2024 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price As Tested: $108,975 CAD
Colour: Agate Black Metallic
I know what you’re thinking, my tumor is back. What else would explain a title like the one above? Bear with me kids because I can explain. In a new car market awash with 6-figure cars the Ford F-150 Raptor is strangely rather affordable. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s also kind of different, special and a bit of fun. There are plenty of other vehicles you can buy for similar money (Suburban, Navigator, Escalade, Ram 1500, F-150 Platinum etc.) that provide none of the secret sauce that courses through the veins of the Raptor. For this reason, then I submit that the Ford F-150 Raptor is one of the few bargains still available in the new car market today.
The Raptor is only available with one engine. The 3.5L HO Ecoboost delivers 450hp and 510 lb/ft of torque. It’s enough for anyone and on a vehicle legitimately aimed at the off road it’s truly more than you’ll ever need. It’s a big, lazy beast even when you put your foot down. It will jump over logs and rocks and makes all sorts of cool noises which give the Raptor a singular thrill while you’re behind the wheel. It also somehow manages to remain very stable and predictable. While it’s certainly fun to drive, I can’t say it’s particularly fast. I think this is deliberate on the part of the designers who built an actual off-road rig rather than a sports truck.
The Raptor has other things that make it special too. Decals shouldn’t matter because of course they’re just stickers and that’s a stupid thing to invest in. The decals on the Raptor are really well designed however and as a result they sucked me in. I love what they do for the look of the truck. Big fender flares to help tame all the rocks you’ll be spewing up on your favorite logging road add to the beefy and muscular look of the Raptor. Bash plates and upgraded suspension will carry you over any obstacle you find and make the Raptor quite comfortable for long distance cruising. As I said before, it’s not a sporty thing so be careful with the advanced driving techniques, but it is a remarkably comfortable animal.
The rest of the interior in the Raptor is actually quite luxurious as it’s effectively an upgraded Lariat trim. You get all the powered, heated and cooled equipment you would expect in a vehicle along with leather seats and the “mobile office” system which sees the central shifter fold flat into the console and the storage lid can fold forward to give you a totally flat surface to work on. This probably speaks to the reality that most purchasers of this truck will be putting it through their company so kudos to Ford for knowing their market.
The week I picked up the Raptor I had just returned from Japan. Somewhere over the Kamchatka Peninsula I picked up a raging flu and was a mess for two weeks after I got back. This happened to coincide with my borrow of the Raptor. As a result, I didn’t get the chance to take it out to the bush as I’d originally planned. It’s a shame because I was truly looking forward to airing down and having some fun. Maybe I’ll get another go sometime soon.
I meant what I said in the title of this review. The Ford F-150 Raptor is a remarkably well-rounded pickup that is a comfortable, off-road ready beast with incredible road manners and it even returns decent fuel economy if you drive like a sensible person. For the 109k their asking for it, and when you balance it against what that gets you elsewhere, it’s kind of a no brainer. In an insane world full of insane prices for cars, the Raptor is a delightful dose of sanity.
