Car review: Ford F150 Raptor truck around UAE

It does 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds. Not bad for a truck.

REMEMBER WHEN PICKUP trucks were solely the preserve of farms and building sites? When did they become trendy? We can't really put our finger on it. Obviously over in The States, and to some extent Australia, the vehicles have always held a certain cache the rest of the globe never understood, but those days are long gone. Now trucks the world over are enjoying the sort of popularity once reserved for executive saloons or muscle cars. Why? We don't like to generalise (no, really), but the answer appears rather straight-forward: bang for your buck. For a relatively modest outlay you receive a massive five-seat car with off-road capabilities yet, crucially, will provide a nice environment in which to sit and a decent everyday driving experience. Never mind only taking it to the levy, your truck is now a family car and, if you go for this Ford F150 Raptor, it's a cool one at that.
We're looking to be more environmental...
Well done you. We have to admit there are greener cars out there, though in spite of its evocative name, this Raptor does its best. The twin-turbo, 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine with direct fuel injection is smaller but somehow more powerful than the previous 6.2-litre V8, so that's a start. The 450hp and 691nm of torque produced represent best-in-class figures. Mate that power with a steel/ aluminium blend frame, which is 227kg lighter than the last model, and you have got yourself performance - 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds - and better fuel efficiency. Again, it's not going to take on a hybrid in the emissions game, but if they're a concern this is the kindest Raptor to date.
Does it deliver the goods off-road?
Desert driving is this car's business and business is good. The F-150 Raptor features Fox 3.0 Internal Bypass shocks with Live Valve technology that can adapt to terrain in real-time to maximize handling, comfort, and bottom-out resistance. To manage power distribution between front and rear wheels the truck comes equipped with a torque-on-demand transfer case, combining the best attributes of clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel drive with mechanical-locking 4WD. Then there are the seven terrain modes. We won't spoil you by going through all of them, but 'sport' on the road and 'sand/mud' off it are very good. There's even a special off-road display for you to check the pitch, roll, steering angle and driveline status for goodness sake. If you're not crawling through a wadi the first weekend you get one of these, we don't know what's wrong with you.
What's it like inside?
In short: really comfortable. After you've managed to haul yourself up inside (35-inch tyres will do that), the cabin looks tough with all its chunky vents and oversized cup holders, but is actually extremely plush. Swathed in leather, carpeted, fancy connectivity for all your devices, you'd feel more rugged in a Bentley, but we're not complaining. Just because these automobiles made their name transporting livestock, doesn't mean we have to be treated the same does it? Plus they've stuck a load of switches on the roof like a fighter jet, which makes it butch, right? True the switches don't do anything unless you go for after-market additions, but the fact is they're there!  
Anything else to report?
Just keep an eye on the clearances when entering multi-storey car parks. You should be fine in most, but when we say the Raptor is big, we mean it - you'll be on nodding terms with bus drivers.
Engine: 3.5-litre EcoBoost
Power: 450hp
0-100km/h: 5.3 secs
david@khaleejtimes.com