Ford Performance is teasing us this week with some video of the new 2017 F-150 Raptor undergoing final prove out testing, a truck we’re anxiously awaiting to hear more about.
Seen here, Ford’s engineers are trail testing a number of 2017 F-150 Raptor prototypes in the wooded hills, somewhere up in northern Michigan.
The Raptor has already built a legendary status among factory built off-road trucks, and the new 2017 model is likely to continue that heritage with over 500 horsepower from its next-generation 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6.
With the lighter weight of its aluminum body and the smaller engine, the new Raptor is expected to be even more agile and capable to attack the hell out of hills, rocks and sand than the previous model.
Ford says the new 2017 model increased ground clearance over the first-generation and will come with even beefier 3-inch FOX Racing Shox with internal bypass design.
The new Raptor also gets a new four-wheel-drive system that has a torque-on-demand transfer case which Ford says will save fuel on the pavement as well as increase capability in the rough.
The clutch-driven all-wheel drive system is computer controlled with multiple terrain drive modes, but can be manually locked 100% when the driver wants to turn off the Hal 9000.
While Ford is dangling this carrot in front of us, it and the specs for what’s under the hood are still sometime off. The truck arrives in about a year from now.
