Former Ford dealer checks out historic cars at Ford headquarters
Bill McCubbin, 102, of Madison, Indiana, toured the Ford Heritage Fleet at Ford headquarters. Mr. McCubbin was previously a dealer in southeastern Indiana, where he began selling Fords in 1961.
Strong Points
- fast and noisy
- High-speed offload benchmark
- Oh, can I jump?
Cons
- drinking fuel
- Interior could be more premium
- short stopping distance
If the Porsche 911 GT3 is the epitome of a fast track car that’s easy to drive every day, Ford’s F-150 Raptor is its dirt-covered cousin. and Current generation Ford F-150 Raptor RThe best aspects of 15 years of Raptor pedigree are combined into one model: quick-response Fox shocks and a rumbling, high-output V8. After all, the R means this is a supercharger.
rear Very enjoyable first drive The latest version of the heroic Raptor R is ready to spend more time with the loudest F-150 pickup. As it turned out, the Blue Oval was happy to lend it to us so we could attend. Annual Raptor Rally Off-Road-A-Thon Then, we drove the truck on the paved road of the test track.
test track reveal
Ford has updated the F-150 Raptor R for 2024 with new Fox Dual Live Valve shocks, an additional 20 horsepower, and upgrades targeting off-road performance and comfort. The supercharged 5.2-liter V8 now produces 720 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque, up from 700 horsepower when the Raptor R debuted. The increase in power was not noticeable by the seat of the pants – we already called the first version of the truck “Bonker Ball” — But our latest efforts on the test track showed the proof.
The 2025 Ford F-150 Raptor R took off with a bang, and the feeling of taking off with a vehicle tipping the scales at 5,993 pounds was an eye-opener. With a sprint of just 3.6 seconds, it beat its previous 0-60 mph time by 0.1 tick. Importantly, our new time was faster than the latest Ram 1500 TRX we tested. Time required: 3.9 seconds It gets the job done with 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque.
Once launched, the 2025 F-150 Raptor R continued towing. It completed the quarter mile in 12.1 seconds at 112.1 mph. This time tied the record set by the 2023 F-150 Raptor R, but beat the trap speed of 111.8 mph. Again, the latest Raptor R is TRX is currently dormant. The Ram truck recorded a time of 12.5 seconds at 168.3 mph. As Ram thaws out its hibernating performance trucks, it will need to bring significant performance upgrades to the table if it is to take on Ford’s fast Raptor.
If only the F-150 Raptor R had stopped as quickly as it accelerated. The weight of off-road tires and thick curbs negatively affected our test truck’s 60-0 mph run, coming to a stop in 151 feet. (The 2023 model required 137.) Additionally, the Raptor R dived, jumped, and bounced under hard braking. Using the soft pedal required more guesswork input than I expected, especially when decelerating quickly on the highway.
Of course, the Raptor R’s suspension is amazing off-road, but it wasn’t ideal for hot laps around our figure-eight test track. The soft suspension, low-grip tires and extremely raised ride height made each lap a different adventure. Still, it managed to beat the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R’s lap time of 29.4 seconds in just 27.6 seconds. The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX took 28.4 seconds to get around the short circuit.
The 2025 Ford F-150 Raptor R is well behaved when driven in the real world. Suspension compliance provides comfortable driving on the highway and smooths out road imperfections in the city. Road and tire noise was muted and surprisingly polite, especially for an off-road truck.
The steering is nicely weighted and perhaps better than before. Indeed, placing the full-size pickup in its lane was easier than we remembered, even when driving at a clip of winding roads. The 360-degree camera view was a godsend as I squeezed the widened F-150 into a parking space. The only thing standing in the way of city-ready monster truck bliss was the Raptor R’s pitiful fuel economy. While driving, I observed an average of 10-12 mpg, which was close to the EPA’s rating of 10/15/12 mpg city/highway combined. Of course, if you care about gas consumption, this isn’t the truck for you.
Off-road advantage
When we took our 2025 Ford F-150 Raptor R off-road, we weren’t thinking about gas prices. This truck’s job is to zip through rough, dirty roads at high speeds, and its dual-valve shocks had no trouble handling the varied terrain on the trails outside Lake Havasu, Arizona. Jumping over rocks and ruts in Baja Drive mode, the F-150 Raptor R is the off-road machine of our dreams. This profile also allows for road-legal exhaust settings, unlocking the Raptor R’s true sonic potential.
The Fox-supplied suspension uses one spool valve to control jounce compression and a second spool valve to handle rebound. This is a new setup for the 2024 model year update. Our trek leader suggested we keep up the pace if we want a smoother ride. Because doing so allows your body to “float” while the suspension handles the hard work below.
Adding to the Raptor R’s Baja-ready chops was its jumping ability and, more importantly, its landing ability. At the Raptor Rally, Ford installed a dirt-filled ramp for us so we could take to the air. When starting from a standstill in Baja mode, I held the throttle steady until the moment the front tires left the ground. The Raptor R sailed through the air with its suspension completely lowered. As we came down with a thud, the nose of the plane dropped slightly, sending water bottles flying from the cup holders into the air. After this tough but skillful landing, the Raptor R survived the impact and prepared for more.
We also faced some obstacles that required slower off-road skills. To do so, we turned the Raptor R’s drive mode dial to Rock Crawl, deployed the rear rocker, engaged 4Lo, and changed the tuning of the rest of the truck for precise rock traversal. For even more control, we enabled Trail One Pedal Drive. However, after years of driving EVs in one-pedal mode, operating a V8 truck with just the gas felt awkward. Still, it was able to overcome some rough terrain with just a single stone covered in armor on the underside of the vehicle.
really well equipped raptor
Considering all the performance and daily improvements, the 2025 Ford F-150 Raptor R costs a hefty $114,545 as tested. Still, it’s some good value considering the strong list of standard equipment. A 12.0-inch central touchscreen with phone projection capability, a configurable 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster, head-up display, and an impressive 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system were among the high-tech features we used the most. We would have liked a little more premium materials to differentiate the cabin from the run-of-the-mill F-150 model, but Raptor-specific touches like carbon fiber trim and suede upholstery nicely communicate the truck’s performance intentions.
The 2025 Ford F-150 Raptor R demonstrates that Ford continues to evolve its off-road truck formula with incremental improvements, taking the most hardcore F-150 even further. while waiting A true competitor emergeslike a quiet electric truck Hummer EV and Rivian R1T Stay away from the noble drama of the F-150 Raptor R and its roaring V8 engine. The Blue Oval stands alone as the baddest off-road truck money can buy.
TWCPPSSS is by Aniratant.
