Last year, the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor wowed crowds at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, and now it’s back. Ford still doesn’t plan to put the Raptor until later this year, but those who have waited eagerly for the new off-road performance truck will at least get the option of adding a little practicality to this beast.
The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCrew isn’t exactly a surprise, but Ford had to do something to keep people interested during the Raptor’s year-plus gestation period. The SuperCrew includes all of the goodies of the Raptor SuperCab unveiled last year, plus four full-size doors, meaning your friends will have more legroom as you terrorize them.
Based on the current-generation, aluminum-bodied F-150, the new Raptor is shaves up to 500 pounds compared to its predecessor, according to Ford. The SuperCrew rides on a 145-inch wheelbase, which is 12 inches longer than that of the Raptor SuperCab. The rear seats in this crew-cab truck are also likely more usable than the ones in the less spacious SuperCab. That’ll come in handy if you need to transport armed mercenaries across the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
And you’ll be able to get across that wasteland in a hurry. The Raptor remains the only factory truck designed to cover rough terrain at high speeds. It packs a 3.5-liter turbocharged EcoBoost V6 in place of the old model’s 6.2-liter V8, which is expected to produce 450 horsepower. The downsized engine is mated to a new 10-speed automatic transmission, which will eventually be used in other Ford trucks.
Like the previous Raptor, the new model also gets beefed-up suspension, including Fox Racing Shox, and a steroidal makeover complete with massive fender flares and a new grille. The new Raptor also boasts a Terrain Management System that alters different vehicle parameters for different types of terrain. There are six modes, including Normal, Street, Weather, Mud and Sand, Baja, and Rock.
It’s been a year after the 2017 Raptor was first shown to the public, but buyers still have to wait awhile. The new Raptor won’t go on sale until this fall. So far, though, it looks like it will be worth the wait.
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