The Ford F-150 Raptor R Is Getting That V-8
After a long day of [REDACTED] the Ford Bronco Raptor in the desert bluffs and rocks of Johnson Valley, California (driving impressions are embargoed until Monday the 20th), Ford stood back, very proud, and told us that we'd want to get our cameras out. Moments later, a V-8-powered F-150 Raptor R tore past.
If we're being completely honest, I didn't really think of or notice the F-150 Rrrrrraptor. I had my eyes on the lovely Bronco Raptor that was leading it. After all, this was not a production Raptor R body; the Raptorrrrrrrrrrrr just looked like a regular F-150 Raptor. It didn't even noticeably sound strange. I took my photos and then turned to the person next to me and asked "what was it that I was supposed to notice?"
After all, this isn't an aberration for the Raptor. This is a truck that has had strong V-8 energy right from the beginning. The original F-150 Raptor ran a V-8, and even the 2017-and-on model has felt like a V-8 machine in spirit, even running its EcoBoost V-6.
It's not like a V-8-powered Raptor R feels weird. If anything, it's the V-6 Raptor that makes you say "huh."
We've also had a good sense that this Raptor R has been coming with a V-8 for some time. In February 2022, we said it was on its way. In June, we posted how the supercharged V-8, likely pulled from the Mustang GT500, sounds.
You can hear it as well here, from our friends at The Autopian, who lifted up a cell phone instead of a camera to capture the action.
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