For the first time in over a decade, Ford finally has some competition in the performance off-road segment, coming from the new RAM 1500 TRX, and because of this, it has had to step its F-150 Raptor game up.
Overnight, the blue oval revealed the latest iteration of the Raptor, and while there isn't a V8 to be seen, we're betting on the Raptor R to come out swinging with eight cylinders when it's released next year.
Click here to view all Ford Raptor listings on DRIVEN
Under the bonnet sits the familiar 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine that has been present in the last couple of Raptor generations, but it gets five-link coil rear suspension, something that it probably needed to compete with the TRX.
In terms of aesthetics, the Raptor looks exactly like what we've come to expect from the pick-up, with an intimidating front fascia, massively wide fenders, and a set of huge all-terrain tyres sitting below.
Alongside the new rear suspension, these tyres are a new addition as well, since you can now get 37s(!). This may be a little ott considering that the standard 35s provided a heap of ground clearance, but bigger is better, right?
To appease those who can't wait for the V8, Ford has developed a new exhaust system for the twin-turbo V6 engine that's meant to give it a deeper tone, and remove some of the rasp at higher RPM. This new exhaust also improves backpressure, which allows the turbos to spool faster.
Speaking of the engine, Ford is yet to release official power and torque figures, but expects both of these to be higher than the last model's 335kW and 691Nm.
Like most American market stuff, we doubt that we'll ever see the Raptor sold here officially, so your best bet is to wait for an importer to bring one in, and snap it up from there.
We've already seen this on our site with RAM's 1500 TRX - click here to view the listing.
