The Beastmode 700hp Ford Raptor R is the Offroad Speed Star Fans Have Been Waiting For

The Ford Raptor series has a reputation for being some of the auto world’s meanest, leanest, most speed-and-sand-friendly trucks on the market. 

The 2023 Raptor R promises to be the next evolution in that series, cranking things up a notch and bringing aspiring owners a vehicle that boasts a whopping 700hp, enough speed to leave competitors in the dust – and the kind of traction and stability you need to explore the great outdoors.

Here’s a look at the 2023 Raptor R – the speed demon with a good grip. 

The Raptor R Packs Speed and Agility for an Off-Roader’s Dream

The Raptor R is coming to a desert near you soon – and it’s bringing some impressive speed with it. 

Featuring a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 that roars to life with 700hp and a whopping 640 lb per ft of torque, it’s the ideal off-roader.

Suspension features FOX Live Valve shocks, specially designed to work with the truck’s power, 37-inch tires and decent undercarriage clearance to make sure you can slog through some decently deep terrain without worry.

Ford took the engine from a Mustang Shelby GT500 and maximized it for the Raptor’s needs, creating the most torque-dense supercharged V8 engine ever popped into a production pickup. 

Engine design also boasts a wider air intake inlet with a higher-flow, higher-efficiency conical air filter which allows for 66% air intake volume. 

With the ability to breathe deeper and mindfully designed torque maximization, the engine can roar to life with more push per revolution than competitors in its class. 

The Raptor SUV That Never Saw the Light of Day

While waiting for the Raptor R to hit the (off)roads, fans of the line are dreaming of what could have been.

It turns out, there’s one Raptor family SUV that never saw the light of day.

It would have been a beast like its sisters – but resembling a sleek custom Everest. 

The Everest is a powerful SUV sold in non-US markets, with a midsized body on the same frame used for the Ford Ranger.

It would have boasted a third row, likely a diesel engine, and a powertrain likely to resemble the Ranger Raptor’s 210hp 369-lb-ft 2.0-liter turbodiesel. 

Why did Ford never build this concept SUV? Possible because it was too similar to the Everest, which didn’t make the US cut because of the Explorer’s domination in the American market.

After all, redundancy is redundant. But while we wait for the Raptor R to arrive, we can dream of what might have been – and what might have been was the US version of an Everest.