Watch the Ford F-150 Raptor R and Rivian R1T do battle off the pavement.
Unlikely Pairing
Every Blue Oval fan worth their sale knows all about the Ford F-150 Raptor R by now, a truck that's essentially a regular Raptor, albeit one packing the supercharged 5.2-liter V8 churning out a tick over 700 horsepower. Couple that with the F-150 Raptor's legendary off-road capability, and it would seem largely unfair to pit it against the all-electric Rivian R1T. However, that's precisely what Edmunds did recently, and the results are nothing less than fascinating.
Many Differences
Of course, the R1T is no slouch in terms of performance either, as in this guise, it's packing four electric motors making a combined 835 horsepower. Smaller than the Raptor R, the Rivian is also a bit heavier with a curb weight of around 7,100 pounds versus the Ford product's 6,100 pounds. Otherwise, there are some other stark differences here, such as the Raptor R's fancy active valve Fox shocks compared to the R1T's air suspension.
Made For Dirt
While the F-150 Raptor in general is marketed as a highly capable off-road vehicle, the same can also be said of the R1T, which is available with an off-road package of its own. Thus, that calls for a unique comparison like this, which kicks off with a straight-line on-dirt acceleration test.
Acceleration Test
In that showdown, the R1T manages to reach speeds of more than 100 mph on the dirt - though our tester notes that it's a bit wobbly and sketchy at that speed - but it still took just around five seconds to get to 60 mph and 13.39 clicks to cover a quarter-mile.
Slightly Slower
Meanwhile, the F-150 Raptor R used its might to reach 60 mph in 5.35 seconds and record a 13.49-second quarter mile, both of which are slightly behind the R1T, though the Raptor R did beat the EV pickup in terms of the half-mile test and top speed on these surfaces, and it was noticeably more stable to boot.
Soda Test
Finally, it was time for the ensuing "soda cup" test, which aimed to see which pickup could spill less of that type of drink when going over some serious bumps. In that regard, the R1T emerged victorious, interestingly enough, proving that air suspensions are good for more than just cruising mall parking lots in comfort.
Different Machines
At the end of the day, it's obvious that both of these trucks are quite capable off-road, but they do have many stark differences, as our reviewers discovered. Ultimately, they deem the R1T more of an adventure-style rig good for exploring unpaved surfaces, but note that the Raptor R is the superior high-speed desert blaster, given its lofty list of equipment.
>>Join the conversation about this Rivian R1T vs. Raptor R comparison right here in the forum.
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