The muscle truck trend doesn’t seem to be waning over time. Indeed, the supply of models seems to have multiplied since the arrival of the Ford F-150 Raptor on the market. Today, the competition has joined the ball with the TRX on the Ram side and the Silverado ZR2 on the Chevrolet side, more recently.
For its part, Ford has expanded the Raptor line to the Bronco as well as the Ranger and added an R version of the Raptor to the F-150. While we might think the lineup is complete on Ford’s side, it looks like the door isn’t completely closed to adding a version. Raptors to super-duty.
Listening to customers
During an interview with Ford Authority, Ford Super Duty Engineering Manager Aaron Bresky noted that there’s no reason a Super Duty Raptor can’t happen. . He ended by saying that they listened to the customer and if there was a strong demand, then the idea would be explored by the builder.
For the moment, Ford has renewed the available Tremor package in the Super Duty catalog for 2023. Without being as extreme as a Raptor version, the Tremor package offers a more robust look, compared to the other versions in the line.
This package offers 35-inch off-road tires, performance shocks, off-road running boards, front limited slip differential, rear locking differential, rock drive mode, skid plates additional and some other distinctive elements for off-road driving and appearance. Offered only on some versions of the Super Duty, this package adds $5,500 to the bill of the pickup truck.
An engineering challenge
With the advancement in technology, almost anything is possible these days. However, turning such a big, heavy, work-ready vehicle into an off-road performance pickup would be a tall order. Putting in a high-performance mega-engine would be something doable, but you also have to make it manageable and agile in off-road situations, as offered by the F-150 and the Bronco Raptor that we had the chance to test.
For the moment, the Super Duty Raptor remains only one idea among many others. Maybe one day the project will become reality or maybe it will remain only in the imagination. Time will let us find out.
