#F-150Raptor

Ford has a knack for pulling off high-profile reveals, and the 2021 F-150 Raptor is no exception. Launching it while the King of the Hammers is taking place is certainly apropos for a truck inspired by desert racing.

Ford’s Raptor is one tough truck, and it has new competition, thanks to the Ram TRX. Not only that, but the F-150 on which it’s based is new for 2021. So it figures, then, that a new Raptor is on the way.

And this one might be available only in a SuperCrew configuration. Maybe not for the entirety of the model run, but perhaps at least at first.

Camera in hand, I left the truck idling as I descended the running board onto the dirt path. I’d planned to get a couple of quick snaps in a beautiful natural setting, considering the vehicle’s considerable off-road prowess.

The report of what could only be a 12-gauge shotgun fired a couple hundred yards away made me reconsider my artful ambitions.

Have I ever mentioned how much I appreciate good, clear rear-view cameras? I’m not the greatest at parking large vehicles, so the tech is useful in many situations — but this feature was especially helpful as the 2019 Ford Raptor and I quickly escaped a bad situation in reverse.

Ford’s F-150 Raptor represents the pinnacle of off-road performance for adventurous full-size truck buyers — it’s a vehicle capable of blasting through brush (not that you would) with its extra-wide stance and enlarged fenders, running full-bore across the backcountry with the 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque on tap from its high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, and sticking bone-crushing landings with the help of its long-legged suspension.

And still buyers wish for more. According to one report, the Raptor could be due for an engine upgrade that puts the correct number of cylinders beneath the hood.

The King of Truck Mountain is ready for its return to Baja Valley below in its latest Raptor incarnation.