bigskyRaptor
Member
Hello all, this is my first post on the forum.
Ever since sophomore year of college (many moons ago), I have had a pickup truck. Nissan Hard Body, Toyota Tundra, Chevy Duramax, Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tundra. I have obviously liked the Toyotas a lot. I think they are well made, very reliable, and have good resale. The Toyotas are many things but I wouldn't call them necessarily FUN to drive. Over the last year or so, I've been doing some research on fun YEAR ROUND daily drivers. I live in Montana where we have legitimate winters so most of the candidates that typically get mentioned are immediately crossed off the list. For me, if it’s going to be fun to drive, it will also need to be able to handle weather, be useful, have space for the boys/dog, and rarely tow.
One of the vehicles that kept getting mentioned in my research (including reading on this forum), and talking to other car enthusiasts, was the Raptor. I've never considered an F150 before. I’ve trended towards import vs domestic in the past so that’s on me. The more research I did on the Raptor, the more I liked it. Ultimately, I went to the local dealership and took a test drive. I ended up configuring and ordering a 19 a few months ago. I finally got my truck a few weeks ago.
19 Magnetic SCREW
Forged wheels
802A
Carbon fiber
Heated rear seats
Tailgate step
Factory bedliner
No sunroof
No decals
No tech package
Obviously I'm still in honeymoon phase so take my initial impressions with a grain of salt
1. The thing is a blast to drive. So far just street driving and some dirt roads, but what a hoot
2. I'm still in break in so I haven't flogged it, but the 3.5 TT is interesting. I can tell it is fast, it has the typical boosted feel to it. Really too soon to tell. I’ll need to spend some more time with it to form an educated opinion. I get the whole V8 vs V6TT thing, but it is all academic for me. I wanted a new vehicle, so V6 it is.
3. The engine is remarkably quiet. If this was my weekend toy, that might be a problem, but as a daily I really enjoy the quieter engine. The cabin is VERY quiet (presumably due to noise cancelling etc.), and I like it that way. No plans to change the exhaust. A tune might be fun, but I’ll probably hold off on that to eliminate any warranty issues.
4. I’ve never owned a truck with a suspension like this. I am so far thoroughly enjoying it. I can’t imagine what fun it will be driving this thing as Ford intended.
5. The interior and technology are way ahead of the Tundra. I have a new respect for what Ford does with their trucks... very nice.
6. Time will tell regarding reliability etc. I'm well aware of the stories on the forum by some members. Hopefully that is a small minority. At this point I'm not concerned, that is what warranties are for. As long as I'm not stranded on the side of the road in a January storm, I'm good.
7. This is by far one of the coolest looking vehicles on the road. Period. My kids love it too.
8. Price is what it is. It is expensive, but Ford really has no competitors in this segment (at least none that I seriously considered).
Anyway, these are my initial thoughts. So far, I've changed out the antenna, did PPF + ceramic, window tint front windows, Husky mats. I'd like to install some lights in the near future. The next step will probably need to be a driver mod. I would like to do the Assault course when I can get some time.
That’s all for now.
Here are a few pics prior to tint.
Ever since sophomore year of college (many moons ago), I have had a pickup truck. Nissan Hard Body, Toyota Tundra, Chevy Duramax, Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tundra. I have obviously liked the Toyotas a lot. I think they are well made, very reliable, and have good resale. The Toyotas are many things but I wouldn't call them necessarily FUN to drive. Over the last year or so, I've been doing some research on fun YEAR ROUND daily drivers. I live in Montana where we have legitimate winters so most of the candidates that typically get mentioned are immediately crossed off the list. For me, if it’s going to be fun to drive, it will also need to be able to handle weather, be useful, have space for the boys/dog, and rarely tow.
One of the vehicles that kept getting mentioned in my research (including reading on this forum), and talking to other car enthusiasts, was the Raptor. I've never considered an F150 before. I’ve trended towards import vs domestic in the past so that’s on me. The more research I did on the Raptor, the more I liked it. Ultimately, I went to the local dealership and took a test drive. I ended up configuring and ordering a 19 a few months ago. I finally got my truck a few weeks ago.
19 Magnetic SCREW
Forged wheels
802A
Carbon fiber
Heated rear seats
Tailgate step
Factory bedliner
No sunroof
No decals
No tech package
Obviously I'm still in honeymoon phase so take my initial impressions with a grain of salt
1. The thing is a blast to drive. So far just street driving and some dirt roads, but what a hoot
2. I'm still in break in so I haven't flogged it, but the 3.5 TT is interesting. I can tell it is fast, it has the typical boosted feel to it. Really too soon to tell. I’ll need to spend some more time with it to form an educated opinion. I get the whole V8 vs V6TT thing, but it is all academic for me. I wanted a new vehicle, so V6 it is.
3. The engine is remarkably quiet. If this was my weekend toy, that might be a problem, but as a daily I really enjoy the quieter engine. The cabin is VERY quiet (presumably due to noise cancelling etc.), and I like it that way. No plans to change the exhaust. A tune might be fun, but I’ll probably hold off on that to eliminate any warranty issues.
4. I’ve never owned a truck with a suspension like this. I am so far thoroughly enjoying it. I can’t imagine what fun it will be driving this thing as Ford intended.
5. The interior and technology are way ahead of the Tundra. I have a new respect for what Ford does with their trucks... very nice.
6. Time will tell regarding reliability etc. I'm well aware of the stories on the forum by some members. Hopefully that is a small minority. At this point I'm not concerned, that is what warranties are for. As long as I'm not stranded on the side of the road in a January storm, I'm good.
7. This is by far one of the coolest looking vehicles on the road. Period. My kids love it too.
8. Price is what it is. It is expensive, but Ford really has no competitors in this segment (at least none that I seriously considered).
Anyway, these are my initial thoughts. So far, I've changed out the antenna, did PPF + ceramic, window tint front windows, Husky mats. I'd like to install some lights in the near future. The next step will probably need to be a driver mod. I would like to do the Assault course when I can get some time.
That’s all for now.
Here are a few pics prior to tint.
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