Ford F-150 Raptor R revealed with 522kW

The Ford Motor Company has a new high-performance pick-up flagship in the form of the 2023 Ford Raptor R, a supercharged V8-powered full-size ute designed to challenge the RAM TRX’s place at the top of the street-legal desert racer food chain.

In a clear response to the ballistic TRX, Ford has chucked out the standard Raptor’s twin-turbo 3.5-litre petrol V6 in favour of a mighty supercharged 5.2-litre petrol V8 that’s good for no less than 522kW of power and 868Nm of torque.

Yet those mammoth outputs aren’t quite as big as the TRX’s, the larger force-fed 6.2-litre V8 in which slams down 523kW and 882Nm.

But the Ford fights back with a generous 312mm of ground clearance thanks in part to its huge 37-inch off-road tyres (versus 35-inch for the RAM), for when things get rough.

Ford Performance buffs might recognise the force-fed 5.2-litre bent-eight configuration as being the same as the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500’s, but engineers have made key changes to better tailor the donk to its intended off-road applications, including a recalibrated supercharger and new pulley that yield more low-end and mid-range grunt.

Bespoke exhaust manifolds, a new oil filter, modified oil cooler and a deeper oil pan are also included, as is a bigger air intake and filter combination.

The fearsome engine is paired exclusively to Ford’s familiar 10-speed automatic transmission, which has been uprated with a specially tuned torque converter with heavy-duty turbine damper and four-pinion rear output assembly to better cope with the increased torque.

The driveshafts have been similarly widened, while the front-end rolls on an all-new front axle with a more robust, higher-strength carrier casting and an aluminium-ribbed structural cover.

Suspension duties come courtesy of advanced Fox Live Valve shock absorbers supported by uniquely-tuned 24-inch coil springs in all four corners, while the multi-link rear-end has been fitted with a Panhard rod and longer trailing arms in the name of off-road composure.

The results are 330mm of front suspension travel and 358mm at the rear, complemented nicely by the aforementioned 37-inch off-road rubber.

All this mechanical fury and capability is alluded to by the meaner exterior styling including an enlarged powerdome on the bonnet, orange-accented ‘R’ badging and exclusive rear decals.

The aggressive theme is continued within the cabin, where we find leather and Alcantara-trimmed Recaro bucket seats and a smattering of real carbon-fibre highlights, in addition to the standard Raptor’s performance goodies.

Infotainment duties are handled by the usual 12-inch SYNC4 multimedia system which still features smartphone mirroring, Bluetooth, sat-nav and all the other tech highlights expected of a modern performance vehicle.

Speaking of which, off-road progress is helped not only by the formidable mechanicals but also via some elaborate driver assists like Trail Turn Assist, Ford Trail Control (off-road cruise control) and Trail One-pedal Drive (like an EV).

The standard Ford F-150 Raptor hasn’t yet been confirmed for Australia and production of the hotter R version won’t start until the closing stages of this year, so don’t expect to see either Raptor in Australian Ford showrooms any time soon.

But we’ll eat our hats if the new Raptor R doesn’t join the upcoming second-generation Ford Ranger Raptor and, via Ford’s new local right-hand drive re-engineering program, mainstream F-150 models in Ford Australia’s official model range eventually.

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