By Gabrielle Sukich
Earlier this year, the new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor received the AutoGuide.com’s Pickup Truck of the Year award. The Raptor was up against the Ford F-250, Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, Nissan Titan, and the Honda Ridgeline.
Though the 2017 Raptor does not have the V8 like the previous model, it does come with a 3.5-liter twin-turbo Eco Boost V6, giving the Raptor 450 horsepower, 510 lb-ft of torque, and a 10-speed automatic transmission. Stephen Elmer, AutoGuide.com trucks editor commented, “The 2017 Raptor is the whole package. It’s not just suspension or just appearance. Ford left no stone unturned with this purpose-built Baja runner, and it shows.”
Another highlight of this new Raptor model is a 500 lb. lighter body and an added six inches of width. The 2017 Raptor also comes with 44 percent larger Fox internal bypass shock absorbers, giving a total of 13 inches of front-suspension and 13.9 inches at the back.
The Ford Raptor went through all of the testing for AutoGuide.com in the desert in Barstow, California with its other competitors — but clearly came out as the best performer. “By the final day of testing, we would wince when running through a set of whoops or over big sand berms, and the big crunch we thought was inevitable never came,” reported Elmer on the Raptor's performance. The 2017 Raptor was an obvious choice and will not disappoint shoppers.