AUTO RED BOOK REVIEW: 2011 FORD F-150 RAPTOR SUPERCREW

On The Cover Review: 2011 Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCrew

Last year, Ford unveiled perhaps the baddest full-sized off-road factory pickup in history—the SVT Raptor.  With major modifications to the suspension, the tires, even the body, it had the capability to traverse rough terrain like nothing else.  Sadly, it had a major drawback.  If someone wanted to bring along three- or-four friends when they tried to conquer Baja, the people in the backseat would have been subjected to the inconvenience and smaller accommodations of the extended (or “SuperCab” in Ford-speak) body style.  For 2011, that problem was addressed with the new SuperCrew variant of the Dearborn desert racer.  And to pull all those cheeseburger-eating buddies along at a breakneck pace, Ford replaced the Raptor’s slightly underpowered 5.4-liter engine with a 411-hp 6.2-liter V8.  This baby can really haul butt now.  Or is that butts?  Whatever.  It’s a beast.  Is it the best choice for driving around town?  Not really.  It’s thirsty.  It rides rough.  It’s too wide to fit in an automatic car wash.  But if you have the wherewithal to do some serious off-roading, there’s just nothing quite like the SVT Raptor.