2019 Ford Raptor Reviews: 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor History.
With The Ford F 150 the Raptor is the ultimate version of Ford’s best selling pickup truck. Built for everything from lumber hauling to desert dune jumping, the 2019 Ford Raptor is a performance machine with a pickup bed. Initially created by Ford’s Special Vehicle Team as the 2000 Lightning, which was Ford’s first foray into the world of specialized trucks. The technology of the Lightning was passed onto the Ford F-150 as the first Raptor big reveal at the Seema show in 2008. The F 150 was never a stranger to rocky trails and 4 by 4 adventures, but most owners used aftermarket parts to give their trucks more off-road capability. Ford and SVT changed all that with the first Raptor.
The first Raptor had a giant 6.2L V8 engine with 411 horsepower, long-travel suspension, and an aggressive look compared to other F 1 50s. At an off-roading auto show normally dominated by Jeep, Toyota, and Land Rover… Ford stole all the attention, and the modern day Raptor was born.
Trail Control F150 RAPTOR Demonstration
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW2OUlFrrWiZvSsZRwOYmNg The 2019-2020 Ford F-150 Raptor has picked up a new feature – Trail Control. It’s like cruise control for off-road driving. Trail Control can be activated at speeds from 1 mph up to 20 mph, and Raptor is the only pickup that allows the driver to operate Trail Control in all 4×4 modes.
Review: The 2019 F-150 Raptor is Ford’s most capable, fun 4X4 pickup truck
The 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
The Ford F-150 Raptor is the ultimate version of Ford’s perennial bestseller. Built for everything from lumber hauling to desert dune jumping, it’s a performance machine with a pickup bed.
Nearly ten years after the original Raptor was rolled off the assembly line, nobody has quite matched its blend of boldness, capability and performance. Ram and Chevy will gladly sell you off-road focused trucks, but nothing else has the high-octane fun of the F-150 Raptor.
The good
It’s one mean looking monster. Parked among normal cars, the Raptor is comically large and hilariously aggressive. Its flared haunches, gaping grill and squat stance project a clear sense of purpose; the Raptor means business.
The 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
The mechanical live up to the looks. The Raptor has an absolutely massive 13.9 inches of rear suspension travel, which means it can soak up gigantic bumps and even jumps. The shock absorbers, which received an upgrade for 2019, are FOX racing shocks that can automatically adjust to provide more on-road comfort or more off-road capability, depending on the driving situation.
All of that wouldn’t mean much, though, if the mighty blue Ford didn’t pack a massive powertrain punch to get it up to desert running speeds. Serving that role is Ford’s staple 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, generating 450 horsepower and a gigantic 510 lb-ft of torque. That serious wallop of torque, along with a 10-speed transmission, means that the Raptor pulls hard in all situations and is never caught out of breath.
On a muddy trail in the backwoods of rural Ohio, the Raptor thundered down a muddy trail, flattened bumps, smashed through craters and splashed through massive puddles. It took on standing water so deep and with so much force that mud caked every inch of the roof by the time we were done.
Click To Read The Rest Of This Review: 2019 F-150 Raptor Ford’s most capable, fun 4X4 pickup truck
It appears Ford is about to throw down the gauntlet and slam another V-8 engine into the Raptor pickup. That might sound surprising to anyone who knows the second-gen EcoBoost V-6 version of the truck is actually considerably quicker than the first-gen with the big V-8. Supposedly, Ford isn’t going to stick just any 8-cylinder engine in the Raptor, but instead will use the same powerplant found in the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500.
That would mean a supercharged 5.2-liter Voodoo V-8 with over 700 horsepower for the Raptor. There’s a chance the 7.3-liter Godzilla V-8 from the Super Duty lineup will be dropped in the Raptor. The whole reason for this rumored move is the Ram 1500 Rebel TRX in the works. Yes, we are in the midst of an interesting and possibly legendary pickup truck war.
Supposedly this ultra-Raptor will be coming out next year or maybe in the early part of 2021. It would be the last hoorah for the current-gen F-150, and what a way to celebrate the truck.
This rumor about the Raptor has been spreading like wildfire since Car and Driver picked it up back in March. A recent report from Ford Authority claims the rumors are true, citing unnamed sources. That’s not as solid as Ford brass telling someone in the media such a truck is coming, but it’s as good as we’re going to get at the moment.
Click below to view original article at Ford Raptor V8 Power Will Return
Ford Raptor V8 Power Will Return
It appears Ford is about to throw down the gauntlet and slam another V-8 engine into the Raptor pickup. That might sound surprising to anyone who knows the second-gen EcoBoost V-6 version of the truck is actually considerably quicker than the first-gen with the big V-8.
The best-selling vehicle in North America is a pickup truck. The world might roll their eyes at that American fact, but there’s good reason for it. Americans like big, capable, and luxurious. The 2019 F-150 in its Limited package sets the benchmark for all of those things.
Ford has made several worthy additions to the F-150 in its Limited packaging for the 2019 model year. The most exciting of those is that the 3.5-liter high-horsepower V6 from the Raptor is now standard in the Limited as well. Perhaps less attention-grabbing, but no less important, Ford also added forward collision warning with emergency braking as standard to all F-150s this year. The Limited also gets the larger 36-gallon (136.3 liter) fuel tank.
In looking at a 2019 Ford F-150 in its Limited packaging like this, we get a better understanding of why full-sized pickup trucks are so popular in the U.S. This high-end truck is not cheap, but its interior rivals that of many price-comparable luxury sport utilities without compromising the capability and versatility that pickup trucks inherently have. Not only can trucks haul stuff and tow trailers, they can carry the family along for the ride and (much of the time) are capable of SUV-matching (or better) fuel economy.
The luxury-oriented F-150 Limited sits at the top of the pickup model’s pyramid of trim options, and has just about every option available as included equipment. The Limited runs on 22-inch wheels, plus the 450-horsepower (336 kW) turbocharged 3.5-liter engine from the Raptor and the larger fuel tank we mentioned. Unlike the Raptor, the Limited foregoes the off-pavement equipment and instead includes heated and cooled seats with massage functions, leather upholstery, wood inlay, and most every comfort gadget that can be named.
After spending a week with the F-150 Limited, the only difference we could find between it and a luxury SUV or sedan of the same fitment was in ride quality. The F-150, being a pickup truck, is rough on the road when compared to luxury models from other segments. It’s also generally louder, and the huge wheels and mirrors have a lot to do with that. Yet the F-150 is surprisingly car-like in its maneuverability and handling, thanks to this-generation’s lighter aluminum bodywork.
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2019 Ford F-150 Limited combines rugged luxury with Raptor power
The best-selling vehicle in North America is a pickup truck. The world might roll their eyes at that American fact, but there’s good reason for it. Americans like big, capable, and luxurious. The 2019 F-150 in its Limited package sets the benchmark for all of those things.
Ford Needs to Build an F-150 Raptor with the GT500 Engine
While the Ford F-Series is the bestselling truck and vehicle in America, led by the popular F-150, the large truck segment in the United States is all about one-upping the competitors. The Motor Company has sold the most trucks for some four decades because they pay attention to what buyers want and they build trucks with the features and attributes that people demand. In the case of the current horsepower war that is raging between FCA, GM and FoMoCo, buyers are calling for ultra-high performance vehicles including trucks and SUVs. Within the next year or so, the Ram Truck brand is expected to roll out a Ram 1500 powered by the supercharged “Hellcat” Hemi and to one-up that blown Hemi Ram, Ford could offer up a supercharged, off-road sport truck of their own.
Of course, that truck will be based on the Raptor, but should it come to production, it will likely be the most extreme performance truck ever offered by Ford; if not the entire industry.
Shelby-Powered Raptor
Shelby American and a few other aftermarket companies already offer performance packages for the modern Raptor that introduce V8 power, but according to a variety of reports citing inside sources, Ford will introduce a V8-powered F-150 Raptor at the end of the current generation. More specifically, these reports claim that the V8 Raptor will be motivated by the same supercharged V8 that will power the upcoming Mustang Shelby GT500.
That engine is promised to deliver at least 700 horsepower in the Mustang, so the output could be similar in the Raptor. Mind you, things like chassis-specific exhaust, intake and cooling components could lead to a different official power rating, but if nothing else, this V8 Raptor has the potential to offer more than 700 horsepower.
Ford Needs to Build an F-150 Raptor with the GT500 Engine
While the F-Series is the bestselling truck and vehicle in America, led by the popular F-150 , the large truck segment in the United States is all about one-upping the competitors. The Motor Company has sold the most trucks for some four decades because they pay attention to what buyers want and they build trucks with the features and attributes that people demand.