The Ford F-150 Raptor wasn’t designed for towing.
With its squishy off-road shocks and knobby tires, the Raptor was intended for high-speed desert runs and tackling muddy trails. So while it’s perfectly capable of towing, it’s far from an ideal setup for those wanting to tow very heavy trailers like campers or car haulers, for example.
The truck-obsessed guys over at TFL Truck recently pitted the F-150 Raptor against one of the only other off-road-focused full-size pickups on sale today, the new Ram Rebel, in a towing test.
The Rebel isn’t as focused on off-road capability as the Raptor, offering a balance between on-road and off-road performance, so right off the bat it had the upper hand in this test.
TFL Truck did find that the F-150 Raptor had some towing-related advantages over the Rebel, though. For example, when towing downhill, they found the F-150 Raptor’s braking effect to be superior.
Via TFL Truck on YouTube
In the end, though, the F-150 Raptor is little match for the Rebel. The Ram has a much higher tow capacity (11,190 lbs to the Ford’s 8,000 lbs) and is simply better suited to the task of lugging a trailer around.
There’s also a massive difference in price between these two full-size pickups, with the Rebel coming in at $59,000 compared to the the F-150 Raptor’s $74,000 price tag. The Raptor backs its high price up with sophisticated suspension and a powerful twin-turbo V6 engine, but in this towing test, those high-performance bits aren’t entirely necessary.
So what did the TFL Truck guys learn? Well, the Rebel offers a better balance between on-road and off-road performance is better for those who want to tow a trailer and may sometimes do some light off-roading. If you like to go off the beaten path often, though, and don;t tow very much, the Raptor is better suited to you.
Check out the comparison test in the video embedded above for the full conclusion.
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