The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor is promised to be the most off-road capable version of the large 4×4 ute with a new video showing off its off-road credentials…

FORD HAS BEEN teasing its 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor for a few months now, suggesting it will be the most off-road capable of the breed. Back in July (2015) Ford showed off the F-150 Raptor testing in the desert; Ford created a total-distance 1654km off-road course designed to parallel the Baja race course in Mexico. The actual course was 106km long which the trucks did numerous loops of, and featured fast sandy sections, deep ruts, slow crawls and more.

At the end of each lap the F-150 performed a table-top jump. The prototype trucks used were a hybrid of 2015-model Raptors and 2017-models. At the time, Ford said its testing put more stress and strain on the vehicles than a lifetime of use by owners. Hmmm.

Fast forward to now and Ford has released a short video showing the ‘2017’ F-150 Raptor, well, a prototype, trail testing. Ford says the Raptor will be “the toughest, smartest and most capable Raptor ever”. In the video, the F-150 prototype wears 17-inch alloy wheels with BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tyres.

In a release, Ford said the new Raptor gets better ground clearance than its predecessor and that its new standard 3.0-inch FOX Racing Shox help improve its compliance in slow-speed rough terrain. While details are thin, Ford has also said the F-150 Raptor will get a new four-wheel drive, torque-on-demand transfer case as distinct from the previous model’s part-time 4WD system. Ford said: [the system combines] “the best attributes of clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel drive with durable, mechanical-locking four-wheel drive”.