 16 freeway. Credit the place it is due, although, the Raptor’s V6 can drink 87-octane gas (the TRX would not advocate it), and its 36-gallon gas tank permits someplace round 500 miles between stops, however man, it is nonetheless thirsty.
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This truck is so dang thirsty. Andrew Krok/RoadshowTech and truck stuff in ample portionsWith a beginning value of $65,840, it should not be a shock that the Ford F-150 Raptor carries as a lot of Ford’s newest tech as it might probably deal with. The commonplace 12-inch touchscreen runs Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system, and it is simply as responsive and succesful as it’s in different methods, packing wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot and, if optioned, embedded navigation. The display is giant sufficient to allow split-screen operations, too, so I can control each the radio and the turn-by-turn instructions as wanted. The 12-inch digital gauge cluster can be commonplace, and it does job relaying essential data with out being distracting — and sure, there’s an off-road-specific mode that reveals steering angle, an inclinometer and all that good dirt-friendly stuff.There’s nonetheless room for upgrades, although. The 801A bundle ($6,150) provides an 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system and cold-weather perks like a heated steering wheel and second-row heated seats. The 360-degree digital camera choice is simply $765 by itself. Drop one other $2,000 and you may add an influence tailgate and a 2-kilowatt onboard generator.
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Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system has been straightforward to make use of since its inception, and it stays certainly one of my most popular methods within the trade. Andrew Krok/RoadshowEvery Raptor additionally comes commonplace with Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 2.0 suite of lively and passive security methods. This consists of forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep help, automated excessive beams and rear parking sensors. The solely security improve I’d need is, once more, a part of the $6,150 801A bundle, which provides entrance parking sensors, as a result of parking a small planet is not straightforward.For these of you who really need to do correct truck stuff with a Raptor, don’t be concerned, this is not only a storage queen. My tester and its 37-inch efficiency bundle supply 13 inches of entrance and 14.1 inches of rear suspension journey. Payload and towing have improved for this technology, as nicely, now resting comfortably at 1,400 kilos and 8,200 kilos, respectively.
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Whether towing or hauling, the Raptor remains to be an F-150, so it is loads succesful. Andrew Krok/RoadshowDown to brass tacksThe Raptor’s base value swelled almost $10,000 for 2021, now resting at $65,840, together with $1,695 in vacation spot prices. My tester takes that even additional, because of some dear choices, with an out-the-door value of $82,080 together with vacation spot. That may appear to be so much, but it surely’s nonetheless 1000’s cheaper than the Ram 1500 TRX to begin, and the Ram can push its window sticker to the border of $90,000 with out batting a watch, so perhaps the Raptor is not precisely a uncooked deal in spite of everything. The TRX stays the only real automobile within the Raptor’s aggressive set, as a result of GM would not appear very curious about throwing a Corvette engine right into a Silverado for no matter cause.Between the 2 high-output vehicles listed right here, I feel I’d be happier with the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor. It’s each bit the succesful pickup truck it must be, however a wholesome dose of aesthetics, know-how and foot-to-the-floor good occasions makes it an absolute hoot to make use of on the day by day. Having the very best numbers on a spreadsheet would not all the time make for a greater automobile.