The 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R is not underpowered as its supercharged 5.2-liter V8 conjures up 700 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. Of course, that’s a vast difference from the EcoBoost V6 found in the regular Raptor. But knowing that the same engine produces 760 horsepower in the Mustang Shelby GT500, it’s surprising to see the super truck’s output so much lower.
2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R: Power Output Explained
If you were keeping up with the news leading up to the F-150 Raptor R reveal, you would probably have bet that Ford aimed to make more power than Ram’s 702 horsepower TRX. But, there are a few reasons why they didn’t, and the Blue Oval explained their reasoning to The Drive.
Image via Ford Performance
We all know that the GT500 is designed for high-speed track use where high horsepower means high performance. Meanwhile, the Raptor R focuses on off-road performance where “torque is king,” instead of many ponies under the hood. The F-150 Raptor R has a 15-pound torque advantage over the GT500. The truck weighs 5,950 pounds, which means it’s 400 pounds lighter than the Ram TRX. That means the Ford has one horsepower for every 8.5 pounds while the Ram has one for every 9 lbs. The weight difference should be plenty to compensate for the two horsepower difference.
The power level cap makes sense; just because it’s a GT500 engine doesn’t mean it has to be tuned identically. Where the Mustang spends a decent amount of time at high revs, the F-150 Raptor R needs more power at a lower RPM. This is a common approach we see when cars and trucks share engines. The performance characteristics of the 5.2L supercharged V8 in the Raptor R are ideal for desert running but also great for the work Raptor owners like to use their trucks for.
If you want to go above the 700 hp figure, there’s a Whipple supercharger kit in the works that could push power figures to around 2,000 horsepower. Two. Thousand.
Image via Ford Performance.
