Ford was the brand that started the trend of the extra rugged pick-ups in 2009. The F-150 Raptor is still not available in the US, but now the extreme Ram 1500 TRX is taking the madness to new heights. Ford can of course not let that happen, so the brand comes with an even more extreme Raptor.
In America there is currently a serious hype about real off-road vehicles. Whether the cars are also used off the beaten track is undoubtedly the question, but it is a popular category is beyond dispute. Few cars have received as many publications in the American press as Ford’s Wrangler competitor Bronco, while rugged versions of existing models also look great. That trend was set in 2009 by the Ford F-150 Raptor, a model variant that will soon enter its third generation.
The roughest Ford pick-up is – the name already gives it away – a variation on the theme F-150, the medium-sized (but gigantic by European standards) truck that invariably ends in the US with a big lead on the very first place of the sales rankings. . At the beginning of the summer, a completely new generation of the F-150 was presented, so a new Raptor makes sense.
The spy images clearly show an extra tough version of that new F-150. As before, the Raptor is considerably wider than a regular F-150. Front and rear, the side screens are extensively extended over the entire surface, to create gigantic wheel arches for ditto wheels and tires. A private front, with a unique grille and a hood full of cooling vents should complete the rough picture.
Hellcat vs Shelby
Such a Raptor version is not only a package of externalities, because the car also offers an adapted chassis from the start and, above all, a solid amount of power. In that regard, it is Ford’s competitor Ram who has recently reshuffled the cards. In the Ram 1500 TRX, the 711 hp V8 from the Hellcat models of Dodge is casually spooned. The outgoing Raptor fades a bit, because that car has to do with a solidly boosted Ecoboost-V6.
Judging by the sound, Ford resolutely corrects that ‘error’ in generation three. According to the American experts, in response to the Ram, an imposing, 5.2-liter V8 with a compressor is pulled out of Shelby’s closet. The block is also used in the Shelby GT500 and must provide the thickest F-150 with at least 700 hp. Would he like LPG?