jabroni619
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Surprisingly good articulation... No F150's were harmed during filming
I was pretty excited when they put me in a 4x4 after dropping my Raptor off for recall work because I've been wanting to see for myself just how much more capable a Raptor is compared to a FX4 or standard 4x4 F150. I knew I didn't have much time so I promptly took it to a hill I've attempted in several vehicles but only made it to the top in the Raptor. The other vehicles consisting of AWD crossovers and a RWD Xterra. I've also done it in a 4x4 Expedition which looked like it would have made it up if it weren't for some ground clearances issues. Due to my time constraints, the above two photos is the only media I've got from todays adventure.
Long story short, There's quite a big difference in capability between a Raptor and a 4x4 F150, even if high speed desert running isn't your thing. The truck made it up the hill, but it wasn't without it's drama. No locking diffs on this 4x4 and it not being an FX4 I'm pretty sure it has open diffs front and rear. There were several instances along the way where I had to backup and hit an area with a bit more momentum or select a different line entirely. The photos posted was one of those instances. In the Raptor, even with the rear diff unlocked, it has yet to care what line I take. It just grabs and crawls up without an issue. I do have the Torsen front, so I'm sure that helps and the KO2's may be better than the GY Wranglers? Not sure on that since I've heard the Wranglers are pretty good too. Below is a short vid from when I first took the Raptor to the hill.
Oh, this was also equipped with the V8 and can't help but feel that the notion that "Trucks should have V8's" is a bit over-stated. It did not have better low-end torque and it downshifted a whole lot more than the EB does. It had good pep, but not before you get it to 3000 RPM's. At WOT it sounded nicer than the EB but short of WOT, it's pretty muted whereas you can hear the turbos on the EB, so not really a clear win in the "sound" department either, at least for me.
