Ford Raptor takes customers to more extremes
Ford’s special vehicle team, known for engineering high-performance vehicles such as the Ford Shelby GT500, have applied their talents to a truck with the F-150 SVT Raptor.
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Updated: August 24, 2009 3:13 PM
Preparing to blaze new trails, the all-new 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is ready for the most challenging desert adventures.
But this purpose-built, high-speed off-road truck also is engineered to be versatile enough to take on the everyday commute.
“With Raptor, we’re taking the established performance of the F-150 to the next level and proving just how much Ford trucks can do,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice-president for global product development.
“The F-150 SVT Raptor doesn’t just appear to be off-road-ready. It is off-road-ready. It was built with the off-road enthusiast in mind and will give consumers an off-road experience no other vehicle can.”
Ford’s special vehicle team, known for engineering high-performance vehicles such as the Ford Shelby GT500, has outdone itself with the Raptor.
The Raptor was built specifically to fulfill the desires of the highly demanding and growing off-road performance market.
High-performance off-road trucks are a market that is largely untapped, allowing SVT Raptor to set the bar for this type of vehicle.
The Raptor also has a racing-ready version — F-150 SVT Raptor R — that has established its racing pedigree and performance capability.
Built alongside the F-150 at Ford’s Dearborn truck plant, noticeable exterior differences between the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor and the conventional F-150 start with a distinctive grille that has the Ford name carved into it.
Additional exterior differentiation includes front bumper, front fascia and fenders, functional vented hood extractors, fender extractors with “SVT” bored out, visible FOX Racing Shox and skid plates on the underbody for protection.
Another key difference between Raptor and the base F-150 is that the SVT truck is more than seven inches wider, which was necessary to harness the wider suspension and larger tires.
Design elements from the unique grille and front fascia have been carried through to the interior on the console and dashboard.
The steering wheel is wrapped in black leather and features a molten orange leather strip that serves as a centering sight line — which is especially useful in extreme driving maneuvers.
Two-tone leather-trimmed seats have upper and lower leather bolsters with fabric and perforated leather inserts, for a more comfortable ride.
The Raptor is powered by F-150’s proven 5.4-litre Triton V-8, three-valve engine, which delivers 320 horsepower and 390 foot-pounds of torque to power the truck through any terrain it faces.
After its launch in early 2010, customers will have the option of a new 6.2-litre V-8 engine capable of an estimated 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque.
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