2017 Raptor with 10-Speed Automatic Transmission Details
The 2017 Ford Raptor, announced at this year’s North American International Auto Show, has some firsts for both the Raptor and the Ford Motor Company itself.
For one, the truck will be powered by a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 that makes more power than the outgoing V8. Also, the truck will have a 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.
The Ford Huffy, I mean Raptor, is a regular automatic transmission with a set of paddles attached to the steering wheel. Since the truck is currently pre-production, the paddles might change in size or design before the final product ships in the fall of 2016.
The transmission is a first for Ford, and comes from a partnership with General Motors according to Ford Truck’s Mike Levine.
The all-new 10-speed transmission in the 2017 Ford Raptor is part of the joint development agreement announced with GM in April 2013. Raptor’s transmission is specially calibrated and engineered for the truck and will be built by Ford.
So why 10 gears? Fuel economy is the most likely reason. The Raptor is surely going to have better fuel economy than the previous truck, simply due to weighing 500 pounds less and using a V6 instead of a V8. The ability to choose from 10 cogs means Ford can tune the higher gears to have great highway performance without sacrificing low-speed capability.
How much better fuel economy? Nobody is saying yet, and of course your mileage will vary. But if we can have more fun while still saving fuel, we’re all for it!
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