– Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Nobody needs 700 horsepower in a pickup truck. But this is America, Jack, which means you can walk into any Ford or Ram dealership and drive out of the showroom in a cloud of smoke with the supertruck of your choosing.
In the case of the Raptor R, Ford basically took the standard Raptor and notched it up to 11. Instead of the "stock" twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 with 450 hp and 510 pound-feet of torque, the Raptor R has a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 (borrowed from the old GT500) with a mighty 700 hp and 645 lb-ft. Above all else, that's what makes this truck so special.
Gallery: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R
Lay hard into the throttle and the supercharger whine echoes throughout the cabin, as this massive vehicle rips off a supercar-rivaling 60-mile-per-hour sprint. Ford doesn't officially publish a 0-60 time for this truck, but it's somewhere in the low four-second mark based on my very unofficial butt dyno.
Torque peaks at a generous 4,250 rpm, which helps the Raptor get off the line with a tinge more force than the comparable TRX, which doesn't reach max twist until 4,800 rpm. Ford's 10-speed automatic hustles through its gearing mostly without notice but offers a sharper, sportier experience if you tick over to Baja mode and tug on the shifters.
The pliable off-road suspension was definitely designed more for off-road use first and foremost, but it still does a damn good job of keeping this massive truck composed in corners and steady at highway speeds. The knobby 37-inch off-road tires make a lot of noise and aren't super grippy on the pavement, granted, but that's a small sacrifice.
Off the road – more specifically, on the dirt paths near my apartment – the Raptor R absolutely tears up the trails. It bounces over rocks courtesy of those chunky 37-inch BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A tires and barely shrugs at muddy potholes thanks to new long-travel Fox live valve shocks designed for the R model specifically.
You will have to pay the price of a small house for all that power, though. While the base Raptor starts at $78,770 with the $1,995 destination fee included, the supercharged Ford F-150 Raptor R costs $109,145 when it’s all said and done. A comparably equipped TRX costs a few grand less than the Raptor R, and if you don’t need any luxuries, the Ram is a relative bargain at $85,685 to start. But if it’s a supercharged supertruck you really want, look no further than the Raptor R.
The Raptor R:
Competitor Reviews:
2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R