The Raptor R’s supercharged V8 makes it a powerful rival to the Ram TRX.
Nobody needs 700 horsepower in a pickup truck. But this is America, Jack, which means you can walk into any Ford or Ram dealership and drive out of the showroom in a cloud of smoke with your consumer super truck.
In the Raptor R case, Ford took the standard Raptor and notched it up to 11. Instead of the “stock” twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 with 450 hp and 510 pound-feet of torque, the Raptor R has a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 (borrowed from the old GT500) with a mighty 700 hp and 645 lb-ft. Above all else, that’s what makes this truck so special.
Lay hard into the throttle, and the supercharger whine echoes throughout the cabin as this massive vehicle rips off a supercar-rivaling 60-mile-per-hour sprint. Ford doesn’t officially publish a 0-60 time for this truck, but it’s somewhere in the low four-second mark based on my unofficial butt dyno.
Torque peaks at a generous 4,250 rpm, which helps the Raptor get off the line with a tinge more force than the comparable TRX, which doesn’t reach max twist until 4,800 rpm. Ford’s 10-speed automatic hustles through its gearing mostly without notice but offers a sharper, sportier experience if you tick over to Baja mode and tug on the shifters.
The pliable off-road suspension was designed more for off-road use, first and foremost, but it still does a damn good job of keeping this massive truck composed in corners and steady at highway speeds. The knobby 37-inch off-road tires make a lot of noise and aren’t super grippy on the pavement, granted, but that’s a small sacrifice.
The Raptor R tears up the trails off the road – specifically, on the dirt paths near my apartment. It bounces over rocks courtesy of those chunky 37-inch BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A tires and barely shrugs at muddy potholes thanks to new long-travel Fox live valve shocks designed for the R model specifically.
You will have to pay the price of a small house for all that power, though. While the base Raptor starts at $78,770 with the $1,995 destination fee included, the supercharged Ford F-150 Raptor R costs $109,145 when it’s all said and done. A comparably equipped TRX costs a few grand less than the Raptor R, and if you don’t need any luxuries, the Ram is a relative bargain at $85,685 to start. But if it’s a supercharged super truck you want, look no further than the Raptor R.
