A couple of weeks ago, an enthusiast forum got hold of a Dealer Connection document with the ratings for horsepower and torque for the all-new F-150 Raptor. Now, as the 2016 Paris Motor Show continues to unfold, FoMoCo finally came clean about what’s what: 450 horsepower (456 PS) and 510 lb-ft (619 Nm) of torque.
The figures mirror those leaked two weeks ago by the Ford Raptor Forum. Now take a moment and think about what that sort of output means in this application. 3.5 liters, six cylinder, two turbochargers, 10-speed automatic transmission, and a truck that happens to be 500 pounds (226.7 kilograms) lighter than its predecessor. Not only is the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor a full-on desert crusher, but it’s also marginally more frugal than the old Raptor.
Instead of the gluttonous 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8, the 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 engine manages 15 mpg city (15.6 l/100 km), 18 mpg highway (13 l/100 km), and 16 mpg (14.7 l/100 km) combined. I know that’s not a big deal for some truck owners, but think about it this way: the F-150 with the 5.0-liter V8 also returns 15 miles per gallon in the urban jungle, while the most efficient F-150 is the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 (19 miles per gallon city).
At the end of the day, however, the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor has two things its run-of-the-mill cousins don’t have. One of those is excitement, the other is peerless off-road capability for a full-size pickup truck thanks to a clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel-drive system enhanced by intelligent software.
“The torque-on-demand transfer case and six-mode Terrain Management System is unique to Raptor in the Ford family of vehicles,” explains Matt Tranter, Ford Performance engineering supervisor. “It gives you the benefit of a clutched all-wheel-drive system for easy around-town maneuverability in bad weather. Then, there’s Baja Mode, which automatically engages a mechanically locked 4X4 high, and optimizes throttle response, shifting and boost control to provide improved off-road capability."
Look forward to the 2017 Ford F-150 go on sale this fall, priced from a purported $49,520. Also, good luck trying to avoid dealer markups.
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. Full profile
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