All-New Ford F-150 Raptor Named 2017 Four Wheeler Pickup Truck of the Year

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 31, 2017 – Add another trophy to the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor showcase. The all-new Raptor topped a seven-vehicle field to be named 2017 FOUR WHEELER Pickup Truck of the Year. Earlier this month, Raptor took home Best Pickup Truck of 2017 honors from Cars.com.

“The all-new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor is the truck equivalent of an amusement park thrill ride,” said Ken Brubaker, FOUR WHEELER editor. “Compared to its predecessor, which also had a very commanding stance, the new Raptor has more ground clearance and a significantly wider track that makes it look incredibly aggressive. The excitement continues when you fire up the high-output twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine and stab the throttle.”

In earning the FOUR WHEELER award, the F-150 Raptor scored high marks in weeklong testing that challenged the truck to harsh conditions including sand, rocky trails and snow covering about 1,000 miles of off-road terrain. Raptor also scored high in track testing in Southern California, with its high-output EcoBoost® V6 propelling the truck to best-in-field 0-to-60-mph and quarter-mile times.

The purpose-built, off-road Raptor builds on the success of its predecessor with performance gains and new technology that didn’t go unnoticed by FOUR WHEELER judges. With a high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine generating 450 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque, first-in-class 10-speed transmission, a six-mode Terrain Management System,™ and a high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body that saves 500 pounds over the previous model, the all-new F-150 Raptor stands alone among high-performance off-road trucks.

The 2017 F-150 Raptor’s competition-proven chassis also sets the performance bar with its second-generation BF Goodrich KO2 tires designed exclusively for the truck’s extended off-road capabilities. In addition, upgraded FOX Shocks (jointly engineered by Ford Performance and FOX) are 44 percent larger with 3-inch diameter shock canisters (2.5-inch previously) and nine-stage bypass damping delivering improved suspension control. The new shock design enables an increase in suspension travel to 13-inches at the front and 13.9-inches at the rear (a 0.8-inch front and 1.9-inch rear increase in wheel travel compared to its predecessor).