Ford says no to electrified F-150 Raptor

Wednesday, 10 February 2021

Ford wants to electrify more than half of its range by 2022 and, in America where the only Ford car on sale is the Mustang, that means more electrified trucks. However, those waiting for a hybrid or fully electricFord confirms Kiwi pricing and spec for Mustang Mach 1

* Ford debuts not-for-us electrified F-150

* Ford dusts off Mach 1 badge for range-topping Mustang

The latest F-150 Raptor isn’t set to go hybrid, despite the regular F-150 having an electrified option.

* Ford working on plug-in Ranger

The news comes from MuscleCarsAndTrucks who asked the Raptor’s programme manager, Tony Greco, whether the latest high-performance truck was developed with electrified powertrains in mind. Bear in mind, the F-150 is already available as a hybrid.

A thoroughly revised rear suspension set-up allows for up to 15 inches of travel.

Greco was quite clear to the publication, saying “No. We designed and engineered Raptor to be Raptor.”

For now, the new F-150 Raptor is only available with a V6 petrol engine, presumably a reworked version of the existing twin-turbo 3.5-litre unit. Ford hasn’t specified outputs just yet but rumour has it, the new Raptor will be pushing more than 370kW, particularly if it is to compete with the 522kW-plus Ram TRX.

* Ford debuts not-for-us electrified F-150

* Ford dusts off Mach 1 badge for range-topping Mustang

* Ford working on plug-in Ranger

Though, Ford has confirmed it is working on a V8-powered Raptor R that could take the fight to the Hellcat-powered Ram. Again, no concrete power figures have been revealed but the Internet reckons the Raptor R will use a retuned version of the 567kW/847Nm 5.2-litre supercharged V8 offered in the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

As for the existing Raptor, it gets a new exhaust with four different modes, ranging from quiet to ‘Baja’ (really loud), seven drive modes and a revised suspension kit.

The rear suspension is now a five-link set-up with longer trailing arms and a Panhard rod, which should allow for some decent articulation. Fox shocks in 3.1-inch bodies are standard, along with huge 24-inch coil springs on each wheel, allowing for 14 inches of travel at the front and 15 at the rear.

Those stats are only available with 35-inch tyres, which are standard, with 37-inchers an optional extra. The larger tyres means suspension travel drops to 13 inches at the front and 14.1 in back.

The V6-powered Raptor will be available Stateside later this year while the V8 Raptor R won’t land until 2022 at the earliest. And a hybrid Raptor? Who knows. It could follow the Raptor R as a worked version of the hybrid F-150 Powerboost or it might never happen.