• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Acura’s New Integra Type S Launching with 320 Hp
  • First Look: Ferrari Roma Spider
  • What do Americans Think of EV Ownership Today?
  • Challenger Fain Edges Closer to UAW Presidency
  • Week Ahead: All About the Cars — Except for the UAW Part
  • The Rearview Mirror: Birth of a Sports Car Legend
  • Federal Infrastructure Law Funds Safe Streets 4 All
  • Hagerty Takes Expensive Hit from Hurricane, But Posts Profit
  • New Headaches for VinFast as Three Senior Sales Execs Leave EV Startup
  • Mazda Appoints Moro New CEO
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • First Drive: 2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Jeep Compass Limited
    • A Week With: 2023 Cadillac Escalade V-Series
    • A Week With: 2023 Volvo XC40 AWD Ultimate
    • First Drive: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
    • First Drive: 2023 Lexus RZ 450e
    • A Week With: 2023 Toyota GR Supra 3.0 Manual
    • First Impression: 2024 Volkswagen ID.Buzz
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Blazer RS AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Toyota Sienna XSE AWD
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > reviews > Ford Ups its Off-Road Game with 2021 F-150 Raptor Makeover

        Ford Ups its Off-Road Game with 2021 F-150 Raptor Makeover

        Extreme machine with some (paved) street cred, as well.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Feb. 03, 2021
        2021 Ford F-150 Raptor jumping
        The off-road beast battle is getting heated again with the debut of the next-gen Ford Raptor for 2021.

        The battle of the off-road extreme machines is about to heat up, Ford today rolling out a complete makeover of its rock-crawling, Baja-blazing F-150 Raptor.

        The 2021 Ford pickup will go directly up against the Ram 1500 TRX that won kudos last month as the North American Truck of the Year. The battle is expected to play out not only in showrooms across the country but also in some of the world’s most challenging off-road races, such as the Baja 1000.

        “Raptor was born not only to speed over rough terrain but to jump and catch air,” said Todd Eckert, Ford Truck’s marketing manager, during an online media backgrounder. But he and other members of the Raptor team stressed that they worked hard to ensure the new pickup will be reasonably comfortable to drive on paved roads, as well.

        New Raptor “Best in Class”

        2021 Ford F-150 Raptor dirty
        The new Raptor gets the first-ever set of 37-inch tires direct from the factory in the industry.

        Truck fans know that Ford offers a dizzying array of F-150 variants, including the ultra-luxurious Platinum and off-road-oriented FX-4. The Raptor takes things to extremes. And this marks the second complete makeover since the original beast debuted back in 2010.

        As one would expect, Ford is using plenty of superlatives, like “best ever” and “first-in-class” to describe the 2021 Raptor. Though its debut is likely to touch off plenty of debate – especially between Ford and Ram fans, initial indications suggesting the second-largest Detroit automaker has plenty of reasons to be boastful.

        The truck adopts a new, electronically controlled five-link suspension with notably more wheel travel than the outgoing Raptor, as well as the first 37-inch tires available in the segment out of the factory. The pickup also gets a bump in performance with its twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 – and it even adds adjustable exhaust sound control that might fool you into thinking there’s a V-8 under the hood.

        There are also some practical features to add to Raptor’s appeal, such as the built-in 2.0 kilowatt-hour generator and the fact that it’s “the most connected F-150 Raptor ever,” said Eckert.

        2021 Ford F-150 Raptor tailgate
        It adds adjustable exhaust sound control that might fool you into thinking there’s a V-8 under the hood.

        From a creature comfort standpoint that means you’ll be able access the Internet and stream content through onboard WiFi. But there are other benefits, according to Ford, including the automaker’s newest SYNC 4 infotainment system with cloud-connected navigation and voice search, as well as the FordPass mobile app that lets you access the truck remotely. You’ll not only be able to remotely lock or start the engine but control the truck’s lights.

        Longer term, the WiFi system will enable smartphone-style over-the-air, or OTA, updates. That will let Ford handle potential problems by tweaking vehicle software, while also offering, it said in a statement, “potential features like shareable digital trail maps or other off-road technologies in the future.”

        For some buyers, all that is high-tech gravy, of course. What matters most is the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor’s off-road capabilities.

        2021 Ford F-150 Raptor wheel travel
        Adding a Panhard Bar and updated springs, among other changes, allows for 15 inches of wheel travel in the rear

        The automaker beefed up the suspension with the new five-link design in the rear. Adding a Panhard Bar and updated springs, among other changes, allows for 15 inches of wheel travel in the rear, 14 up front. And the new Fox Live shocks used with the standard-issue 35-inch wheels can be adjusted 500 times a second. (A different Fox shock package is used with models shod with 37-inch rubber.)

        Forget all the high-tech toys inside, this is the most electrified platform ever for Raptor, said Carl Widmann, the chief engineer for Ford Performance. That certainly plays out in a variety of ways, enhancing the truck’s ability to run fast on the Baja sands, climb boulders, and take the highway out to your favorite off-road trail.

        Ford offers all the basics you’d expect in a serious trail truck, starting with the new low-speed transfer case. It adds features like one-pedal driving which obviates the need to keep moving your foot from throttle to brake, slowing the vehicle sharply when you ease up on the gas – which is particularly useful while rock crawling.

        Add to that the Trail Control feature first seen on the more mainstream F-150 line-up. Think of it as off-road cruise control. Tap a button, come to your desired crawl speed and lift both feet to maintain that speed until you hit the brakes again.

        Raptor competition from Ram TRX

        2021 Ford F-150 Raptor nose
        The new version retains that unmistakable grille.

        The 2021 Raptor also will come equipped with a seven-mode Terrain Management system. Turn the dial to instantly adjust all manner of vehicle functions, everything from throttle response and transmission operation to shock settings. The list includes Raptor-specific Baja and Rock Crawl modes.

        You’ll be able to track what’s going on with the truck using a specially modified version of the Sync 4 system that includes multiple camera views that, among other things, let’s you see where your wheels are at any moment. That can make a crucial difference on a tight trail or when maneuvering over boulders.

        From a powertrain perspective, Ford is being a bit coy ahead of Raptor’s arrival in showrooms. We know the twin-turbo V-6 in the outgoing model makes 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. We’ll have to wait to find out what the 2021 EcoBoost package – here mated to a 10-speed automatic – will deliver, though Widmann hinted there likely will be little change.

        What’s certain is that it won’t come close to the numbers Ram is delivering out of the TRX, a mind-boggling 702 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque using a modified Hellcat V-8.

        2021 Ford F-150 Raptor gauges
        The 2021 Raptor also will come equipped with a seven-mode Terrain Management system.

        That said, “We were the leaders in the desert,” with the earlier Raptors, and “We will be the leaders, I have no doubt,” with the new truck, Widmann bridled.

        The truck will certainly sound like it can take on all comers thanks, in part, to the active engine sound enhancement system. Around home, suggested Widmann, you’ll likely opt for the most restrained setting – unless you hate your neighbors. Out on the Baja, set to fully unrestrained mode which, he explained, “has an added benefit. We can get the most benefit throughout the torque band.”

        Visually, the 2021 Ford Raptor falls in line with what we saw with earlier additions – though perhaps not quite as radical an update as Ram made transforming the more staid 1500 pickup into the TRX.

        While “the idea of the Raptor is rooted in desert racing,” according to program manager Tony Greco, the primary visual influence is the F-22 Raptor fighter jet, said Tom Liu, the lead exterior designer.

        With its 145-inch wheelbase, updates include a wider, more stable-looking grille and bumper, topped by a flat-edged hood with a functional heat exhauster. There are new front market lights and three-dimensional daytime running lights, with available LED foglamps. The triple-ribbed front skid plate slopes up aggressively, offering no chance to mistake this for the relatively mundane F-150 FX-4.

        2021 Ford F-150 Raptor interior
        You can track what’s going on with the truck using a specially modified version of the Sync 4 system

        There are F-22-inspired exhausters behind the front wheels, and sculpted lines flaring into the doors. In back, the bumpers have been revised to enhance ground clearance, and there are unique exhaust tips and black-out taillamps.

        Inside, Ford maintained a number of basics design elements and features now available in the main F-150 series, including the fold-away shifter that helps create a massive work surface atop the center console. But the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor also adds a unique wheel, makes use of special materials and finishes, adds more heavily bolstered seats – and offers options Recaro sports buckets and carbon fiber accents.

        Raptor takes flight this summer

        This mean machine will shortly go into assembly at the big Ford truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan, with the first Raptors set to reach showrooms by summer. And, for those who want to push the envelope even further, Ford hints that the Raptor R edition “is coming next year.” This V-8-powered edition should significantly narrow the pony gap between the new Raptor and the Ram TRX.

        2021 Ford F-150 Raptor beauty shot2021 Ford F-150 Raptor shock2021 Ford F-150 Raptor wheel

         

         

         

         

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        2023 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss rear favorite

        First Drive: 2023 Chevrolet Colorado

        Feb. 21, 2023
        2023 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 red best

        A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2

        Feb. 15, 2023
        2023 F-150 Raptor R Antimatter Blue nose REL

        A Week With: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R 4×4 Super Crew

        Jan. 27, 2023

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        What Are You Looking For?

        See More
        Buying a car? See our recommended reviews and guides.
        Buying a car? See our recommended reviews and guides.
        Reviews and Resources When You Are Looking For a New Car
        Collection
        Car Reviews and Guides
        Collection

        Car Reviews and Guides
        Recommends
        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends

        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends
        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends

        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends
        7 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Recommends

        7 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Close
        Reviews and Resources When You Are Looking For a New Car
        Collection
        Car Reviews and Guides
        Collection

        Car Reviews and Guides
        Recommends
        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends

        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends
        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends

        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends
        7 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Recommends

        7 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Close
        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: