Baja mode provides sufficient loosening of the reins to enjoy the Raptor's 13.0 inches of front and 13.9 inches of rear wheel travel at our western Michigan proving grounds, also known as Silver Lake Sand Dunes. On its surface, the automatic shifting feels like a convenience measure, but in practice, it means the transfer case shifts with much more frequency than it might if doing so required more of the driver.
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Baja and Mud/Sand modes select high-range all-wheel drive automatically, while Rock Crawl prompts the driver to shift into low range. Each mode determines things like the rear-differential setting and throttle and transmission mapping. The Raptor's six drive modes-Normal, Sport, Weather, Mud/Sand, Baja, and Rock Crawl-do merit existence. Ten is just too many for toggling gears yourself. Even then, picking the gear that appropriately matched cornering speed was a contest among as many as three candidates. And many of us gave up using its paddle shifters in any situation short of our most aggressive driving. It's not the smooth, responsive master of cog swapping that ZF's eight-speed is in a Ram.
It faded into the background during freeway cruising and skipped multiple gears at a time during downshifts, but it inelegantly slammed home aggressive second- and third-gear shifts during around-town driving. The 10-speed transmission's merits were less obvious. Toe in just a millimeter or two and the 3.5-liter already feels awake, even before the turbos come online." So reads the logbook: "No one does initial throttle response on a boosted engine better than Ford.
But we also came to appreciate the truck's finer points. Sprayed with snow or gravel-the Raptor doesn't discriminate-the roads around C/D headquarters are forever scarred. It probably won't shock you to learn that we warmed quickly to the Raptor's torque. The heated steering wheel added $155 heated rear seats were $125. We also opted for the $1165 17-inch forged-aluminum beadlock-capable wheels, $495 spray-in bedliner, and $375 tailgate step for easier access to that lofty bed. Our big-ticket option was the $9345 equipment group 802A, which adds the Torsen front differential, Sync 3 infotainment system, a trailer-brake controller, remote start, and more. Standard equipment includes the 450-hp twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6, 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters, and 4.10:1 electronically controlled locking rear differential. Heavily outfitted, our 2017 Raptor 4x4 SuperCrew tallied $64,800 (base price $53,140). And if you're not towing all the time, maybe looking at the clouds when you do isn't a deal breaker. Nose-in-the-air stance aside, the truck capably yanks around two and a half tons of weekend fun thanks to the EcoBoost's 510 pound-feet of torque and the 10-speed automatic's towing calibration.
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When we towed with a bed full of spare parts and tools, its nose pointed skyward and the steering went light and loose in a way a normal F-150's wouldn't. Its soft, long-travel suspension sags under the tongue weight imposed by a 5000-pound car trailer. The Raptor's 1200-pound payload capacity is also 830 pounds lower than that truck's. Our Raptor's 8000-pound tow rating is 2700 pounds lower than that of the equivalent F-150 4x4 SuperCrew equipped with the 375-hp EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6 and 10-speed automatic. Though its payload and tow ratings are compromised relative to a conventional F-150's, there's enough functional pickup here to suit most needs. That it does all this without any hint of brodozer foolishness further increases its appeal. Its purposeful looks, which show off Fox remote-reservoir dampers under huge fenders, don't hurt, either. Try that in any other three-ton vehicle without wings. But the Raptor makes a strong case for ignoring its even greater size (6.4 inches wider and 1.3 inches taller than a conventional F-150 4x4 SuperCrew) and thirstiness (16 mpg versus 19 mpg combined with the lower-output 3.5-liter V-6) by balancing those burdens with virtues like, say, the ability to fly, land gracefully, and drive home.
Some people even buy them for those few occasions, then tolerate their size and fuel economy for the sake of image. 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor Power Specs RevealedĪlmost everyone needs a truck a few times a year.