Ford Motor is continue to offer new, extremely lucrative performance variants with gasoline engines even as it increases production of its electric F-150 pickup.
The F-150 Raptor R, a new version of its high-performance, off-road truck with a supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 engine that delivers 700 horsepower and 640 foot-pounds of torque, was presented by the Detroit carmaker on Monday morning. The price of the vehicle will start at $109,145, destination and delivery fees included.
Automakers have been introducing performance versions to their lineups to boost profit margins before they switch further to electric vehicles, which can provide great performance but have lower margins than gas-powered vehicles, due to pent-up demand and record-high prices.
The new “R” version shares a similar look to the brand’s F-150 Raptor, but it has undergone minor design changes and has significantly improved off-road and performance components. 450 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque are produced by the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine in the normal 2022 F-150 Raptor, for comparison. The Raptor R’s top speed, according to Ford, is 112 mph and is governed by its 37-inch tyres.
Since the first Raptor model was introduced in 2009, Ford has virtually controlled the market for high-performance pickup trucks. However, Stellantis’ Ram Trucks brand has recently been making news with its Ram 1500 TRX, a pickup with a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that is supercharged and produces 702 horsepower and 650 foot-pounds of torque.
Although it provides various performance elements, the new Raptor falls slightly short of the Ram TRX in terms of performance. Additionally, it has the most power that Ford provides. The engine was formerly employed by the business in the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
Customers “demanding the sound and power of a V8 back in Raptor,” according to Carl Widmann, chief engineer of Ford performance. Since 2014, Ford hasn’t provided a V-8 engine in a Raptor model.
Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan will begin producing the F-150 Raptor R in the fall, according to the company. Ordering for the car starts on Monday at approved Ford dealers.
The starting price of the current Raptor vehicles is over $70,000, which is around $40,000 more than the F-150’s base model but less than the F-150’s top luxury model, which starts at about $77,000.