When Ford first announced they were getting ready to build a big high performance off-roader a couple years ago, we thought they were crazy. The economy was going to hell and gas prices were hitting $4.00 a gallon. It was a tough concept to get our heads around even though we’re dyed in the wool gung ho horsepower junkies. Additionally, at the time everyone was clamoring for a new Lightning pick-up. It just seemed like something was amiss.
Fast forward and the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is heading into its second year of production, selling like wildfire. Demand has been so strong that Ford has added a larger and more expensive version to the lineup, the new SuperCrew for 2011. It has been the success story that has bucked conventional wisdom in these tougher times. We have since come to admit that the blue blooded gear heads at SVT might have had a good idea after all.
This week we took the keys to a new Raptor to live with and put to task out here in the wilds of the Arizona Desert. We wanted to really see what this thing could do and what it could take. And we weren’t disappointed when it came to the driving both off and on road.
Our Molten Orange tester was a 2010 model with the new 411hp 6.2 liter big-block V8. Fully loaded too it had the Luxury Package which includes heated power seats, heated mirrors, and power adjustable pedals. Also on our Raptor was the Navigation system, rear gate step, graphics package, interior accent trim, and rear view camera. The grand total MSRP on our example was $49,395 including delivery charges.
The first thing you notice behind the wheel is how high up you are. The engine rumbles to life with a distinct tone and rumbles like a big fast truck should. The comfortable leather seats adjust easily to where you need them and the power adjustable pedals finish the job. It’s hard not to find that spot.
The interior trim specific to the Raptor includes highly bolstered leather seats that hold you tight. Webbed fabric inserts keep you from slipping around. A high center console has a thickly padded armrest and the shifter is right there easily reached.
Down the road in traffic, the Raptor rolls off the line strongly with the grunt of the 6.2 liter big-block. The tuned exhaust sounds just right without too much drone. Despite the perceived ride height the Raptor never feels top heavy on the road, cornering a lot flatter and tighter than you might expect. And off-road that translates into confidence and stability that really sets this thing apart.
Because of the Fox suspension’s bias for off-road capability there is an occasional bobbing feel cruising down the freeway at speed, but it doesn’t translate into sloppiness in maneuvering at all. No concern though as the pay-off you get from this firm but flexible suspension system off the pavement is the main attraction. This thing glides across a washboard gravel road like nothing we have ever driven.
As we spent days out in the back paths of the Tonto National Forest just outside Phoenix, AZ, the high travel suspension soaked up ruts, rocks, and dry washes like child’s play. Power was always on tap and the 6-speed automatic transmission always seemed to be ready to downshift when needed. For 2011 Ford has added true manu-matic control too, so improvements are in store for those who like to self shift.
On the higher speed dirt and gravel roads we found the AdvanceTrac stability control program to be a welcome friend, which is opposite what most performance oriented people would say. But because this is a truck and you are off road, the tail does like to let itself swing out occasionally in the gravel when throwing it into a curve. The system lets it go just a tad but always managed to grab it back and put it back in line. And of course, you can turn it off if you just want to. But for most every day driving, it is actually a good thing.
After two days of off-roading up and down the back roads of the Superstition Mountains, the truck continued to provide a comfortable place to sit and drive. With all the creature comforts inside, good air-conditioning, excellent seats, and that boundless suspension it just made it easy to be there without getting tired or worn out. And that really is the point that gets lost in all the high performance chatter about the engine and suspension. All of that technology and engineering pays off in giving you a good comfortable tool with high capability.
Power on and off road is stellar. It isn’t a GT-500 in acceleration because it does weigh in at some 6000 lbs. It seems leisurely to a point as the engine pounds out a hard robust sound under full acceleration. You are accelerating strongly, it just does it in an effortless way that always has you going a lot faster than you think you are.
If there is a negative, it’s the fact that in our week-long test we averaged 13.6 mpg. But lets be honest, if you are paying $50,000 for a big honkin high-performance truck, who the hell cares? And to be fair it beats the now discontinued Hummer H2 which was universally hated by the Eco-mentalists for being a super-pig, to which we averaged a solid 12.3 mpg in our past testing. And since we are comparing the two, the Raptor is faster, better off road and costs about $10,000 less than the now defunct H2 did five years ago. Best of all the Raptor seems to have escaped the irrational wild-eyed hate of the Greenies so far.
With 2011, Ford has made the 6.2 liter V8 standard on the Raptor along with the aforementioned manu-matic 6-speed transmission. Now offering the SuperCrew starting this fall there will more to love. But we must point out that the SuperCab seats the same 5-persons as the SuperCrew, just lacks a bit of legroom and full door functionality. Our rear seat passengers in the SuperCab never once complained about the room though.
In conclusion, we eat some crow and say that Ford was not crazy at all for building a monster truck for the off-road crowd. They are alone in the arena and it seems nobody else has the guts to build a competitor. It has given SVT a chance to get a new crowd of buyers as well as well as pick up some current ones. And damn, this thing is a hoot to drive!
