Ford has promised that the all-new 2017 F-150 Raptor will be “the toughest, smartest and most capable Raptor ever,” and if you don’t believe that the following footage may change your mind.
Ford Performance engineers are currently trail testing prototypes of the new Raptor, which is said to be able to tackle “even tougher hills, ruts and bumps along trails than the previous model.”
To convince us, the automaker has released a video of an early engineering prototype climbing tight two track trails in Northern Michigan, where the team is testing the new truck’s components over challenging terrain.
Combining parts from the 2017 Raptor with the 2015 F-150, the prototype is seen tackling the trails pretty easily, and Ford says that’s due to its better ground clearance than the first-generation Raptor, as well as the standard 3.0-inch FOX Racing Shox with custom internal bypass technology.
The shock absorption technology in these dampers works to damp and stiffen suspension travel over rough terrain. The new Raptor’s trail performance is further improved by the all-new four-wheel-drive, torque-on-demand transfer case, which manages power distribution between the front and rear wheels. The case is said to combine “the best attributes of clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel drive with durable, mechanical-locking four-wheel drive.”
The only problem is that if want to put the 2017 F-150 Raptor to the test yourself, you’ll have to wait until fall 2016.