2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R First Drive: Rip And Tear

In 2010, the Ford F-150 Raptor first bashed its way onto the scene Kool-Aid Man style, and just as our juicy friend did to many a brick wall, it instantly made a huge impression. It was the sport version of the already beefy and ultra-capable workhorse F-150 pickup, kitted with an off-road racing suspension and optioning the Super Duty's brawny 6.2-liter V8 to give the Raptor 411 horses of full-send power. It didn't take long at all for the Raptor to be considered "the crazy one" of the already horsepower-mad Ford family. Its moniker quickly became shorthand for an off-road ready vehicle built to the extreme, and "Raptor" versions of the Ranger and Bronco were inevitably to follow.

Alex Kalogiannis/SlashGear

When the time came to update the F-150 Raptor for its second generation, Ford saw fit to tone down a bit of the whimsy, replacing the V8 with a more sensible turbocharged V6 to highlight its EcoBoost technology. Though lighter and – more importantly – more powerful, this touch of pragmatism took a bit of the bloom off of the wild flower the Raptor was meant to be for some fans. Indeed, it conceded enough ground for Ram to let its 1500 TRX loose onto the scene, where it became the apex predator of the sport truck domain.

Ford, understandably, wasn't going to let that slide, and now, in its third generation, the Raptor's V8 heart beats once again, and does so with a vengeance within the 2023 F-150 Raptor R. Though its capability was never in question, after spending a day with the fortified pick-up in its natural habitat, it's clear that the madness is indeed back.

This is essentially the case throughout the rest of the Truck. Beyond the engine and small suspension adjustments, it's nearly identical to the EcoBoost-powered model, though the Raptor R does get some notable highlights to distinguish itself, "R" badges highlighted in Code Orange, a unique graphics package for the side, and a beefier hood that's about an inch taller than usual all help it stand out. Beyond that, it's still the Raptor-ized version of the F-150 SuperCrew cabin, with the same dimensions as the current Raptor sporting the 37-inch sport tire upgrade instead of the 35-inch standard set. With the larger wheels, the Raptor R has a 33.1 degree approach angle, a 24.9 degree departure angle, and 24.4 degree breakover angle.

Inside, the roomy SuperCrew cabin remains the versatile work/living space the F-150 has been known to provide. In the Raptor, leather and Alcantara suede Recaro seats are equipped to hug occupants as tightly as possible when bouncing across uneven ground. Behind the beefy steering wheel is a digital instrument cluster containing a wealth of gauges and system information that can be configured to suit the driver based on the situation. Beside it is a 12-inch touch screen powered by Ford's SYNC 4 operating system, which is also Apple CarPay and Android Auto compatible.

You might be surprised, but simply taking a vehicle for an off-road adventure doesn't require much in the way of horsepower. Every bit helps, for sure, but sheer brawn doesn't matter as much as dexterity and torque delivery. With this in mind, getting to the meat of what the Raptor R was all about would require more than a crawl through some dense wilderness. It necessitated a testing ground that was a suitable challenge for the madness contained within, and this made Michigan's Silver Lake State park the ideal location to let the Raptor run wild.

The park's main attribute is its vast expanse of sand dunes nestled between the titular Silver Lake and Lake Michigan. A large swathe of the area is dedicated off-roading vehicles, which are typically made up of UTVs that are purpose-built for such environments. Light and quick, they usually dart around the larger utility vehicles brought there to test their technical capabilities on the shifting sands, but on the day of our visit, they had to make way for the raucous Raptor R.

All of it would be welcome in the shadow of the massive dunes that towered overhead. Tapping into what the engine had to give made it a breeze to give the Raptor enough speed to run up the dune's steep sides and onto the narrow plateaus that awaited at the top. Indeed, it was more of an effort to maintain just the right momentum to avoid careening over to the other side. What helped was the on-by-default front camera that displayed the area beneath the truck's chin, allowing me to quickly peek over the dune's edge to gauge the drop or spot the location of another vehicle in the area.

Hitting dune after dune felt like dropping into a half-pipe with a nearly 6,000-pound metal box on wheels: thrilling, exciting and just a bit silly. It was a sensation that persisted on the flatter areas at the base of the dunes, as was impossible to deny the overwhelming sensation of mischievousness the Raptor R inspires. With a sandy open expanse and 700 horses to play with, well... horseplay was inevitable.

This holds true when given the opportunity to demonstrate part of the Raptor R's trophy truck heritage. All trucks are small trucks when in an area like Silver Lake's dunes. The crash-helmeted devil on my shoulder would constantly point at the natural structures that dwarfed the truck and mutter into my ear, "you could jump that."

Knowingly, the Ford crew in charge of our field trip scouted out and arranged an area for us to get the F-150's wheels off the ground without causing irreparable damage to ourselves or our four-wheeled companion. With Baja mode still engaged and no further settings to adjust, it was just a matter of having enough room to run before hitting the natural ramp that was presented before us. Our professional scouts instructed that we should maintain a 45 mph speed to give us a satisfying demonstration of hopping all four of the Raptor's wheels up before a smooth touchdown.

As you can imagine, it's in everyone's best interest to listen to such instructions, but a day's worth of comfortably bashing the Raptor R, coupled with that little voice in my ear and a very enthusiastic V8, it was a little difficult to keep that 45 mph promise. "I don't want to hit it too slow, that would be dangerous, too, right?" said the voice, as the speedo churlishly climbed over 50 mph at the jump point. I don't remember what speed I hit exactly at the jump, nor much of anything in the first couple of seconds, as the sensation of launching in F-150 violently into the air was enough to induce a rush of survival adrenaline to the brain. The fog cleared up quick enough for me to brace for the landing, and once we touched down, the Fox sport shock absorbers performed their job admirably. The truck came down hard, but didn't slam on the decline. From the outside, it probably looked like a gentle hop, but from inside it feels like plummeting off a cliff. I couldn't wait to try it again.