If you like pickup trucks, you probably love the Raptor; if you don't like them, then you still have to muster some sort of affection - or, at least, admiration - for Ford's extreme version of the F-150 truck. In fact, let's make one thing clear right from the start: if you happen to like cars even a tiny bit, then there's no way you won't fall for Raptor's charm.
It's as subtle as a kick in the teeth after dental surgery, but that's precisely what we - and so many others - love about it. And yet it's not exactly rude or obnoxious - it's just like a pair of really good hiking shoes: even though they work just fine, they stand out in an urban environment; out in the wilderness, however, they are precisely what you want by your side if you're to enjoy everything nature has to offer.
The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor appears like it's going to be better than ever. The looks department was never in any doubt, and the car's design hasn't been a secret for some time now, but there were still some shadows of doubt hanging over it.
For one thing, there was the engine: the new F-150 Raptor will have to make do with two fewer cylinders, using a twin-turbo V6 engine. The power output won't disappoint, though, being rated at over 500 hp. That's more than the outgoing model which, on top of that, wasn't using nearly as much aluminum as this generation does. So all those GM commercials where it was mocking the F-150's lightweight frame might come back and bite its ass off.
If this video is anything to go by, the car will feel at home on any sort of surface, be it sand, dirt or rocks. The suspension seems to do a great job at keeping the car level even during the exaggerated stunts required by a promotional video. There's also something weirdly satisfying about seeing paddle shifters on a car of this type, but maybe that's just us.
This video successfully makes the new F-150 Raptor look like an off-road sports car, and that's one of the best - and also least present - combinations out there. Which is one more reason to want a 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck when it eventually comes out this fall. It even manages to make white look very non-middle-eastern, and there's a very simple explanation for that: this truck is all about America.
The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor appears like it's going to be better than ever. The looks department was never in any doubt, and the car's design hasn't been a secret for some time now, but there were still some shadows of doubt hanging over it.
For one thing, there was the engine: the new F-150 Raptor will have to make do with two fewer cylinders, using a twin-turbo V6 engine. The power output won't disappoint, though, being rated at over 500 hp. That's more than the outgoing model which, on top of that, wasn't using nearly as much aluminum as this generation does. So all those GM commercials where it was mocking the F-150's lightweight frame might come back and bite its ass off.
If this video is anything to go by, the car will feel at home on any sort of surface, be it sand, dirt or rocks. The suspension seems to do a great job at keeping the car level even during the exaggerated stunts required by a promotional video. There's also something weirdly satisfying about seeing paddle shifters on a car of this type, but maybe that's just us.
This video successfully makes the new F-150 Raptor look like an off-road sports car, and that's one of the best - and also least present - combinations out there. Which is one more reason to want a 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck when it eventually comes out this fall. It even manages to make white look very non-middle-eastern, and there's a very simple explanation for that: this truck is all about America.