Ford Motor Company has invested a considerable amount of time on designing and engineering a beast unlike any other. Massive size, incredible power, superior capability and unbeatable thrill are some unique features that come along with every Ford Raptor. Giving you the time of your life every time you decide to hit the road, or go off-road for that matter.
There is no truck in the American market like the Ford F150 SVT Raptor, offering more power and more off-roading capabilities than any truck in the class. Take it on the highway and it delivers the sort of serene ride that keeps bumps and jolts at a distance. Take it off-road and it scrambles over rough terrain with enough energy to clamber up the steepest inclines without missing a beat.
This has allowed the mighty Raptor to stake the claim of being the best factory built off-roading truck of all time. The Raptor is, a Ford F-150 pick-up truck that’s been sweetened with serious upgrades designed to enhance off-road performance, allowing it to essentially do anything that an off-road race truck would.
At the heart of these upgrades is a revised suspension, as racing-type dampers, supple spring rates and a wider track allow this truck to withstand any kind of off-road indignities without ever losing its composure. The Raptor is truly a purpose-built trail-buster, with the goods to make rock-strewn trails feel as smooth as your driveway.
Muscle is an important part of the off-road equation, and this Ford F-150 Raptor has lots of it. Equipped with a gutsy 6.2-litre V8, generating 411 horsepower and 60 kg of torque, the truck has the brawn to tackle any and all high-speed adventures. Weighing in at about 6,000 pounds, the Raptor’s heft is considerable. Nevertheless, power is always abundant on the highway, while off-road the truck ascends daunting gradients with little fuss. Its six-speed select shift transmission provides competent assistance by executing smooth gear changes. The Special Vehicle Team has equipped the 2012 Raptor with a new Torsen front differential. This system allows the Raptor to get significantly better grip, thanks to an internal helical gearset that helps to shift the power to the front wheel that is getting the most traction. Should one front wheel be in a slippery place — or be off the ground altogether — the Torsen front differential will push the front end power to the wheel that is providing solid traction so that the Raptor can pull itself through more difficult situations.
Next, SVT wanted to give 2012 Ford F150 Raptor drivers a better look at what is directly in front of the truck, which can prove to be helpful when climbing a long uphill grade, so they mounted a camera in the grille that aims directly at the areas in front of the truck. Using a technology typically used to show drivers where they are backing up, the 2012 Raptor’s front view camera turns on when driving under 13.4km per hour.
The camera shows the area that is unseen by the driver across the front of the vehicle-with dynamic and static overlays to show where the wheels are headed on the large 8-inch touch screen mounted in the centre stack. This allows drivers to avoid sharp rocks or deep holes at low speed while off-roading.
On pavement, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor’s ride quality is hovercraft-smooth; when perched up in the cabin, you truly feel as if there’s a cushion of air separating you from bumps and road imperfections under the tyres beneath you.
This truck’s SuperCab configuration means the Raptor comes with a rear bench seat accessed via reverse-opening rear doors. On highways and surface streets, the cabin is quite tranquil, with very little road and wind noise.
The Raptor’s cabin is a study in user-friendliness. The centre console is button-heavy, but the buttons are large, well-spaced and hard to miss. The climate control set-up features two knobs that handle temperature on the driver and passenger sides, and a series of rectangular buttons governing functions like fan and mode settings. Audio controls are similarly straightforward, with knobs for volume and tuning, and buttons allowing you to choose presets and music sources.
Controls governing off-road settings are located within easy reach on the dash. Settings include 4H for extra traction in certain off-road situations and 4L for heavy towing, travelling in deep sand and navigating steep grades. (The truck also offers Hill Descent Control to help manage speed down steep inclines.)
There’s no shortage of storage space within the cabin. All four doors feature long, fairly deep bins with cupholders that will accommodate tall water bottles. There’s also a huge bin located in the centre console.
Finally, there are some aesthetic inclusions for the Ford F150 SVT Raptor, as Ford Motor Company has added the option of a matte body side Raptor graphic on the outside along with new optional Euroflange wheels that allow the wheel balance weights to be fixed to the inside. This protects the weights from being pulled off by any stubborn rocks on the trail.
Ford vehicles are known the world over for their exceptional safety, luxury and unsurpassed technological superiority. Ford ploughs in millions of dollars into R&D each year to ensure that every Ford offers maximum safety and motoring pleasure for its customers.
In Oman, Ford vehicles are marketed by Arabian Car Marketing Co LLC, a part of the renowned Saud Bahwan Group. They come with 6 years unlimited mileage protection, service and parts network that stretches across the Sultanate, over 98 per cent parts availability and Ford Privilege Card which provides 24 hours on-road assistance from AAA.
