Since 2010, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor has been an off-roading monster. Every generation is more capable than the last. Here are all the numbers on the popular truck.
The Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) is behind the 1999-2004 supercharged F-150 Lightning. After their street-race-ready F-150, the team turned their attention to a truck for high-performance off-roading. They redesigned the track width and suspension of an F-150, then fit it with Fox Racing shock absorbers, locking differentials, and a high-output engine. The result was the Ford Raptor.
The Raptor launched in 2010 as an F-150 trim inspired by a desert racing trophy truck. The second generation of the Raptor (2017) expands the truck’s off-road performance while drastically improving its on-road drivability. The third-generation Raptor (2021) adds five-link rear suspension and unprecedented 37-inch tires.
Motor Trend was certainly impressed by the vehicle, calling Raptors “hugely upgraded F-150s with awesome suspension modifications, muscular flared fenders, and big-horsepower engines for bashing around off-road at high speeds.” Hemmings gave the rare Raptor the distinguished badge of “future classic.”
The Ford Raptor’s specs alone are fearsome: 510 lb.-ft. of torque, 15 inches of suspension travel, and a zero-to-60 time of 5.3 seconds! We are going to break down the Raptor by the numbers. We will also discuss how the performance of this top-trim F-150 has evolved across its three generations.
Ford Raptor: 1st Generation (2010-2014)
Dimensions
- Track Width: 73.6 inches
- Body Width: 86.3 inches
- Height: 78.4 inches
- Wheelbase: 133.3 inches (SuperCab) 145.2 inches (SuperCrew)
- Overall Length: 220.6 inches (SuperCab) 232.1 inches (SuperCrew)
- Weight: 6,016 lb. (SuperCab) 6210 lb. (SuperCrew)
The Raptor does not share the F-150’s dimensions. In their quest to build a truck with world-class off-road performance, SVT first widened the standard F-150’s track (axle length) by seven inches.
The team redesigned the Raptor’s body to integrate fenders wide enough for the new axles. The engineers also fitted it with a trim-specific front fascia and the corner marker lights required on wide vehicles.
To reduce both wheelbase and overhang, the team shortened the truck’s bed to 5.5 feet. 2011 and later first-generation Raptors are available as either a two-door (SuperCab) or four-door (SuperCrew).
Running Gear
- Tires: 35-inch BF Goodrich KO (315/70/17)
- Front Suspension Travel: 11.2 inches
- Rear Suspension Travel: 12.1 inches
- Ground Clearance: 10 inches
- Shock Absorbers: 2.5-inch diameter Fox internal bypass dampeners
The SVT team re-engineered the F-150 A-arms and leaf springs to increase suspension travel. Then they fit Fox Racing internal bypass shocks with external reservoirs. The resulting truck sits two inches higher than a stock 4×4 F-150.
Drivetrain
- Engine: 379 ci (6.2L) V8
- Horsepower: 411 at 4400 rpm
- Torque: 434 lb.-ft. at 4500 rpm
- Transmission: Six-speed automatic with manual shifting
- Rear Differential: Electric Locking with a 4.10:1 final drive ratio
- Front Differential: Available Torsen Limited Slip (2012 and later)
Early first-generation Raptors are available with either a 5.4L or 6.2L V8. All 2011 and later first-generation Raptors come with the 6.2L V8, which they shared with the Ford Super Duty trucks. 2010 and 2011 Raptors all have open front differentials and electric locking rear differentials. From 2012 onward, the Torsen limited-slip front differential was an option.
Capability
- Zero to 60 mph: 6.6 seconds
- Zero to 100 mph: 19.2 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 15.2 sec
- Top Speed: 100 mph
- Tow Rating: Up to 8,000 lbs
- MPG: 11 city/14 highway mpg
Ford Raptor: 2nd Generation (2017-2020)
Dimensions
- Track Width: 73.6 inches
- Body Width: 86.3 inches
- Height: 78.5 inches
- Wheelbase: 134.2 inches (SuperCab) 146 inches (SuperCrew)
- Overall Length: 220.0 inches (SuperCab) 231.9 inches (SuperCrew)
- Weight: 5,650 lb (SuperCab) 5900 lb (SuperCrew)
SVT built the second generation of the Ford Raptor on a new generation of the F-150. This results in a slightly longer wheelbase but over 300 lbs of weight savings. The upgrade also improved the truck’s structural rigidity and ride quality.
Car and Driver says, “Where the old truck used to shake, jiggle, and clomp off-road, the 2017 version feels supple and smooth, its body calm and level as the suspension dances over washboard terrain at highway speeds.”
The second-generation Raptor was again available in either a two-door (SuperCab) or four-door (SuperCrew) configuration.
Running Gear
- Tires: 35-inch BF Goodrich T/A K02 (315/70/17″ )
- Front Suspension Travel: 13.0 inches
- Rear Suspension Travel: 13.9 inches
- Ground Clearance: 11.5 inches
- Shock Absorbers: Three-inch diameter Fox internal bypass dampeners
Ford elongated the suspension travel of the second-generation Raptor. They also increased the shock absorber diameter, adding 44 percent more fluid volume for improved performance during extended off-roading.
Drivetrain
- Engine: 213 ci (3.5L) turbocharged V6
- Horsepower: 450 at 5000 rpm
- Torque: 510 lb.-ft. at 3500 rpm
- Transmission: 10-speed automatic with manual shifting
- Transfer Case: Torque-on-demand dual-mode AWD/4WD
- Rear Differential: Electric Locking with a 4.10:1 final drive ratio
- Front Differential: Available Torsen Limited Slip
One of the most controversial changes to the second-generation Raptor was Ford SVT’s decision to drop the V8 powerplant in favor of a twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. But the Ecoboost strikes the perfect blend between power and efficiency.
SVT dialed the turbocharged engine’s boost up to 18 psi, and the resulting high-revving motor produces even more horsepower than the outgoing V8. In addition, the V6 offers 70 more lb.-ft. of torque than the V8–peaking 1,000 rpms lower–making it an ideal off-roading engine.
Car and Driver complains that the 10-speed automatic “slurs shifts in normal mode,” but luckily, the Raptor offers multiple performance modes. The new drivetrain resulted in improved capabilities across the board.
Capability
- Zero to 60 mph: 5.3 seconds
- Zero to 100 mph: 14 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 14 seconds
- Top Speed: 105 mph
- Tow Rating: Up to 8000 lbs
- MPG: 15 city/18 highway mpg (16 combined)
Ford Raptor: 3rd Generation (2021-Present)
Dimensions
- Front Track Width: 74 inches
- Rear Track Width: 73.6 inches
- Body Width: 86.6 inches
- Height: 79.8 inches (on 35-inch tires) 80.7 (on 37-inch tires)
- Wheelbase: 145.4 inches
There were few body changes for the third-generation Raptor. Ford announced it is only offering the 2021 and later Raptors in the four-door (SuperCrew) configuration, discontinuing the two-door (SuperCab).
Running Gear
- Tires: Available 37-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A K02s
- Front Suspension Travel: 14 inches (with 35-inch tires)
- Rear Suspension Travel: 15 inches (with 35-inch tires)
- Ground Clearance: 12 inches (with 35-inch tires), 13.1 in (with 37-inch tires)
- Shock Absorbers: 3.1 in diameter Fox Live Valve internal bypass
One of the most dramatic changes to the third-generation Raptor was optional 37-inch tires. The larger tires increase ground clearance by over an inch but decrease suspension travel by an inch all around.
The third-generation Raptor is even available on beadlock rims capable of off-roading at extremely low tire pressure. Ford also increased the diameter of the shock absorbers to 3.1 inches, again leveraging FoxX units. Finally, the Raptor received new five-link rear suspension and class-leading 24-inch coil springs.
Drivetrain
- Engine Size: 3.5L EcoBoost V6
- Transmission: 10-speed automatic
- Transfer Case: Torque-on-demand dual-mode AWD/4WD
- Rear Differential: Electric Locking with a 4.10:1 final drive ratio
- Front Differential: Available Torsen Limited Slip
Ford claims the newest generation of the V6-powered Raptor will have an increased, 8,200 lbs towing capacity. Other numbers, such as zero to 60 and quarter-mile times have not been tested. The new truck does not feature many drivetrain changes, but the engineers on the SVT team have been far from idle; Ford has teased a Raptor R, launching in 2022, which will likely feature a supercharged V8 engine.
Photos: Ford