Although it won’t go on sale until next fall, Ford has offered an early look of its all-new 2017 F-150 Raptor undergoing low-speed off-road trail-testing in Northern Michigan. Previewed in concept form last January in Detroit, this go-anywhere version of the latest F-150 promises to be a more capable exercise than the original.
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These latest test shots were accompanied by a handful of facts about the 2017 Raptor, including that it will come with new 3.0-inch FOX Racing Shox featuring a unique internal bypass system that offers improved damping over rough terrain. The next-gen Raptor boasts a new 4WD system along with a torque-on-demand transfer case that combines the attributes of clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel drive setup with the durability of mechanical-locking four-wheel drive to more effectively manage power distribution between the front and rear wheels.
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The production version of the 2017 Raptor shares standard-issue aluminum-intensive body panels with the F-150 and tip the scales roughly 700 pounds lighter than the 2014 model. It also will replace the 411-horsepower/6.2-liter V8 found in that vehicle with a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 that’s rumored to crank out nearly 450 ponies and be backed by Ford’s new 10-speed automatic transmission. Riding on a more robust high-strength steel frame, the upcoming 2017 Ford Raptor will be six inches wider giving it more off-road stability to complement its enhanced performance.
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