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2017 Ford F-150 Raptor Debuts at Detroit, Feels More Practical

With the introduction of the 2015 Ford F-150, the Blue Oval revolutionized the light-duty segment with a rigid and lightweight aluminum body shell, aiding both fuel economy and towing capabilities. But with the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor, things got a whole lot more serious, adding some fun to the aforementioned full-size pickup truck recipe.
2017 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor live photo @ 2015 Detroit Auto Show 42 photos
Photo: Catalin Garmacea
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The first thing that grabs your attention when you look at the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor is the way every sportified design element is better integrated than what we’re offered on the 2014 SVT Raptor. A thumpin’ great blacked-out radiator grille and bash plate dominate the front fascia of the all-new sand dune warrior, a design that is further enhanced by three yellow LEDs integrated in the radiator grille and a bulging, vented hood for extra visual drama.

Looking at the new Raptor from six-feet away, it’s hard to ignore the extra flared wheel arches, as well as the matte black finish of the 17-inch rims, shoehorned with BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires. Heavily inspired stylistic-wise by the tough Trophy Trucks, the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor is also garnished with a duo of exit pipes for the exhaust system. Lastly, the rear fascia design is beautified by a unique tailgate design. As for the cabin, heh, this is business as usual for the SVT skunkworks.

Ignore the Alcantara accents, contrasting white stitching virtually everywhere and the motorsport-like drilled flappy pedals mounted right behind the steering wheel

That 6,100 rpm redline is what will get your blood flowing. Similar to the all-new Ford GT supercar, the latest-gen SVT Raptor is driven by a 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine promises more oomph than the 411 HP and 434 lb-ft (588 Nm) of the 2014 model year’s 6.2-liter supercharged V8. The most surprising oily bit though is the 10-speed automatic transmission, a unit which is rumored to arrive on the Ford Mustang too in the near future.

More than 500 pounds (226 kilograms) lighter than the 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, the 2017 model year is 6 inches wider than the standard 2015 Ford F-150 light-duty truck for better off-road capability. Furthermore, engineers gave this desert runner an all-new 4WD torque-on-demand transfer case, as well as a six-preset Terrain Management System, with the following driving modes: Normal, Street, Weather mode for when it’s raining/snowing, Mud, Baja mode for high-speed desert running and a serious Rock mode for low-speed rock crawling.

With more suspension travel than the 2014 SVT Raptor’s 11.2 inches up front and 12 at the rear, what more could you ask for from such a truck? Advanced camera technology for a better view of the trail or street at night? It’s got that as well, as you can read about in the attached press release. Slated to go on sale this fall, don’t forget to peer through the live pics gallery below and drop us a comment about what you think of the new Raptor.
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press release
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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