Ford, arguably America’s leader in trucks, has announced that the all-new F-150 Raptor SuperCrew, a high-performance pickup, will be available in China from 2017. It will deliver a whole new level of capability to China’s off-road enthusiasts and “go-faster” farmers.
The F-150 Raptor is said to be unique among off-road performance vehicles, with purpose-built engine, chassis and suspension, all of which enable it to travel rapidly over challenging desert landscapes or crawl confidently over rocky terrain, from Baja to the Gobi Desert and possibly Mongolia, too.
Advanced materials, including a fully boxed, strong steel frame and high-strength, military-grade aluminum alloy body, help to make the Raptor more durable while greatly reducing its weight for improved off-road prowess. Combined with Ford’s EcoBoost engine technology, the F-150 Raptor SuperCrew has a power-to-weight ratio that makes it even more agile off-road.
The F-150 Raptor’s EcoBoost engine is the new, second-generation high-output 3.5-litre V6 that produces more power with greater efficiency than the previous Raptor’s 6.2-litre V8, which was rated at 411 horsepower and 588Nm of torque. The new Raptor engine is paired with an equally new 10-speed automatic transmission.
A newly developed four-wheel-drive, torque-on-demand transfer case manages power distribution between front and rear wheels. It combines the best attributes of clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel-drive with durable, mechanical-locking four-wheel-drive to send power to the wheels in slippery conditions.
The pickup’s pioneering off-road driving mode technology has evolved into an all-new Terrain Management System, which enables the driver to select from among six preset modes to optimise driving dynamics according to environmental conditions.
Said modes include Normal for everyday driving; Street for high-performance on-road driving; Weather for rain, snow or ice; Mud and Sand for muddy and sandy trails/terrain; Baja for high-speed desert running; and Rock for low-speed rock crawling.
An available Torsen front differential improves off-road capability further. The system increases front-end grip significantly and allows the Raptor to pull itself over obstacles and up steep grades, even when traction is split between the front tyres.
The Raptor comes standard with new Fox Racing Shox, whose ustom internal bypass technology works to damp and stiffen suspension travel over rough terrain, thus helping prevent the pickup from bottoming out. Large-diameter front and rear shock canisters are designed to improve performance and increase suspension travel.
The Raptor sports a dual exhaust system and new 430mm wheels with next-generation BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires designed for off-road performance.
We drove a monster truck much bigger than the Raptor.
