Driven: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R Is a Tonka Truck With Group B Heart

Here we sit, with the latest Raptor now producing 700 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque via a new GT500-derived 5.2-liter supercharged V8. Ford’s same 10-speed auto from the “base” Raptor handles shifting, and the new R gets larger 37-inch tires. The result is a monstrous 13.1 inches of ground clearance.

The R’s only real equal comes in the form of the Ram TRX, producing 702 horses and 650 lb-ft from its muscle car-derived supercharged V8. Here, the Hellcat-sourced PU displaces 6.1 liters, feeding noise and power to the ground via an 8-speed automatic transmission. However, the TRX only has 35s, which nets it 11.8 inches of ground clearance.

The similarities between the two are just about endless, it’s clear Ford wanted to go to the mats with Ram over who has the most ridiculous truck. The TRX hits 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, while the Ford manages it in 3.6. From a more practical standpoint, the two trucks’ respective bed lengths are nearly identical - 67.1 for the Ford and 67.2 inches for the Ram.

However, the two are set apart by one thing - pricing. Ford wants $109,335 for its super truck. Ram? A measly $71,790. That’s a $37,545 difference. Yikes. So, the question is now this: can Ford make an argument for nearly $40,000 more? Or does it really matter at all when you’re talking about two 700+ horsepower trucks?

Design Evaluation

In addition to more power, Ford has made a host of aesthetic changes to the R, largely to make it appear more anti-social than the pictured shade of silver would have you believe. That includes loads of orange R branding inside and out, loud bed graphics, and a nice power dome on the hood (complete with more branding). Smaller badges feature throughout as well.

The result is an aesthetic onslaught, even in this relatively subtle shade. The truck breaks necks in public, especially on a cold start, when the V8 roars to life. You’ll find no subtlety here - only Tonka truck proportions dominated by the massive 37-inch KO2 tires. These, as an aside, are a huge advantage over the TRX.

Really, it’s almost hard to appreciate the R’s finer details due to its sheer size. The truck is more than 80 inches wide, which necessitates the now-iconic trio of marker lights. It’s an intimidating thing to look at, and I almost feel bad overtaking people in something so embarrassingly anti-social. This lack of social tact is something that permeates throughout the truck.

The massive flared fenders tandem with the equally large grille and lights to create an intimidating frontal assault on your senses, and things only get louder as you circle the truck. In profile, it really does look like a Tonka, especially because of the bed graphics. At the rear, a massive FORD badge is flanked by smaller ones, and the truck’s height is most apparent here. The R measures 80.6 inches tall, and you’ll need some serious flexibility to clamber up into the bed without the aid of the car’s step ladder. Perhaps most noticeable at the rear is the full-size spare hanging off the bottom of the car, which further enhances the trophy truck vibe.

Interior Assessment

Inside, things are a little more F-150 than Raptor R - something that can also be said of the truck’s more basal sibling. However, the seats are a real standout amidst the F-150 derived-interior. These are trimmed in leather and Alcantara, made by Recaro, and are phenomenally comfortable. I rank these among some of the best seats on sale today. To boot, the seat’s ventilation system is killer, and European brands could really learn from Ford in this department.

Moving towards the dash, the wheel is one lifted right from the F-150 Raptor. Personally, I think the wheel is still way too thick, and it feels like a toy in my hands. That isn’t due to a lack of nice materials, however. Its size is an issue, and I often bang my elbows on the fold-out center console table/lid because the wheel’s size forces your arms out wide.

That minor gripe aside, the R’s interior is a highlights reel of solid design choices. Ford’s Sync infotainment system is fantastic, and the Raptor’s various adjustable drive settings can be accessed via the digital gauge cluster. It’s nice to have your own “R” drive mode, and I found myself preferring the lighter Comfort steering option in most situations, with just about everything else in Sport. The suspension, exhaust, and steering setup can also be altered on the wheel, on the fly- a nice touch.

Out back, there’s plenty of room for people. Ford knows this isn’t a work truck, and bed space was obviously sacrificed to make the cabin roomier. Some New York studios are smaller than the back seats, and it seems the under-seat storage was tailor-made for the rifles that’ll surely find their way into the folding compartment.

I’m also a fan of the truck’s sound system - again carried over from the Raptor. That’s no bad thing, and Bang & Olufsen did a fantastic job here. The highs are excellent, the system features great bass and the mids are well-defined. I especially enjoyed the level of clarity found in it.

Driving Take

But the sound system isn’t why anyone is buying the Raptor R. They’re buying it to act like an ass on any available terrain. Tell the Raptor you want to do so - either by selecting one of its many pre-set drive modes, or your own R setup - and the truck happily obliges.

I’ve said before the Raptor is best experienced at speed. Rock crawling is easy in a truck like this, but its size is a hindrance in some places. Instead, the best place to drive a Raptor R is on a deserted fire road or open dune. In these environments, the Raptor’s true strength is revealed - it feeds information to the driver in a way that shouldn’t be possible for such a vehicle. The steering tells you where the tires are, the stiffer suspension communicates road surface and adhesion extremely well, and the transmission’s R-specific calibration and new torque converter let you bang off gear changes much quicker than the base truck.

In layman’s terms, this is like driving a sports car on stilts, like driving a trophy truck on a stage a crew of mechanics has tuned the car for. The R feels like a Tonka truck mated with a Group B rally car. The speed and size combination is scary - you feel like you’re going to tip over but the truck just pulls you around a corner. Of course, the soundtrack only adds to the experience, with every variety of pop, bang, and burble available.

While that kind of driving is undoubtedly the R’s forte, it’ll still climb some rocks if you ask it to. The Fox shocks are extremely multitalented, and Ford’s 4WD system does all of the thinking for you. In Rock Crawl mode, the only thing the driver has to do is modulate the throttle and pick a line - any line - and the R will figure its way up the trail without breaking a sweat. I’d have loved to test it more thoroughly in this regard, but late spring snows thwarted me.

Everyday Living

This is all well and good, but at some point you have to act like everyone else and just drive to work. The Raptor sucks at this. But it’s not because anything is inherently wrong with the car. It is simply too big. Like I said at the start, the Raptor could be 30% smaller and I’d have still enjoyed it just as much. I need a Maverick Raptor more than I need air.

Obviously, that means driving and parking the Raptor on city streets is terrible. The cameras help quite a lot, and Ford has made the button on the dash larger, but there is nowhere that the Raptor is not on the very edge of its lane, parking spot, or other. It feels like standing way too close to someone in line, but at 75 miles an hour. Again, inherently anti-social behavior.

That doesn’t prevent the truck from doing truck things. Yes, Ford clearly sacrificed some serious bed space to bring us a larger cabin. I’d rather it have gone the other way, sacrificing in-cabin rear legroom for bed space - give me a something similar that can do everything. Still, I fit a 70-inch TV in the bed, and short of real, honest-to-God laboring on a farm or job site, the Raptor is just as much a truck as any other.

I said I wanted a truck that can do everything, but sipping fuel is obviously not one of those things. The Raptor landed around 12 mpg after my week with it, and frankly, it probably does quite a bit worse than that. Most of my driving was higher speeds and lower RPMs, allowing the engine to do its best impression of a thrifty four-banger. The V8 comes at a cost, and this is it. If I had totally drained the tank, it would be more than $120 to fill up.

This aside, the Raptor manages to keep you comfortable while siphoning your wallet and its fuel tank dry. Ford’s comfort suspension setting works out most road imperfections, no doubt helped by the large tires. However, while the adaptive cruise works well, it constantly reminds you to touch the wheel - even when you already are. The remedy is to shake the wheel slightly every few seconds. It’s poor execution of something other brands have figured out, and I found myself wishing for normal cruise control.

Test Drive Roundup

What you’re left with, at the end of the day, is a V8 Raptor. That sounds like an oversimplification, but that is exactly what Ford did. Its customers wanted the V8, and this is the result. It does all of the Raptor things the V6 did with roughly 200 times the theater - whether that’s worth the premium is up to you.

Is it worth the hefty $37,000 premium over the TRX? On paper, the Raptor R keeps up, but we’ll have to get a TRX in to really find out for sure. For now, the jury is out.

In a vacuum, there is no more impressive high-performance truck out there. Ford’s dealers are handing out the keys to a 700-horsepower trophy truck for the street, and the Raptor delivers on this promise. It is a genuinely thrilling car to drive, and it feels worthy of the six-figure sticker price - especially when you put your foot down. After all, if you aren’t being as loud as you possibly can in a Raptor, are you really doing it right?

Pros

• Staggering speed and torque
• Ford’s transmission upgrades paid off big time
• Go-anywhere confidence with rally car handling
• V8 soundtrack

Cons

• V8 fuel economy
• Frustrating adaptive cruise control
• Ridiculous size