Test Drive: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R Smart Driving
At the launch of the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R, I asked Ford Performance boss Carl Widman why the team left one metric on the table: horsepower.
Why didn't they tune it down by 3 or even 5 horsepower to outperform the Ram TRX? Widman answered my question (my Uncle Robert (Unc) used to do that when I was a kid and it always annoyed me): "Why bother?
It didn't really matter, the executive explained, the Raptor R was significantly lighter than the TRX.
At the time, Widman's answer didn't resonate with me as fully as it should have: after spending a week, driving around the Midwest multiple times, using three tanks of premium fuel, and spending quality time in a 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor, I now, understood that Widman was not merely displaying a pretentious attitude. The extra few horsepower really wouldn't matter.
On paper, the Ford F-150 Raptor R and the Ram TRX look like the same truck with nearly identical horsepower and spec sheets, but living with both revealed that they are actually quite different. The Ford F-150 Raptor R uses Ford's bag of tricks to deliver a more dynamic and substantial ride than the Ram TRX.
2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R
The Raptor R defaults to normal drive mode upon startup. Sure, there's plenty of power, but it just goes about its daily business, ignoring the huffing and puffing of the 2.7-liter supercharger, which is bolted to the top of the engine and rated at up to 12 psi. Switch the drive mode knob to Sport and the Raptor R wakes up, shifts quickly, opens the active exhaust baffles more, and increases throttle tip-in and response. The four-wheel drive system also shifts from 2WD to 4WD Auto for more traction. The result. Sport mode transforms the Raptor R into the truck you expect it to be, but it doesn't always have to be.
The 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R
No one will be shocked: the 700-horsepower supercharged V-8 engine is thirsty and prefers premium fuel. That's a lot of it; EPA fuel economy checks in at a stomach-churning 10 mpg city, 15 highway, and 12 combined. In mixed suburban driving I averaged 11.1 mpg. Not great, but in line with EPA ratings.
I beat the EPA highway rating on three of four highway road trips, when the supercharged Monster averaged 16.0 mpg with cruise control set at over 70 mph. The fourth road trip added a headwind and resulted in a dismal 12.4 mpg fuel economy. The truck has a 36-gallon fuel tank.
2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R
The Raptor R feels noticeably lighter than the TRX in almost all everyday situations in the way it goes about its business. Because the Raptor R is approximately 400 pounds lighter than the TRX, it feels quicker and lighter in its change of direction.
2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R
The front Recaro bucket seats are nice and the interior is nice enough, but not Ram TRX nice. From the plastics to the fit and finish to the grab handles on the A-pillars, the Ram's interior is another step up. Ford's folding shifter sounds like a rolling bag of marbles when you fold it up and down, and there is play in the shifter when you put it in gear or park it. For a nervous person like me, that play is enough to drive me nuts. Like other F-150s, you can see the edges where the carpet stops, the rough cut around the vents under the seat, it's ...... It's a fancy F-150.
2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R
Despite having a 5-link rear suspension with coil springs, Fox remote reservoir live valve shocks, 37-inch all-terrain tires, and all that suspension travel, Raptor R does not abandon any of the F-150's best tricks. Three times within a week I found myself needing to work in the F-150 Raptor R. At the push of a button, the shift lever folded into the console and the center armrest flipped up to create a desk with cooled Recaro seats. It was great, if you didn't think about all the gasoline you'd burn while idling. There is a pop-up storage bin under the rear seat bench and a hole in the tailgate for a C-clamp to hold things in place while working. This is a useful truck with creative features, and one that just happens to be able to run through hoops at 80+ mph.
2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R
The 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor is priced at $78,670 including the $1,895 destination charge, but if you choose the Raptor R and its supercharged V-8, you can add options 30,575 to the price before any options are added. This is not an apples-to-apples comparison, but adding some of the features standard on the R to the base Raptor still adds more than $25,000 to the price, about $10,000 more than the equivalent Ram TRX. This Ford is a $110,000 pickup truck. The Raptor R's interior is neither as nice as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class nor as nice as the TRX.
It's hard to call an 8-foot-wide vehicle or anything that could be this loud a sleeper, but in the week I had the Raptor R, only one person noticed what it was. They probably thought it was a Raptor with a turbo six. Externally, the differences were limited to blacked-out trim, orange tow hooks, 1.0" higher hood vents, and small R badges on the grille and tailgate, not to mention R-specific fender and hood graphics (optional). If you don't know what you're listening to (or looking for), you don't know. I also knew the guy who was watching me from across the parking lot at Walmart. I checked out his restored blue Bronco in the parking lot and he told me about the Hennessey Velociraptor 500 Bronco Raptor he was ordering. He knew.
The Ram TRX is always a sledgehammer. It is never quiet or really relaxed. It's the perfect truck for peak seekers, but the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R feels more dynamic with its ability to "turn off" being wired, thanks to its normal mode, active exhaust, and ability to get the job done when you don't have time to play.
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2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R
Base price: $109,245 (includes $1,895 destination)
When tested Price: $109,840
Powertrain: 700-horsepower supercharged 5.2-liter V-8, 10-speed automatic transmission, full-time four-wheel drive
EPA fuel economy: 10/15/12 mpg
Pros: the F-150 Has a bag of tricks, Lighter than TRX, Not always wired, Borders on Sleeper Raptor status
Cons: Thirsty, It prefers premium, Ridiculously expensive, TRX interior is better
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