2019 Ford F-150 Raptor Upgrades – King of Ford Trucks

Of all the Ford trucks available, perhaps the most powerful on the market for fans of off-roading action is the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor. The F-150 Raptor is a monster of a truck, revving down the road or cutting through the mud like it’s nothing. Although the new F-150 Raptor may look the similar on the outside as its predecessors, it has an abundance of new features on the inside to maximize both power and comfort. How does Ford manage to make off-roading feel like a breeze? The answer is in new smart technologies that pair with the powertrain to give you the ride of your life.

Although Ford doesn’t release sales statistics for the Raptor specifically, as it’s a part of the F-150 lineup, the company says that the sales for the Raptor were up for 2018 when compared to 2017, making the Raptor a popular choice for truck and outdoor enthusiasts. The 2019 F-150 Raptor is slated to go on sale later this year, though no release date has been specifically confirmed. No starting price has been announced either, but the 2018 F-150 starts at $50,675, so you can expect the 2019 model’s price to be somewhere in that range. In this article, we’ll take you through all of the innovative features that enable the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor to conquer the trails like no other

Engine

The engine on the new Ford F-150 Raptor remains the same: a powerhouse of trail-conquering capability. The F-150 Raptor is equipped with a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6, which is mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The engine gets a lot of power: 450 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque. There’s little need to upgrade the engine when it already has this level of power and capability.

The transmission, however, was tuned up to make shifting between speeds feel smoother, giving you a more comfortable ride. Due to the many performance upgrades, fuel economy suffers, coming in at an EPA-estimated 15/18 miles per gallon in the city and on the highway. As with most ultra hi-performance vehicles, fuel economy is a trade-off drivers expect when they choose a truck with so much raw power and capability.

Suspension

The real beauty of the new F-150 Raptor is in its smart suspension technology. The 2019 F-150 Raptor is equipped with the Fox Racing Shox Live Valve suspension. This automatically adaptive suspension technology is similar to the suspension at work on sports cars and other luxury vehicles, allowing the shocks to change their firmness depending on the road conditions.  All-new ride height sensors constantly feed information about the ground or road to the Live Valve system, allowing it to adjust the suspension and shocks as needed. The system allows for 13.9 inches of ride height in the back of the vehicle and 13 inches of height in the front. This ride height allows the Raptor to navigate and conquer terrain other vehicles wouldn’t dare to attempt. Additionally, Ford has computed unique algorithms in this suspension system to ensure that it will work its best regardless of what mode you’re driving in, whether it’s Normal, Sport, or Off-Road.

Here’s an example of how this suspension system would work in a real-life scenario. When driving on the road, the suspension will stiffen as you increase in speed. When cornering, the outside dampers will stiffen to reduce body roll. And, to improve ease of handling and maneuverability in Off-Road mode, the suspension damping will be much softer than in other settings.

One of the best and most truck-specific applications of this new suspension system is the Jump option. This mode detects when the front wheels are off the ground and stiffens the shocks proactively, which prevents the F-150 Raptor from bottoming out upon landing. The Loud Pedal mode also detects when the driver is giving a lot of throttle input and responds by making the dampening changes more intense.

Trail Control

Another new feature on the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor is called Trail Control. Trail Control is a unique feature that essentially acts as a cruise control during off-roading. It can be set anywhere between one and 20 miles per hour, keeping the speed consistent while the driver focuses on steering. Because applying the throttle consistently is essential to maintaining traction during off-roading, this capability especially benefits drivers who are just beginning to experiment with all-terrain driving.

The Trail Control system is designed to help drivers navigate especially challenging conditions, allowing them to focus solely on navigating the terrain. Perfect for rugged terrain at low speeds, Trail Control will automatically adjust the power and braking to each individual wheel. The system can also automatically apply torque to help climb over rocks. Finally, the Trail Control feature can also brake each individual wheel to make the descent easier.

Seats

The final major feature that impacts the way that its driver experiences the new power and comfort of off-roading is in the seats. The seats on the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor are specially designed Recaro sport seats. They are available in a blue design that was inspired by one of the interior color options for the Ford GT Supercar. The color matches the carbon fiber trim for the upper door cards, shifter, and dashboard. The Recaro seats are heavy-duty and are designed to keep people in place when traversing especially rough terrain. The seats are tailored to provide maximum comfort and protection, as they are heavily padded in the cushion and seat back, providing new levels of support for the driver and passengers.

If your idea of a good time is loading up your friends into your truck and heading out to a stretch of land in the middle of nowhere to tear it up, then the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor might just be the truck of your dreams. Not only does it have the raw power and performance of its heavy-duty engine, it also has an array of smart features that will make each one of your trips as comfortable as possible. The smart suspension, coupled with the Trail Control System and the Recaro sport seats, is sure to give you the ride of your life. Head on down to your local Ford dealership later this year so you can muddy this baby up.