{"id":23180,"date":"2018-12-13T16:53:02","date_gmt":"2018-12-13T20:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=23180"},"modified":"2018-12-13T16:53:02","modified_gmt":"2018-12-13T20:53:02","slug":"payne-mightier-ford-raptor-in-a-class-of-its-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/payne-mightier-ford-raptor-in-a-class-of-its-own","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Mightier Ford Raptor in a class of its own"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Raptor<\/p>\n

Where do you exercise your pet Orca whale? Big, ravenous, and capable of speeds in excess of 30 mph, it needs an ocean to play.<\/p>\n

A similar riddle plagues the Ford F-150 Raptor pickup.<\/p>\n

Though the name suggests a bird of prey or velociraptor\u00a0of “Jurassic Park” fame (Ford intentionally won’t signal either), the 5,500-pound pickup is more of a land shark \u2014 an animal of outsized capabilities that needs a sea of sand to really show its stuff.<\/p>\n

Based on the formidable best-selling Ford F-150, the Raptor is America\u2019s only supertruck. No one else makes a pickup capable of Baja-like, 100-plus mph off-road speeds. Its fortified steel skeleton, sinewy\u00a0450-horsepower twin-turbo V-6\u00a0and robust Fox-shocks cartilage enable\u00a0terrain-shredding capabilities that are awesome to experience.<\/p>\n

When I first experienced them in southern California\u2019s Borrego Springs desert in 2016, I was in awe \u2014 and sorrow. The vast Borrego desert is a Raptor playground. Miles of high-speed dirt flats where the big truck hit 100 mph. Sandy expanses where its Fox shocks leaped from mogul to mogul. And dry-wash beds where its 35-inch tires dance in dust.<\/p>\n

Trouble is, it\u2019s rare earth \u2014 far from where the Kraken lives in suburban garages. Mere off-road parks like Michigan\u2019s Mounds or Silver Lake can\u2019t contain it.<\/p>\n

Buy a Corvette ZR1 supercar and you can track it at M1 Concourse at speeds approaching 130 mph. Its full limits can be explored at track days at myriad facilities like Mid-Ohio or Road America or Autobahn Auto Club.<\/p>\n

Happily, Ford is trying to solve that.<\/p>\n

Buy a Raptor \u2014 about 15,000 are sold a year \u2014 and Ford gives you a free day at Utah Motorsports Park to explore its considerable capabilities.<\/p>\n

For 2019 those capabilities have, incredibly, expanded.<\/p>\n

Add to its holster electronically controlled Fox Live Valve shocks which adapt to the terrain so the beast conforms to the changing landscape. They reduce\u00a0roll, pitch\u00a0and skittishness to make the Raptor even faster off-road. Think of the shocks as the off-road equivalent to magnetic shocks that allow track-focused cyborgs to turn faster laps.<\/p>\n

Of course, faster speeds demand better seats. Ford has invited the legendary Recaro into its cabin to design bolstered seats so you can better ride Orca without falling off.<\/div>\n

And since long trails ultimately lead into the mountains, Raptor has gained Trail Assist, a sort of low-speed cruise control \u2014 pioneered by Land Rover \u2014 that automatically pilots the truck at speeds from 0-20 mph up\/down steep grades so you can concentrate on steering and navigating.<\/p>\n

Ford packs these goodies into a $54,000-$74,000 truck that is cheaper than a supercar, but affords unique off-road thrills.<\/p>\n

I experienced the new Raptor at the Ford Performance Racing School outside Salt Lake City like a customer would. With over 100 sold-out dates a year hosting 20 owners each, the Raptor experience won\u2019t disappoint.<\/p>\n

Compared to my 2016 Raptor outing, the shocks felt immediately better on-road as we turned out of Utah Motorsports Park for the Wasatch Mountains. Where the previous-generation Raptor felt stiff with a constant empty-bed flutter in the background, the 2019 model was smoother,\u00a0to the point that I forgot it was a pickup.<\/p>\n

Not that anyone else would. Though its innards have been upgraded, the Raptor\u2019s ferocious visage remains unchanged for the new model year. Its ribbed hood looks like a prehistoric predator\u2019s back;\u00a0its fearsome, black maw looms\u00a0in the mirrors of cars half its size.<\/p>\n

Turning off the asphalt onto twisted trails through Jacob\u2019s City and Sunshine Canyon, the Raptor was in its element. Toggling the steering-wheel mounted mode selector to Baja, I bounded across the landscape inhaling gravel, rock\u00a0and moguls like they weren\u2019t there. With 510 pound-feet of torque, the beast cries for more. More throttle. More landscape.<\/p>\n

And more noise.<\/p>\n

I understand the complaints of pals who have held onto their first-generation\u00a0V-8 Raptors. Though the twin-turbo V-6 offers more power, the exhaust note\u00a0needs more bass. Tip into the throttle and hear the V-6\u2019s (muffled) roar. I wish I had a V-8.<\/p>\n

Back at the school, Ford Performance set up a dirt jump. I floor the beast to 60 mph over the jump and Orca went airborne like it breached the ocean\u2019s surface \u2014 WHUMP! It landed down the slope like an Olympic skier nailing a long jump. More!<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the new shocks, everything performs at new levels of performance,\u201d says John Williams, a school instructor. \u201cIt has more ability to handle the terrain and take performance to new limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even Williams acknowledges he doesn\u2019t know its limits. He hasn\u2019t found sustained trails here where he can hit the Raptor\u2019s 100 mph potential. Even the Utah desert, it seems, is too small for Orca.<\/p>\n

So Ford has made sure that the beast can excel at more mundane duties, like crawling up the face of the Wasatch. This is Jeep Wrangler Rubicon territory with\u00a0craggy slopes, narrow ravines and\u00a0rocky steps. But the Raptor now comes equipped with something even the Rubicon doesn\u2019t have: Crawl control.<\/p>\n

I engaged 4-Low to lock\u00a0the rear differential\u00a0and then pushed the Crawl-control button. The darn thing drove itself up the hill at 2.5\u00a0miles per hour (yes, digital speedos now do fractional speeds). No fighting the throttle, no lurches, no limits.<\/p>\n

All this happens in a leather-stitched cabin as comfortable as your corner office. Playing passenger in the huge backseat of the Supercrew cab, I folded my legs and took in the scenery. The 7,000-foot Wasatch mountains offer breathtaking views of the surrounding valley. With more space than the average New York apartment, the Raptor\u2019s bed will easily hold a family picnic.<\/p>\n

Walking around the pickup is like walking around a supercar. Admire the wide track, the power-dome hood, the angry grille. But there are aesthetic touches, too. The tailgate graphic now subtly offsets the dark gray \u201cFord\u201d from its black frame. The Recaro seat inserts are\u00a0the same blue as Ford\u2019s GT supercar.<\/p>\n

I rowed the GT around Utah Motorsports Park’s demanding race track last year, sliding its carbon-fiber chassis to the limits of adhesion, then letting loose 647 ponies down the front straight.<\/p>\n

The off-road limits of the Raptor are still out of reach here. That\u2019s not to say the Performance School isn\u2019t worthwhile. It\u2019s a must for any Raptor owner. Because after you have conquered the Wasatch, you\u2019ll be hungry for more.<\/p>\n

Hey, Ford, how about a performance racing school in Baja?<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch \u201cCar Radio with Henry Payne\u201d from noon-2 p.m. Saturdays on 910 AM Superstation.<\/em><\/p>\n

2019 Ford F-150 Raptor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front-engine, four-wheel drive, five-passenger pickup<\/p>\n

Price: $54,350 base including $1,495 destination fee ($68,845 as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6<\/p>\n

Power: 450 horsepower, 510 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.1 seconds (Car and Driver); 1,200-pound payload; 8,000-pound towing<\/p>\n

Weight: 5,518 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA fuel economy: 15 city\/18 highway\/16 combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Upgraded Fox shocks improve on- and off-road performance; new Crawl control<\/p>\n

Lows: Need a big playground to realize its outsized capabilities; wish it had a V-8<\/p>\n

Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where do you exercise your pet Orca whale? Big, ravenous, and capable of speeds in excess of 30 mph, it needs an ocean to play. A similar riddle plagues the Ford F-150 Raptor pickup. Though the name suggests a bird of prey or velociraptor\u00a0of “Jurassic Park” fame (Ford intentionally won’t signal either), the 5,500-pound pickup […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23180\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}