The F-150 Raptor was without any serious competition in its niche so far, but now Ram has come up with the Rebel TRX, or popularly known as the “Raptor-killer”. To make sure it survives the onslaught from its rival, Ford will have to take steep measures to make the truck look more desirable.
One of the ways to do that would be to give it aesthetics upgrades, and here’s a set of renderings that do exactly that. Rendering artist Mo Aoun has imagined the F-150 Raptor, and it looks sharper and much distinct from the actual model.
It Looks A Lot More Sportier and Aggressive
This rendered F-150 Raptor features quite a few significant changes when compared to the actual model. Up front, the artist has redesigned the headlights and the grille instead of featuring a completely different design. The honeycomb grille sports a new design with a lot of sharp cuts and edges. The FORD lettering is retained as it is. The new boomerang headlights are super funky and wouldn’t look out of place in the production-spec truck. The bumper is shorter, sleeker, and sharper, and the skid plate is painted in black. The hood receives a big air scoop but it complements the overall persona of the truck.
The side profile looks a little boxy compared to the actual F-150 Raptor, thanks to the edge A-pillar that almost eats into the cabin. The black plastic cladding on the C-pillar adds a lot of character to the truck and kind of gives the truck bed an ‘extended-out’ feel. The wheel arches are flared and make the truck feel quite wide. The 12-spoke wheels wrapped in high-profile off-road tires fall flat when compared to the rest of the truck. A sportier wheel design would’ve done wonders for the overall appeal.
The truck bed is art in itself. All the edges are clad in plastic and this extends to the roof at the top and on the outer part of the tailgate as well. The artist has even equipped the bed with short roll bars that give it the ultimate adventure truck vibes. Even though the truck bed is on the shorter side, you can see two dirt bikes parked there. Two cut-outs in the tailgate help these bikes fit in without a problem.
Expect Big Changes In The Next-Gen F-150 Raptor
We can expect the Raptor to feature a new design when the next-gen F-150 rolls out. However, Ford will not be retaining the SuperCab body style of the F-150 Raptor.
Ford has listed Regular, SuperCab, and SuperCrew 4x2 and 4x4 F-150 configurations, along with SuperCrew Raptor. There is no mention of a SuperCab, and this may not be an error.
The F-150 Raptor is also expected to get some boost in the drivetrain department. Given that Ram and Chevrolet have thrown their hats in the ring with some powerful mills that generate over 700 horses, Ford has to up the ante as well. There’s no reason for Ford to continue offering it with the Although there is no official word on this, the automaker could plonk the supercharged version of the Godzilla engine under the hood of the Raptor.
Ford’s supercharger supplier, Whipple, recently revealed that it is working on a supercharger for the mighty Godzilla engine. For the uninformed folks, the Godzilla engine currently powers Ford’s Super Duty series. The 7.3-liter, V-8 mill makes 430 horses and 475 pound-feet of torque. Whipple has built a supercharger head unit for this mill that could produce 700 ponies and 750 pound-feet of torque with a Stage 2 kit. This power output puts it right on par with the Ram Rebel TRX and the Chevy Silverado ZRX’s power figures.
Final Thoughts
This rendering makes the F-150 look a lot more aggressive and sporty. Unlike some radical renderings, this one seems practical and quite usable even if Ford started building the Raptor like this. When you compare this render to the actual truck, the latter feels pale and dated. This rendering looks stunning, especially when viewed from the rear three-quarters. I liked this quite a bit. What about you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.