Senior Editor Edward Loh drives Fords newest addition to the F-150 family
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Hi, this is Edward Lo, senior editor with Motor Trend.
00:26 And we're here in Anza, Borrego with the 2010 Ford F-150 Raptor.
00:31 Now, this is a special edition truck.
00:33 It's what happens when hot rod guys end up
00:35 building an off-road vehicle.
00:37 What this thing is built for is high speed desert off-roading.
00:39 So let's go see how it performs.
00:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:44 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:47 So we're now driving the Raptor.
01:09 And this is an amazing purpose-built off-road vehicle,
01:12 primarily built for high speed desert running,
01:14 though it is respectable in rock crawling and mudding
01:17 situations.
01:18 Now, what Ford has done is taken an F-150, standard,
01:21 built on the line, and added a whole host
01:24 of off-road components.
01:27 They've widened the track seven inches.
01:29 They've actually built the body out eight inches.
01:32 And they've given this thing an amazing amount
01:34 of travel front and rear, 11.2 inches in the front
01:37 and 12.1 inches of travel in the rear,
01:39 along with 10 inches of ground clearance
01:42 from ground to skid plate.
01:43 Ford also has our specially designed internal bypass shocks
01:46 from Fox.
01:47 Now, if you don't know the name Fox Racing Shocks,
01:50 they're one of the premier builders of aftermarket off-road
01:55 and mountain bike suspension.
01:57 They build these amazing shocks.
02:00 Ford is the first OEM to offer internal bypass
02:03 shocks on a production vehicle.
02:05 And it really transforms the Raptor
02:07 into an amazing desert runner.
02:09 I've driven this vehicle out here.
02:11 I'm at Anza Borrego at high speeds,
02:13 hit about 75, 80 miles an hour, and then was
02:16 driven by one of their professional drivers
02:19 who took me up to the vehicle's limit, 100 miles an hour,
02:23 on off-road, under conditions that would
02:25 destroy any other truck.
02:27 So very, very impressive.
02:29 Almost eerie in how smooth it is.
02:31 When you go over high speed, hit the whoops,
02:33 you don't feel anything.
02:34 Of course, there's other elements
02:36 that make this really special off-road.
02:38 It runs a 35-inch tall BF Goodrich tire,
02:41 specially designed by Ford and BF Goodrich for off-road use.
02:45 They look enormous when positioned under this car.
02:48 They really do help it float over sand
02:50 and give it a lot of traction when
02:51 you're powering out of corners.
02:53 Speaking of power, this truck is powered
02:55 by the same 5.4 liter, single overhead cam, three valve V8
02:59 found in the F-150.
03:01 Makes about 320 horsepower and 390 pound feet of torque.
03:06 Pretty good.
03:06 Pretty good out here.
03:08 I think it could use a little more oomph.
03:10 And the SVT guys know that.
03:11 So they're coming out with a 6.2 liter V8 in the winter
03:15 and should help get this thing going real quick.
03:18 Estimated power for that engine is about 400 horsepower
03:20 and 400 pound feet of torque.
03:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:25 [ENGINE REVVING]
03:51 So by now you might be thinking, well,
03:52 this is really no different than what a guy on the street
03:56 can do with his own F-150.
03:58 He spends a couple thousand bucks,
04:00 throws some big tires on it, some coil overs.
04:03 But the real key here is that Ford engineers programmed
04:06 in some very aggressive electronics.
04:07 And that's a realm where the aftermarket really can't touch.
04:12 They spent considerable effort programming
04:14 aggressive sport mode.
04:17 So you can throw this thing sideways
04:18 and yet be in still full control.
04:21 The car will actually help you fire the brakes
04:23 and bring you back under control should
04:25 you get a little too sideways.
04:26 They also put in a hill descent control mode, which
04:29 uses the stock ABS system, the actuators.
04:33 And it'll fire the brakes as you do a steep decline
04:37 down a rocky slope.
04:38 We tried that out here in Anzaburgo.
04:40 Worked brilliantly.
04:41 Very, very impressive when you get the car so tilted over
04:44 you can't see any sky.
04:47 Again, complete confidence.
04:48 You can put both feet on the ground,
04:49 don't have to touch the gas or the brake.
04:51 This thing will just creep down using
04:53 these advanced electronics.
04:54 So again, really nice package out here.
04:57 Does amazing.
04:57 A lot of grip.
04:59 But really impressive is the way the tires, the suspension,
05:03 the widened track all work together
05:05 and make this thing so easy to handle, so easy
05:07 to flick around here.
05:08 And really puts a smile on your face
05:10 when you're doing some serious off-roading.
05:13 [ENGINE REVVING]
05:16 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:20 [ENGINE REVVING]
05:48 So as you can see, the Raptor really
05:50 does perform very well out here in the desert.
05:53 It's purpose built for off-roading.
05:54 But in truth, it handles really well on the street too.
05:57 So if you like this package, like the way it looks,
05:59 like the way it performs, you can buy one right now
06:01 at your Ford dealership for $38,995.
06:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:07 [ENGINE REVVING]
06:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:22 (upbeat music)
06:24 (whooshing)