Ford F-150 Raptor 37 Review: Still Great Even Without the V8
While we’d prefer a roaring V8 under its hood, the F-150 Raptor 37 boasts one of the greatest truck suspensions of all time.
The Ford F-150 Raptor spent two generations on this planet essentially unrivaled and unmatched. It was louder, wider, taller, and more capable at desert running than every (factory-produced) truck ever made. In that framing, part of the Raptor’s allure was simply knowing you bought The Best. (Sign here to collect your keys and instant bragging rights.)
But much has changed since the Raptor debuted. The RAM TRX stepped into the market, proving that, yes, you can Hellcat just about anything. Rivian released its first all-electric truck with over 900 horsepower (it’s literally so fast in the quarter-mile, it gaps the Raptor WHILE towing). And Ford makes two trucks — the Lightning and the F-150 PowerBoost — that outrun the Raptor to 60. Not to mention the more affordable TREMOR (review coming soon) and forthcoming Rattler.
Which left me wondering… Is the Raptor still special enough to warrant a mighty $82,000 price tag?
What do YOU think about the third-gen Raptor?
Join the discussion HERE in our forum!
Raptor 37 Tech & Features
If the Ford Raptor were a recipe, you’d start with a regular F-150 CrewCab and make it taller, wider, and meaner. Then you’d beef up the suspension, giving this Baja-style off-roader extra skid plating and as much suspension travel as possible. And then you’d upgrade the twin-turbo 3.5L V6 to the tune of 450 HP and 510 lb-ft of torque.
Ford enthusiasts will recognize those figures as a carryover from the second-gen 2017-2022 Raptor. Which is probably the reason some folks were disappointed when the third generation launched. In a world where Dodge, Rivian, and Ford make quicker powerplants, why did Ford not increase power? Or at least answer Dodge’s V8?
To be clear, a V8-powered Raptor R is coming later this year, but we expect pricing to be high and availability, even in the context of these trying times, to be limited.
Also carrying over from 2019 and 2020 Raptors is Fox Live Valve 3.1 technology on all four corners. (No leaf springs here.) This long-travel, adjustable system offers three driving modes — Normal, Sport, and Baja — to tune the Raptor for on and off-road conditions. Speaking of adjustability, the new active valve exhaust features four different volume levels as well as equal-length exhaust tubing to, in Ford’s words, improve the exhaust note. (More on this below.)
First for 2021+ models is the available Raptor 37 Package, which wraps a factory-first 37″ tires around forged wheels and adds a special blue interior featuring honest-to-God heated and ventilated Recaro bucket sport seats. Throw in SYNC 4, approximately one trillion charging ports, and room for five adults and you have something quintessentially American…
A split personality of loudness and largess, perfectly blending luxury, capability, and performance.
Fully decked out with almost every option, our loaner Raptor costs over $82,000. Not the most you’ll pay for an F-150 this year, but near the top.
Raptor 37 Driving Impressions
Modern trucks are nothing short of a marvel compared to the good old days. Faster, more efficient, and more comfortable. And as capable as SuperDutys from 20 years ago. Still, it ain’t hard to coax weaknesses out of tall, body-on-frame vehicles with leaf springs… Hopping tires. Body roll. A chattering quality on crumbling highways.
The Raptor 37 is something else entirely.
It floats down the highway even in places where most trucks convulse — #LosAngelesFreeways — and glides over speedbumps like they don’t exist. Flip the suspension to sport mode and the Raptor corner relatively flatly for its heft. It’s no sports car, but the feeling is pretty close and definitely confidence-inspiring.
All amazing qualities, but the Raptor shines even brighter off-road.
Just outside Santa Clarita, California, the Angeles National Forest calls to off-roading enthusiasts with a variety of mountain trails and fire roads reserved for dirt bikes, ATVs, and 4x4s. It ain’t MOAB, but it’s a great way to spend a day. And these desert vistas reveal a lot about factory suspensions. It’s where I’ve tested several FX4 package F-150s, the Bronco Sasquatch, Ranger TREMOR, SuperDuty TREMOR, and F-150 TREMOR.
Driving the Raptor here is nothing short of a revelation in suspension engineering and chassis tuning distilled down to one performance metric. Speed.
In short, the Raptor can double the off-road speed of Ford’s other off-road trucks (including the new F-150 Tremor).
Sure, the cabin jostles and angles along with the trails, but you’re almost completely isolated from rocks and ruts. It’s so remarkable that other trucks — even ones good on-road and over speed bumps — feel like a giant disappointment in context.
In terms of negatives, there are only a handful. Don’t buy a Raptor if you care about fuel economy, which is fairly obvious, but worth noting. I saw about 13 MPG over the course of a full day of highway cruising, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and off-roading. But around town running errands that number sank to 8 MPG.
The H.O. 3.5L may not sound like a V8, but she’s thirsty. Remember, with Ford EcoBoost engines, you have to choose either Eco OR Boost with your right foot. Speaking of sound, I don’t understand why the 3.5L sounds so terrible. Toyota managed to find a pretty mean sound with their new twin-turbo six. But, Ford EcoBoosts sound like a typewriter being thrown into a grinder. Or, with this new Raptor, a straight-piped Infinity. Adjustable exhaust modes — Quiet, Normal, Sport, Baja — help. But even in Quiet mode, hard accelerations open the valves, revealing a buzzing honking sound that left me yearning for a V8.
Lastly, if you live in a city, keep in mind that the Raptor may be too wide for narrow streets. Out in the country, the Raptor’s largess vanishes.
Final Thoughts
The third generation Raptor is no longer King of the Pickups. Even in Raptor 37 trim. It doesn’t sound as good as the RAM TRX (yet). It’s not as fast as the Rivian (even with the forthcoming V8). And Ford themselves dethroned the Raptor on the streets with two other F-150 offerings. In a sense, the Raptor has lost some hype. So long, bragging rights. There are other shinier toys in the sandbox.
But having spent a glorious week piloting a Raptor around Southern California — on streets, highways, and trails — it’s hard to come away with anything but a smile on your face. (Unless you’re at the gas station.) It might not be The Greatest Truck Ever, but the Raptor is still an all-timer on the list of special F-150s.
The heart of the Raptor’s glory — the main reason to buy it, in my humblest opinion — is the adaptive suspension. It drives like a luxury car on the street, corners surprisingly well in the twisties (despite ample heft), and rides like a cloud over rough terrain. Literally, you can drive twice as fast as any other Ford factory truck or SUV (at least until the Bronco and Ranger Raptor variants debut). This Fox system is nothing short of remarkable. No exaggeration, no hype.
Coupled with the best Ford truck seats of all time — proof that Ford can, in fact, ventilate Recaro seats! — room for five adults, tons of storage, and a sweet stereo system, and the Raptor may just be the best all-around luxury-oriented F-150 available today. You know, assuming you don’t live somewhere with narrow streets.
Photos: Michael S. Palmer
