Ford has decided to improve the F-150 Raptor by shedding some of its weight and adding more power to the engine. This should make for a better vehicle moving forward.
The Detroit auto company has confirmed the new pickup truck will have 450 horsepower along with 510 pound-foot of torque. Ford enthusiasts will be able to see this for themselves when the F-150 Raptor finds its way to showrooms later in the year.
The engine is a twin-turbo V6 and can hold up to 3.5 liters of fuel. Furthermore, the engine comes with its own turbochargers and oil-cooled pistons along with other cool upgrades.
Compared to the old V8 engine that was in the previous Raptor, which sits at 411 horsepower, this new engine is a massive improvement.
When it comes down to fuel efficiency, one should keep in mind that the new F-150 Raptor was never designed to save fuel. This is mainly due to its huge tires and heavy weight. Fuel economy now sits at 16 miles per gallon. Not to mention, the truck has 4x4 wheels and 10 driving modes to keep things interesting.
The 2017 Raptor weighs less when compared to the 2014 version. The weight loss should improve shift performance, so Ford did a great thing here.
It doesn't matter if you're interested in driving to places where there are mud and rocky areas — the F-150 should be a great bet. If you prefer regular street driving, then the Raptor can also deliver on that front.
"Raptor was designed to be a no-compromise, off-road performance machine," says Matt Tranter, Ford Performance engineering supervisor. "That is why we made the switch from the cast-iron V8 to the aluminum block, high-output GTDI V6 EcoBoost engine that our team tuned to add 39 horsepower and 76 lb.-ft. of torque for today's Raptor."
The Ford F-150 Raptor will go on sale later this year starting at $49,520.
Ford also has other plans for the future. The company says it is moving to sell affordable autonomous cars by the year 2025. This might be interesting to industry observers since autonomous vehicles might not take off in a big way unless most people can afford to purchase them — and unless car manufacturers, which are all racing to the finish line of driverless technology, can convince the greater public to trust self-driving cars.
As Ford gears up for the ambitious plan of autonomous driving, it is taking things slow on others. The American car manufacturer decided to skip the Paris Motor Show 2016 because it wants to host its own auto show.
