How powerful and how quick is the 2017 Ford Raptor?

Its perhaps the most controversial decision Ford has taken in recent years: replacing the thumping, guttural 6.2-liter V8 motor that powered the original F-150 Raptor with a 3.5-liter, twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 for the new generation.

The main reason behind the switch, of course, is that the smaller, blown V6 is much more efficient than the old naturally-aspirated V8. But Ford’s engineers took the opportunity to squeeze more power out of the new engine, as well. Figures of 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque are quoted for the 2017 Raptor, versus the 411 hp and 434 lb-ft served up by old model.

But those numbers are for power and torque at the flywheel. How much of it is left by the time it reaches the road? And what kind of performance does it translate to? John Hennessey, the man behind Hennessey Performance, borrowed one to find out, as you can see in the videos below.

 

 

 

The 2017 Raptor’s dyno numbers are pretty impressive: 365.13 hp and 422.42 lb-ft at the rear wheels. Considering the motive forces have to make their way through a 10-speed automatic transmission, a long propshaft, massive differential, and huge BFGoodrich tires, the losses are relatively low.

More importantly, the figures are significantly better than those of the V8 Raptor. The last one Hennessey dyno’d returned 331.04 hp and 344.34 lb-ft.

Out on the dragstrip, the EcoBoost Raptor sprinted from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a spritely 5.3 seconds, and turned in a quarter-mile time of 14.1 seconds at 96 mph.

 

 

 

Hennessey snuck in a quick road test and some light off-roading as well, and came away extremely impressed. 

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There is one big question remaining, though: does the new Raptor produce a good enough noise? V6s are quieter than V8s anyway, and in this case the gases pass through a pair of turbochargers before exiting the exhaust, reducing noise levels further. Personally, I've always been a fan of the cultured growl the V6 configuration conjures, and the Raptor is a fine example. But I'll leave you to make up your own mind.

Anyway, with such a strong base to start from, it's a fair bet that Hennessey's tuned EcoBoost Raptors will be awesome. Especially if they follow through with the 6x6.

 

Check out:

• 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor First Drive: Baja boss

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