{"id":44275,"date":"2023-03-06T09:03:15","date_gmt":"2023-03-06T14:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=44275"},"modified":"2023-03-06T09:03:15","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T14:03:15","slug":"2023-ford-f150-raptor-r-road-test-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=44275","title":{"rendered":"2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R Road Test: The hugest hot rod – Autoblog"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANN ARBOR, Mich. \u2014 When I appeared on the Autoblog <\/em>Podcast<\/a> with Associate Editor Byron Hurd, and he told his tale about cavorting with the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R<\/a> on the sand dunes at Silver Lake, I admitted it: I was jealous. I\u2019m not really<\/em><\/a> a truck<\/a> guy. I prefer something slow<\/a> and small with tight handling \u2014 even better if it\u2019s electric. That \u2026 is not the Raptor R.<\/p>\n

What it is, essentially, is a regular Ford F-150 Raptor<\/a> with a Shelby GT500<\/a>\u2019s supercharged V8 and the optional 37-inch tires made standard. That\u2019s pretty much it, but even that simple formula means this truck is a lot<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For one thing, the Raptor R is huge. It\u2019s taller than 6-foot-8, and not easy to climb in and out, but you do feel like you could drive over anything<\/em>. That high hood with its big power dome makes it hard to see what you\u2019re about to rumble over like the Grave Digger, but a number of cameras can help make sense of what poor trodden object is just ahead of your front bumper. It\u2019s wide, too, at 96 inches overall, or a \u201cmere\u201d 87 inches if you don\u2019t care about your mirrors. Either way, that\u2019s more than 7 feet, which means you\u2019re using every little bit of the lane you\u2019ve got, and getting warned by the lane-departure system when you deviate at all from the direct middle. Combine that with 145.4 inches of wheelbase and 232.6 inches of overall length, and you find yourself avoiding crowded parking lots and seeking out the most open of roads \u2014 or the quickest path off of them. No wonder this thing feels most at home in the desert. Good thing it\u2019s got a Baja mode just for such escapes.<\/p>\n

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But on the open road, you can unleash the beast (which, by the way, is exactly what my son kept calling the Raptor R). The aforementioned supercharged V8 displaces 5.2 liters and make an even 700 horsepower and 640<\/a> pound-feet of torque. That\u2019s an increase of 1.7 liters, two cylinders, 250 hp and 130 lb-ft over the standard Raptor. Stand on the right pedal, and there\u2019s no hesitation for the Raptor R to rush toward the horizon. From behind the steering wheel, it\u2019s not exactly jarring, which comes as a surprise the first time you put your foot to the floor.<\/p>\n

It still pulls hard, but it does so with such poise and linearity that it somehow feels less dramatic, or at least less unnerving than you\u2019d expect. The Raptor R follows its initial jolt off the line with a smooth, constant shove that gives you a sense that the truck is in control of its powerplant, and that you\u2019re in control of the truck. Yes, there\u2019s a lot to stimulate the senses \u2014 the deep but somehow smooth growl of the V8 accompanied by the whinny of the supercharger, the snugness with which the Recaro seats wrap around you \u2014 but it\u2019s more of a service than an assault. The suspension doesn\u2019t squat excessively as you launch, nor does it nosedive in the subsequent braking<\/a> required to return to sensible speeds, and the 10-speed automatic transmission doesn\u2019t smack its way through the gears. Furthermore, the sheer size of this thing makes the speed feel like less threatening to the part of your lizard brain that might lose its composure in something smaller and more exposed. In the Raptor R, you\u2019re lounging at the speed of light. It’s surely more frightening from the outside, but that shocking spectacle and cacophony of something this massive hurtling across the tarmac is distilled into an epicurean delight for the driver.<\/p>\n

And on those highways on which this truck has an absolutely dominating presence, it\u2019s a surprising treat to pilot when not ripping around at full blast. I couldn\u2019t find fault with the suspension tuning. There\u2019s no real sense of the extra weight beneath the hood; whatever calculations<\/a> Ford did to tighten up the front suspension were just right, and, likewise, the rear coil spring and five-link setup keep chatter in check. The Fox internal bypass shocks and electronic continuously variable damping do an incredible job of maintaining composure\u00a0and comfort whether hauling ass over highway frost heaves, cruising cratered dirt roads or gliding over undulations in a tight corner. It navigated the ubiquitous Mt. Brighton parking lot potholes \u2014 which more closely resemble the world\u2019s least comfortable kiddie pools than anything that would fit on your stove \u2014 without drawing a clatter from the skis in the bed.<\/p>\n

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The Raptor R package that nets you the V8 also tacks on an extra $30,575 to the sticker price, giving it a starting point of $109,245 (including $1,895 in destination). There\u2019s not much else mechanically that separates it from the lesser Raptor. It gets those standard 37-inch wheels, which aren\u2019t just better for tackling tough terrain. They look cool as hell, and don\u2019t turn everyday driving into a more painful experience, apart from the increased ingress height and the small decrease in turning circle (50 feet, versus the non-R Raptor\u2019s 48 feet on standard 35-inch tires).<\/p>\n

So is the Raptor R\u2019s V8 and the modicum of extras worth 30 grand? Quite possibly. It delivers. There\u2019s something deeply satisfying about a Ford<\/a> V8, regardless of displacement. The smoothness and steady, predictable pull, whether blown or not, is satisfying. This V8 might suit your fancy more than the raw, hungry, hardscrabble clawing of the ferocious Hellcat V8 in the Ram TRX<\/a>, but that might depend on your relationship with other Fords you\u2019ve driven, too. All valid.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t particularly care why you\u2019d pick the Raptor R or how you spend your money. I do know I\u2019ll be pointing out any Raptor R I see to whomever is in the car with me, and probably spout off some of the things you\u2019ve read above, so long as they\u2019ll listen. I\u2019ll appreciate the owner\u2019s distinguished taste. When you blow past me while my children cover their ears and everyone else shakes their head, I\u2019ll quietly pump my fist for you. And as much as I try to deny I\u2019m a truck guy, there will always be certain pickups I\u2019ll get excited about spotting in the wild. After driving it, the Raptor R just hopped to the top of that list, right alongside the Lightning<\/a> and the Hummer EV<\/a>. If I can catch up to you, I might suggest you\u2019d like those, too.<\/p>\n

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