Pictures and Review of 2011 Ford Raptor

[The Tank]

Nice write up...




The turn signal thing is cribbed off of a bunch of euro vehicles... the lane change function has been available on other manufacturers forever (I believe my 95 Bonneville had it)... as to the auto recenter-no gears-no clicking thing... Kewl, but how did ford resolve the "I was driving down the road and hit a bump which jolted my hand onto the turn signal and no I am indicating left despite the fact that I am on I-10 which basically has no curves between San Antonio TX and the Pacific ocean". I believe the procedure in the mercedes is to indicate left again... same for the ford?



Here is where I have to pick a bone... this may be an awesome feature, but it has nothing to do with the truck being seven inches wider... because it isn't seven inches wider. It is the same width...

Do you have to try to prove how cool you are with everyone. No one really cares that the euros or your 95 POS Bonnie had the recenter blinkers before Ford trucks its kind of irrelevant. Heres something to think about the fenders are 7in wider when means if you barely fit your are going to get taken off if they are in the out position so yes being 7in wider has a lot to do with it. BTW our mirrors are $270 I just had to replace one that was removed by a tree on the trail.

how much are you spending in a week on gas

I go through 2 tanks a week. 93 octane-171.60 I get between 13-15 MPG, E85-140.40 I get between 9-12 MPG.

 

[mrpork]

wow 171dollars

I go through 2 tanks a week. 93 octane-171.60 I get between 13-15 MPG, E85-140.40 I get between 9-12 MPG.[/QUOTE]

 

[frogslinger]

You are an annoying little man.

The fenders are a different width, which means if anything you are more, not less likely to hit them not your mirrors when you are driving. It is your own fault if you did not develop the level of skill or common sense to use a spotter, or not stick your truck somewhere where you could not drive it.

The mirrors on ALL F150s are the deciding factor on if they can get through somewhere under normal conditions... the fact that the fenders are wider on a Raptor makes this feature less not more useful on the truck... folding in will gain you an inch as opposed to 2.5 inches on a regular truck. Or to put it in really simply... the widest point on a raptor is its mirrors... and that width is exactly the same as it is on every other F-150... your mirrors are better protected on a Raptor than they are on a regular truck.

As to the turn signals; if Ford is deciding to step up to tech that was passe 10 years ago... good for them. I do not see it as a huge benefit. I was curious about implementation on the self centering stalks so I mentioned how it was done on the other cars that use it.

BTW you may want to learn to read I said the Bonneville had lane change not recentering. Unless you noticed that and were simply unable to express dual subjects in a single cogent sentence.

 

[mrpork]

be nice will ya

You are an annoying little man.

The fenders are a different width, which means if anything you are more, not less likely to hit them not your mirrors when you are driving. It is your own fault if you did not develop the level of skill or common sense to use a spotter, or not stick your truck somewhere where you could not drive it.

The mirrors on ALL F150s are the deciding factor on if they can get through somewhere under normal conditions... the fact that the fenders are wider on a Raptor makes this feature less not more useful on the truck... folding in will gain you an inch as opposed to 2.5 inches on a regular truck. Or to put it in really simply... the widest point on a raptor is its mirrors... and that width is exactly the same as it is on every other F-150... your mirrors are better protected on a Raptor than they are on a regular truck.

As to the turn signals; if Ford is deciding to step up to tech that was passe 10 years ago... good for them. I do not see it as a huge benefit. I was curious about implementation on the self centering stalks so I mentioned how it was done on the other cars that use it.

BTW you may want to learn to read I said the Bonneville had lane change not recentering. Unless you noticed that and were simply unable to express dual subjects in a single cogent sentence.

 

[MarkT]

Thanks for sharing Aaron! I really like the new display but I especially like the "manual shift" feature.

I thought from the pictures the Super Crew looked too long... but I saw one in person at your dealership and to be honest I like how Ford designed the running boards and it didn't look as "awkward" or long as I thought it would. I personally don't need the extra cab space but I know it's a popular choice for a lot of people so I'm happy Ford made it an option.

 

[frogslinger]

@mrpork... I was.

 

[KaiserM715]

Cool!! Thanks for walking through all of the new features. You covered some I had not heard yet.

Again, another love/hate thing. I wish IMOP, that they would have kept the back gauges White for easy visibility and sport look, but the new gauges are nice as well. Upping the Speedo to 140 is a nice touch as well. The LCD screen is amazing and shows all you wanted it to before. Traction ENABLED, SPORT, or DISABLED. Off-Road ENABLED or DISABLED. Hill-Descent Enabled or DISABLED. Steering degree, pitch, yaw and a visible "Drive-terrain" that goes from White to Blue when you are in 4X2 and 4X4 along with a yellow dot that appears for the ELD. Solid Blue at a dead stop, and Blue with white "flowing" stripes when the truck is in motion. Real time to the 1/10 of a mile Average Miles Per-Gallon, Trip meters, Visible Trailer Sway and Braking Apps are just a few of the ups to this screen.

Can you post shots of the other screens?

With the Driver's Seat full back, I still have about 6" of knee space. Again I'm 6'7" so this much space to me seems a bit much. You won't have guys my height in the back, and even if you do, the driver will have the seat halfway up to compensate for his height. (With my co-worker at 5'8" adjusting the seat and me sitting in the back, I had 10-12" of leg room and with my back against the seat and arms straight out, I couldn't touch the driver's seat). Again, too much room for a sports truck, but handy nonetheless.

I think all of the folks who said they had to have a crew cab because the have a family did not take any of this into account. That back seat area is HUGE and is illustrated by how much room you have at 6'7". My family and I have plenty of room in the supercab. Agreed on too much room for a sports truck. I have already had my truck on trails where the extra length and reduction in break over angle would have been completely unmanageable.

 

[BigJ]

Awesome review Aaron. Thanks for taking the time and the in depth thoughts. IMHO this is the truck that should have been from day one.

 

[TeamFordRaptor]

Nice write up...




The turn signal thing is cribbed off of a bunch of euro vehicles... the lane change function has been available on other manufacturers forever (I believe my 95 Bonneville had it)... as to the auto recenter-no gears-no clicking thing... Kewl, but how did ford resolve the "I was driving down the road and hit a bump which jolted my hand onto the turn signal and no I am indicating left despite the fact that I am on I-10 which basically has no curves between San Antonio TX and the Pacific ocean". I believe the procedure in the mercedes is to indicate left again... same for the ford?



Here is where I have to pick a bone... this may be an awesome feature, but it has nothing to do with the truck being seven inches wider... because it isn't seven inches wider. It is the same width...

Since everyone else knew what I was talking about, I edited that part just for you. "Should have been a no brainer on the 2010 when the truck is 7" wider than standard" has now become "Should have been a no brainer on the 2010 when the truck is 7" wider than a standard F-150." The mirrors do stand out on the truck, by about 2" to 3". As such is why Ford added this feature. I've already use it backing one of the trucks up along side of a wall to make more space for parking other trucks and vehichles in the wash bay overnight.

I have not tested it on the Raptor, but if it's the same system on the Raptor that is on the Super Duty (Which I'm sure it is), The turn signal will disengage if accidentally engaged after 1 mile of travel.

 

[TeamFordRaptor]

Cool!! Thanks for walking through all of the new features. You covered some I had not heard yet.


Can you post shots of the other screens?


I think all of the folks who said they had to have a crew cab because the have a family did not take any of this into account. That back seat area is HUGE and is illustrated by how much room you have at 6'7". My family and I have plenty of room in the supercab. Agreed on too much room for a sports truck. I have already had my truck on trails where the extra length and reduction in break over angle would have been completely unmanageable.

I will be more than happy to post additional pictures Monday evening after I return to work!

And your opinion is same as mine buddy haha. The supercab has enough room for my tastes. Especially without losing the performance aspect of it. I do realize that some families enjoy the extra 2 doors for ease of access. I've also had 2 already that oredered one for the same ease of access but for work clients and to still be able to have their "Raptor". This truck is a true Ford in how it can adapt to any one's needs or wants haha.