The Terrain Management System Of The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor: Feature Spotlight

A new SuperCrew configuration of the forthcoming 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor performance truck was just unveiled at the 2016 Detroit North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), and while its reveal didn’t bring with it any technical information we didn’t already possess, now might be a prudent time to highlight one significant feature of the supertruck: a six-mode “Terrain Management System.”

Granted, the new Ford F-150 Raptor’s Terrain Management System is nothing new, but the iteration found in this offroad-ready machine is somewhat more expansive than that on the current Ford Explorer SUV. It boasts six programs to handle just about any foreseeable set of driving conditions, selectable with a simple electronic dial. Those programs are:

• Normal mode – for everyday driving on the street
• Street mode – for high-performance driving on pavement
• Weather mode – for tackling rain, sleet, snow, or ice on paved surfaces
• Mud and Sand mode – for driving through muddy or sandy terrain
• Baja mode – for high-speed desert running, named for the Baja 1,000 off-road race
• Rock mode – for low-speed rock-crawling

In each of the above programs, the transfer case adjusts how engine torque is routed to the front and rear axles. Other things like the transmission upshift points and Electronic Stability Control – that is, automated braking at one or more wheels of the vehicle to combat loss of control – are also altered in each of the six programs, giving the driver the utmost control over the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor’s trajectory through a variety of different driving conditions.

The new Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCab and SuperCrew models will go on sale this fall in the US and Canada.