2019 Ford F-150 Raptor Road Test and Review

19f150raptorfrontbeauty1sessions ・ Photo by Ron Sessions

Now in its 10th model year, the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor is In the unique position of being the performance variant of the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. From the outside, the Raptor hides its F-150 roots well courtesy of large fender flares and a wide-body nose. In not so subtle terms, the wide-stance full-size truck says “get out of my way.” There’s no excuse not to see the Raptor coming with its huge, billboard-worthy block letters shouting F-O-R-D inside its Jonah-sized grille. Functional hood louvers, fender flare air extractors, sweptback front bumper ends, a giant front skid plate, and huge 315/70R17 all-terrain tires complete the look. Ground clearance is a whopping 11.5 inches.

The F-150 Raptor is available in SuperCab (extended cab) or foot-longer SuperCrew (crew cab) body styles, both with the short, 5.5-foot cargo bed. Four-wheel drive is standard. Including the hefty $1,595 destination charge, the base Raptor SuperCab retails at $54,450; the base SuperCrew variant goes for $57,435. The Midlevel trim 801A package adds a modest $3,105 and the topline Luxury trim 802A pack found on our Ford Performance Blue test truck tacks on another $9,365.

EcoBoosted Performance

Never mind the dust — this engine’s been out playing in the dirt. The Raptor gets Ford’s top EcoBoost V6 powerplant, a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque. The note bellowing out the large-diameter dual exhaust pipes isn’t the husky rumble of a V8, but the higher pitched buzz-bomb blat of a V2 rocket. Despite tipping the scales at nearly three tons, the Raptor gets up and runs with authority. It hits 60 mph from a dead stop in less than 6 seconds. It’s not rocket-sled fast, but once at speed, it can put highway or open desert in the rearview mirror with prejudice.

The twin-turbo V6 has a broad swath of torque up and down the engine speed range, and for the most part it works beautifully with the standard wide-ratio 10-speed automatic transmission. Only during hard braking does the gearbox sometimes hunt for the right gear to land in; otherwise, it swaps gears quickly and seamlessly. Or you can do that yourself with the Raptor’s standard steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The transmission offers selectable Tow/Haul, Sport, Snow/Wet, and Eco Select shift programs. The EPA rates the Raptor at 15 mpg city/18 mpg highway/16 mpg combined on premium fuel.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Flyin' High

The key to the Raptor’s high-flying, high-speed off-road ability is its trophy-truck-worthy long-travel suspension. There’s 13 inches of it for the front wheels and nearly 14 inches at the rear. That enables the suspension to absorb large variations in topography with nary a ripple felt in the cabin.

The suspension is damped via Fox 3.0 internal bypass high-pressure gas shock absorbers with live valve technology. What that means is they feature adaptive damping that can adjust to varying terrain off-road or different road surfaces on-pavement in real-time to maximize control and comfort. That includes spirited driving off-road where the shocks will go to the full-firm setting if the truck catches some air, which will keep the suspension from bottoming out when the wheels touch down. Around town, you’ll notice that speed bumps have little effect on ride quality. And the huge, knobby-tread 315/70R17 B.F. Goodrich All-Terrain T/A K02 tires provide great flotation over potholes while absorbing impact harshness. New for 2019 are bead-lock wheels that help keep the tires mounted when aired down for slow-going off-road, plus a Trail Control system that acts like a low-speed cruise control so the driver can concentrate on steering around off-road obstacles.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Inner Rapture

For the short of stature, it’s a hike up into the Raptor’s cabin. Standard cast-aluminum side steps make this easier, though. Inside, the Raptor is mostly stock F-150, which is not a bad thing. There’s more hard plastic than you’d expect in a $50,000-plus vehicle, but what’s there looks sturdy and up to the task.

Base Raptors are pretty basic with cloth seat trim, a center console, and a power driver’s seat. Moving up to the midgrade model brings leather upholstery as well as power heated front seats plus power-adjustable pedals. The Raptor’s Luxury trim upgrades to ventilated and heated front seats with driver memory functions. New for 2019 is a Recaro front seat option that adds more aggressively contoured front bucket seats as well as blue accents and carbon-fiber on the shifter, dash, doors, and center stack. Most drivers will find the stock front buckets plenty supportive and more than comfortable for daily use. As in the F-150, there are six dash-mounted upfitter switches in the standard overhead console for accessories such as off-road driving lights. Ford’s SecuriCode keypad on the outside of the driver’s door gives keyless-entry capability.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Sync 3 Multimedia

As with conventional F-150 models, the Raptor comes with the Ford Sync 3 multimedia system. The 8-inch color touchscreen doesn’t have gee-whiz graphics and can’t match the wow power of the RAM 1500’s optional portrait-layout 12-inch infotainment display. However, it does make things simple while you’re exploring off-road trails, thanks to large, easy-to-use (even when wearing gloves) volume and tuning knobs and station pre-select hard buttons. Screen functions can also be accessed via steering-wheel audio controls, voice control, and on-screen tiles.

Also on the menu is standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto cellphone connectivity, so even though navigation is extra-cost, you’ve got some map guidance through your phone. Standard Ford PassConnect brings 4G Wi-Fi for 10 in-vehicle devices plus remote vehicle access via your cellphone. With the Raptor’s 802A Luxury trim, the base AM/FM 7-speaker stereo with SiriusXM is upgraded to a 10-speaker, 1,000-watt Bang & Olufsen premium sound system with navigation, HD radio, and SiriusXM Travel Link and Traffic. The Raptor also offers an abundance of USB ports, as well as a couple 12-volt outlets and two 400-watt 120-volt outlets that make powering devices easy.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Pro Trailer Backup Assist

The standard backup camera has a dynamic hitch assist feature that projects a dotted blue line denoting the anticipated trajectory of hitch based on the current position of the truck’s steering wheel. Make the blue line intersect with the trailer hitch ball and you’ll have a reasonable chance of getting hooked up on the first try.

This system makes the sometimes confounding process of backing up a truck and trailer simple. Simply rotate the radio-volume-knob-sized wheel in the direction you’d like the trailer to go. An optional trailer brake controller helps the brakes on the vehicle and trailer work cooperatively.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Rear Seat Raptoring

Even though it adds a foot in overall length, the Raptor is a much more comfortable and useful five-seater in SuperCrew form. That’s because all of the added length goes to the rear compartment, where rear passengers can enjoy legroom that nearly matches that available to front-seat occupants. The SuperCrew's rear compartment is spacious and has extended bottom cushions for thigh support, while the SuperCab lacks stretch-out space.

Both SuperCab and SuperCrew rear seat cushions lift up for additional under-seat storage. Midgrade Raptors add a power sliding rear window with a defroster. Heated rear seats are optional.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Raptor Dynamics

Common sense says something this big and bodacious shouldn’t be light on its feet and fun to drive. This is no small bird. The Raptor stands more than six-and-a-half feet tall and is 19.3 feet long. Yet, the Raptor is mild-mannered in everyday driving, with a forgiving ride and all the comforts a well-kitted F-150 can offer. The electrically boosted rack-and-pinion steering is light and precise; large-capacity four-wheel discs linear are easy to modulate; and the adaptive-damped suspension erases the effects of all but the largest bumps. In most driving situations, the Raptor’s size is no more an issue than for any other full-size pickup. But the Raptor’s capabilities can take you farther off the beaten path, where tightly spaced big rocks and trees may test the big pickup’s ability to maneuver without picking up some scrapes and scratches.

Four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case is standard and includes 2WD, 4WD low, 4WD high, and automatic AWD modes plus neutral towing capability. A short-geared 4.10:1 final drive ratio helps makes up for tall 315/70R17 all-terrain tires. An electronic locking rear differential is standard on all trims with a Torsen electronic locking front differential standard on the Luxury model.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Safety and Driver Assistance

As with other F-150s, the Raptor comes standard with automatic emergency braking with pre-collision assist, a backup camera with Dynamic Hitch Assist, AdvancedTrac stability control with Roll Stability Control, trailer sway control, and curve control.

The Luxury trim brings inflatable rear seatbelts (on the SuperCrew only), along with key additions in a vehicle the size of the Raptor: blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring, trailer-tow monitoring, and a 360-degree camera with both overhead and rear trajectory displays. Optional only in the Luxury is adaptive cruise control with full stop and go, a lane-keeping system, and rain-sensing wipers.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Cleared for Takeoff

In the small community of dedicated off-road-oriented pickups, the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor is a unique offering. Comfortable enough for a night out on the town and capable enough to take on all sorts of off-pavement adventures, it’s the only one that offers both a high-performance drivetrain and purpose-built long-travel suspension for an exceptional experience on-road or off.

Among the Raptor’s many accessories are a drop-in plastic or spray-in bedliner, a bed extender, toolboxes, and a nifty fold-down tailgate step.

Photo by Ron Sessions