2013 & 2017 owner early review......
I picked up my new Raptor several days ago and wanted to post some thoughts (hopefully helpful) on what I like and a few of the things that I wish were different - - fairly minor. For context, I drove a 2013 Raptor SCREW for 4 years with some level of mods....... primarily a couple light bars and D2s. I use my raptor as a daily driver, but also spend a fair amount of time ripping around trails in the mud, primarily on hunting and fishing properties in Kansas. So, I'm not an extreme user of the Raptor's capability, but pushed her hard enough through creek beds and water to almost get her stuck
I loved my 2013, so it was bitter sweet when the new truck showed up after a 5 month wait...... here goes....
New Raptor - White, SCREW, 802A, Tech Pkg, Moonroof, Carbon Fiber, Beadlocks, Heated steering/backseat, tailgate step, no graphics. New truck showed up with almost 100 miles on it for "testing"...... (built 10/31)
Engine: I do miss the throaty V8, but the new engine sound isn't that bad. The truck is fast and for the relative performance gain, I'm happy to give up a little bit of my manhood, at least until some of the exhaust mods show up. The very minor lag in turbo is really not a big deal and the truck is incredibly responsive (i drove an early Saab that had alot of lag). The start/stop is almost not noticeable after a few days, so I haven't disabled it like I thought I would. The truck is also incredibly quiet when it is running idle (after remote start...) such that some guys I took to lunch couldn't believe it was running. My previous truck ran deep and you could hear it running. So, overall I like the performance in the new engine and am happy with the change.
Transmission: As others have noted, the transmission does take some time to get used to compared to my previous raptor - - gear shifts do feel more deliberate as it skips from one to the next. I can see the potential with the transmission as they refine the programming, but I can live with this minor change. The drive modes obviously influence the shifting patterns and I've become a big fan of the paddle shifters already. Sport mode is sweet, but I'm trying not to get too crazy before the "break-in" period is over. I haven't tried out the baja mode yet, but that will happen this weekend.
Ride/Shocks: The shock upgrade is significant. I rode on the factory Fox shocks in my 2013 and they were great offroad and at eating up little speedbumps, but the new ones are in a new class. I've done some minimal offroad testing, but the ability of the new shocks to keep the truck cabin level is a noticeable change. Even running through parking lots on speed bumps, it's very obvious. The ride of the truck feels firmer and there is much less body roll when taking tight corners compared to the 2013. A great improvement on pavement. It does still ride like a truck and the feedback is there. So, Ford improved the ride in alot of ways, but you don't feel any less connected with the gravel, dirt, or pavement (again, I haven't done anything hardcore yet, so can't speak to jumps, etc....)
Cabin: The new truck is better in every way in the cabin. The seats are great, like the 2013, but I think the headrests and general materials are better in the 2017. Ergonomically, I just fit better (5'10"/185). I have the dual moonroof and that thing is freakin' awesome. It does take a little headroom out, but I had a guy 6'2" sitting in the back today and his head was still about an inch below the roof. I'd guess that someone 6'5" would be angled in there. The storage in the center console and the slider in front of the shifter is much bigger than the 2013 - a big improvement, not to mention that the glovebox is usable with a slot for the manuals. There are USB's in the slider compartment, but there is only a cigarette lighter socket in the center console storage. It seems like they should have put a power plug or other USB's in the center console, but they didn't. They are on the dash now, but just seems strange to just have the cigarette plug. And, there isn't a "cord slot" so you can run the USB cord into the slider compartment and keep the slider closed. You have to close it on the cord, which I guess is fine. The backseat storage is now completely open across the bottom, as the subwoofer has now been moved behind the seats instead of below the right rear in the 2013. There is also more integrated storage. I used a husky organizer below the seat in my 2013 and that works fine in the 2017, but you could now use one that goes all the way across. ambient lighting is a nice touch, but not really a big deal. Carbon fiber shifter is what sold me and that looks awesome. Cup holders and slot for phone are positives and much more functional.
Technology: I'm a technology person, so I was fired up for all the upgrades in the truck. The lane keeping, adaptive cruise, etc work great, but I haven't been on any real roadtrips. The rain sensing wipers and auto brights are pretty cool - scared me the first time they both went on. I'd encourage anyone to read through the manual on the SYNC 3 system. I'm guilty of never reading manuals, so it was a little painful, but I learned alot about how to set up all of the presets, options on bluetooth, and general preferences. The system is intuitive and the navigation is much better than my 2013 which should be expected. The touchscreen is responsive. I am not an audiophile, but do buy higher end speakers as I notice a big difference - - this system has truer bass and treble than the previous system. It could be a cabin configuration thing, but the sound is better. The dash screen is much more user friendly with customization options to see digital speed, fuel economy, compass, offroad positioning, etc. It's also big and looks good. Much much better than just staring at my 12 mpg on my 2013, so that is a huge improvement. The camera functionality is great with the all-around view when backing. I'm also a fan of the fact that the tailgate now locks with the key, which wasn't on the 2013 and the LED bed lights. I'm scheduled for linex and a bakflip cover, so those will be very useful. I love the positioning of the AUX switches and won't miss inadvertently turning them on like I always did on my 2013. So, take the time to read through the technology piece of the manual. It's the first time I've done that in a long long time....***one thing I did learn by reading the manual is that you can disable the seatbelt warning sounds by going through a buckling and unbuckling process detailed in the manual. For anyone that has driven around on a farm or hunting ground slowly and had to deal with that, this was a new revelation..... it will be nice to shutdown that annoying warning.
Tires/Wheels: I am a big fan of the look of the beadlocks and did not have them on my 2013. I had two instances where I actually would have used them on my 2013, so I'm planning more sand dune runs in the new truck. The tires are great once again. I got over 50k miles on my previous Raptor KO's, so I have nothing but great things to say about those tires. These tires do look beefier and are quiet on the road. Traction is great offroad and on gravel as expected.
In this post, notice that I purposely avoided mentioning Gen 1 vs. Gen 2 because they are both bad ass trucks and I feel lucky to have driven both. I miss the rumbling V8, but it is a trade-off I'll take for the awesome performance and incredible upgrades in technology in the new Raptor. For those that are still waiting on delivery, don't lose faith. When the truck arrives, you will forget about the pain of checking with Ford Service every week (or day...) and praying that an ETA might finally show up. Even if Ford massively screwed up the ordering and delivery process, they got this truck right in just about every way. I'm sure I missed mentioning something that someone cares about..... please let me know if you want to know anything else......
I picked up my new Raptor several days ago and wanted to post some thoughts (hopefully helpful) on what I like and a few of the things that I wish were different - - fairly minor. For context, I drove a 2013 Raptor SCREW for 4 years with some level of mods....... primarily a couple light bars and D2s. I use my raptor as a daily driver, but also spend a fair amount of time ripping around trails in the mud, primarily on hunting and fishing properties in Kansas. So, I'm not an extreme user of the Raptor's capability, but pushed her hard enough through creek beds and water to almost get her stuck
I loved my 2013, so it was bitter sweet when the new truck showed up after a 5 month wait...... here goes....New Raptor - White, SCREW, 802A, Tech Pkg, Moonroof, Carbon Fiber, Beadlocks, Heated steering/backseat, tailgate step, no graphics. New truck showed up with almost 100 miles on it for "testing"...... (built 10/31)
Engine: I do miss the throaty V8, but the new engine sound isn't that bad. The truck is fast and for the relative performance gain, I'm happy to give up a little bit of my manhood, at least until some of the exhaust mods show up. The very minor lag in turbo is really not a big deal and the truck is incredibly responsive (i drove an early Saab that had alot of lag). The start/stop is almost not noticeable after a few days, so I haven't disabled it like I thought I would. The truck is also incredibly quiet when it is running idle (after remote start...) such that some guys I took to lunch couldn't believe it was running. My previous truck ran deep and you could hear it running. So, overall I like the performance in the new engine and am happy with the change.
Transmission: As others have noted, the transmission does take some time to get used to compared to my previous raptor - - gear shifts do feel more deliberate as it skips from one to the next. I can see the potential with the transmission as they refine the programming, but I can live with this minor change. The drive modes obviously influence the shifting patterns and I've become a big fan of the paddle shifters already. Sport mode is sweet, but I'm trying not to get too crazy before the "break-in" period is over. I haven't tried out the baja mode yet, but that will happen this weekend.
Ride/Shocks: The shock upgrade is significant. I rode on the factory Fox shocks in my 2013 and they were great offroad and at eating up little speedbumps, but the new ones are in a new class. I've done some minimal offroad testing, but the ability of the new shocks to keep the truck cabin level is a noticeable change. Even running through parking lots on speed bumps, it's very obvious. The ride of the truck feels firmer and there is much less body roll when taking tight corners compared to the 2013. A great improvement on pavement. It does still ride like a truck and the feedback is there. So, Ford improved the ride in alot of ways, but you don't feel any less connected with the gravel, dirt, or pavement (again, I haven't done anything hardcore yet, so can't speak to jumps, etc....)
Cabin: The new truck is better in every way in the cabin. The seats are great, like the 2013, but I think the headrests and general materials are better in the 2017. Ergonomically, I just fit better (5'10"/185). I have the dual moonroof and that thing is freakin' awesome. It does take a little headroom out, but I had a guy 6'2" sitting in the back today and his head was still about an inch below the roof. I'd guess that someone 6'5" would be angled in there. The storage in the center console and the slider in front of the shifter is much bigger than the 2013 - a big improvement, not to mention that the glovebox is usable with a slot for the manuals. There are USB's in the slider compartment, but there is only a cigarette lighter socket in the center console storage. It seems like they should have put a power plug or other USB's in the center console, but they didn't. They are on the dash now, but just seems strange to just have the cigarette plug. And, there isn't a "cord slot" so you can run the USB cord into the slider compartment and keep the slider closed. You have to close it on the cord, which I guess is fine. The backseat storage is now completely open across the bottom, as the subwoofer has now been moved behind the seats instead of below the right rear in the 2013. There is also more integrated storage. I used a husky organizer below the seat in my 2013 and that works fine in the 2017, but you could now use one that goes all the way across. ambient lighting is a nice touch, but not really a big deal. Carbon fiber shifter is what sold me and that looks awesome. Cup holders and slot for phone are positives and much more functional.
Technology: I'm a technology person, so I was fired up for all the upgrades in the truck. The lane keeping, adaptive cruise, etc work great, but I haven't been on any real roadtrips. The rain sensing wipers and auto brights are pretty cool - scared me the first time they both went on. I'd encourage anyone to read through the manual on the SYNC 3 system. I'm guilty of never reading manuals, so it was a little painful, but I learned alot about how to set up all of the presets, options on bluetooth, and general preferences. The system is intuitive and the navigation is much better than my 2013 which should be expected. The touchscreen is responsive. I am not an audiophile, but do buy higher end speakers as I notice a big difference - - this system has truer bass and treble than the previous system. It could be a cabin configuration thing, but the sound is better. The dash screen is much more user friendly with customization options to see digital speed, fuel economy, compass, offroad positioning, etc. It's also big and looks good. Much much better than just staring at my 12 mpg on my 2013, so that is a huge improvement. The camera functionality is great with the all-around view when backing. I'm also a fan of the fact that the tailgate now locks with the key, which wasn't on the 2013 and the LED bed lights. I'm scheduled for linex and a bakflip cover, so those will be very useful. I love the positioning of the AUX switches and won't miss inadvertently turning them on like I always did on my 2013. So, take the time to read through the technology piece of the manual. It's the first time I've done that in a long long time....***one thing I did learn by reading the manual is that you can disable the seatbelt warning sounds by going through a buckling and unbuckling process detailed in the manual. For anyone that has driven around on a farm or hunting ground slowly and had to deal with that, this was a new revelation..... it will be nice to shutdown that annoying warning.
Tires/Wheels: I am a big fan of the look of the beadlocks and did not have them on my 2013. I had two instances where I actually would have used them on my 2013, so I'm planning more sand dune runs in the new truck. The tires are great once again. I got over 50k miles on my previous Raptor KO's, so I have nothing but great things to say about those tires. These tires do look beefier and are quiet on the road. Traction is great offroad and on gravel as expected.
In this post, notice that I purposely avoided mentioning Gen 1 vs. Gen 2 because they are both bad ass trucks and I feel lucky to have driven both. I miss the rumbling V8, but it is a trade-off I'll take for the awesome performance and incredible upgrades in technology in the new Raptor. For those that are still waiting on delivery, don't lose faith. When the truck arrives, you will forget about the pain of checking with Ford Service every week (or day...) and praying that an ETA might finally show up. Even if Ford massively screwed up the ordering and delivery process, they got this truck right in just about every way. I'm sure I missed mentioning something that someone cares about..... please let me know if you want to know anything else......
