Back in June of 2019, Ford Authority was the first to report that the Ford F-150 Raptor would once again be available with a V8 engine, and in the years since, we’ve learned that the forthcoming 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R will fulfill that prophecy with the supercharged Ford 5.2L V8 Predator engine. Over a year ago, Ford Authority spies spotted a 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R prototype emitting an intoxicating exhaust note while it drove around, but it seems that the production version will actually sound even better, sources familiar with the matter have told Ford Authority.
The new Raptor R reportedly sounds quite marvelous, with an exhaust note that’s a bit different and deeper in tone than the sound emitted by the S550 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, which comes equipped with the same powerplant. This is because the Raptor R team took their time tuning the truck’s exhaust, since they believe that will be one of the most compelling reasons for buying one in the first place, aside from the obvious added performance. “You would not want to buy the Raptor EcoBoost,” the source noted, after hearing the Raptor R in action.
Over the past week or so, a number of details surrounding the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R have leaked out, including a build sheet for the V8-powered pickup, a photo of the truck’s supercharged powerplant, and a window sticker. Just yesterday, another leak confirmed that Avalanche Gray is making a comeback on the Raptor R, and it will be joined by Azure Gray Metallic Tri-Coat, Code Orange, Iconic Silver, Oxford White, Antimatter Blue, and Agate Black. Additionally, VIN 001 of the new model – a Lobo Raptor R (what Ford calls the F-150 in Mexico) – is headed south of the border, while a Moonroof & Tailgate package will also be available.
Aside from these new details, the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R will look slightly different than the already aggressively-styled F-150 Raptor, as Ford Authority reported back in April 2021, and will get its own unique 17-inch forged aluminum wheels. However, the Raptor R isn’t expected to arrive until later this year, while order books for the muscular pickup are slated to open up this fall, as Ford Authority exclusively reported back in February.
We’ll have more on the 2023 F-150 Raptor R soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, Ford F-150 Raptor news, and non-stop Ford news coverage.
Comments
Ford better hope there will be a couple of people left who can still afford to buy gas for it…
Ford, with gas getting dern close to $5 a gallon … time to stop production on anything truck related that doesn’t get at least 35+ MPG (except work related trucks) … that means the Maverick. For at least the next 2+ years (unless biden’s idiot plans get taken down) gas will be expensive. We need the Maverick production moved from Mexico to the U.S. and sooner rather than later, and produced in multiple plants. And we need designs like are sold by Ford/Europe like the Tourneo Connect, the S-Max, the Galaxy just to mention a few. And we need those high MPG vehicles today, not a year from now.
wish it was a 7.3l…the new lightning will already give the 3.5l a run for its money…will need 1000+ hp to keep up with electric
Unless they made it aluminum block and added some very large turbos, it wouldn’t be the best fit. A 5.2 just makes more sense.
If they added a roots type blower (Whipple just released a kit for the Godzilla) the pushrod 7.3L or the rumored 6.8L variant would actually be a more compact engine than the 4 cam Predator and could easily be tuned to produce similar power.