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700-hp Saleen Sportruck XR Ventures Off The Beaten Track

If the F-150 Raptor is too soft for some reason or other, Saleen has an alternative that might be to your liking. Based on the light-duty Ford pickup truck, the Sportruck XR can be had with more than 700 horsepower from a supercharged version of the Coyote V8.
Saleen Sportruck XR 15 photos
Photo: Saleen
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The 5.0-liter tower of power comes with natural aspiration as standard, but let’s be frank here, it’s the supercharger system you want. Equipped with 2.5-inch coilovers at both ends, the Sportruck XR features 13.8-inch rotors on all four corners for superior stopping power.

Revised bumpers and sidesteps, bash plates that protect the most essential parts of the undercarriage, and bodyside decals add to the visual drama. An LED light bar is integrated into the nose of the half-ton pickup, offering the sort of illumination that would make even the brightest star blush with admiration.

Regarding the beefier suspension, opting for the Black Label adds Racecraft control arms and spindles on top of the Fox shock absorbers with 12 and 14 inches of travel, respectively. As for the rubber, Grabber X3 tires wrapped around 17- by 8.5-inch wheels do the talking when the going gets rugged.

Those who would rather even better on-road characteristics, Saleen offers and upgraded brake kit with slotted rotors, measuring 13.6 or 14 inches and featuring six-piston calipers. Considering the weight of the Sportruck XR, the upgrade should be taken into consideration if you’re tempted to buy this workhorse.

“Continually adding to our lineup of performance vehicles is paramount to Saleen Automotive,” declared chief executive officer Steve Saleen. “We are introducing an off-road truck to our high-performance vehicles lineup with the Sportruck XR.”

Even though there’s no pricing information available for the time being, don’t expect this fellow to come cheap. The F-150 Raptor, for reference, starts at $50,675. What the bone-stock model doesn’t have in comparison to the Sportruck XR, however, is an eight-cylinder engine. The EcoBoost V6 isn’t bad, though, as long as you overlook that it sounds a bit underwhelming.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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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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