Passenger: “Oh my GOD!”
Nathan: “Yee-HA!”
2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4: “VEERRRROOMM! Splat!” Ah the sounds of driving completely balls-out in one of the most extreme trucks on the planet. The 2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4 is every boy’s moisture inducing dream. It is, quite simply, everything you want to slice through dunes with or pound dirt roads with.
I mashed my foot down to feel the 0 to 60 mph time vanish in 7.2 seconds. Dude, this thing weighs about 6,000 lbs and it’s as fast as a sporty sedan. Off road, it feels even faster. It can go anywhere a M1 Abrams can with the exception of serious rock crawling. It’s too wide (7 inches wider than a regular F-150) and way too long. It has a 145 inch long wheelbase as opposed to the 133 inches in the Super Cab. Ah, but on a rally track – it’s biblically cool.
Passenger (Hollering over the engine’s roar): “Wow, would you look at the time? Let’s go back.”
Nathan (stepping harder on the gas): “What? I can’t hear you. You will have to talk louder in the mic!”
Passenger: “You little _____!”
The 2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4: “VEROOOM! GEEERRRR!!”
Small prairie dogs (genus Cynomys): “RUN! It’s Armageddon!”
Ford added a 6.2-liter, 411 horsepower V8 to beef up the performance of a vehicle that truly needed it. The old 310 hp could spin the excellent 35-inch BF Goodrich off road tires, but it lagged and ran out of pull at inopportune times. This new 6.2 liter V8 is a completely different animal. There is a very useful 434 lbs-feet of torque which is friggin’ excellent in something that weighs about 6,000 lbs. The new 6-speed automatic transmission can hold gear longer and allows for manual shifts.
I know, I know – it’s a gimmick. In this case it works beautifully. On the driver’s side of the shifting leaver, located on the leaver itself is a + and – that does exactly what’s advertised. I spent the whole day in manual/off-road mode running the engine right up to redline with no complaints from the howling 6.2 liter V8.
Sweet.
Both on and off road performance are MUCH better with this engine/transmission combo. Ford added 2,000 lbs to the SVT Raptor Super Crew; it can now tow up to 8,000 lbs. Ford also added a 36 gallon gas tank which helps in a vehicle that has a hard time getting better than 14 mpg. Then again, if you want good gas mileage – Ford has a nifty turbocharged EcoBoost V6 available for regular F150s.
Passenger: “Seriously man – let’s give someone else a turn.”
Nathan: “No! Mine!”
2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4: “VEROOM!”
Ford has a few new gizmos that I thought would be outstanding if used creatively in this beast. You see, Ford brought me to Dearborn, MI to see many new toys that update My Ford Touch, SYNC, safety and capability of their products. You may have seen the TFLCar video (HERE) or (HERE) – but I envision a more profound use of Ford’s future tech.
Ford is pioneering seats that can monitor the driver’s heart rate, among other things. It’s a great idea – but I think it would be a slick addition to the 2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4 if they were added to the passenger’s seats. Imagine: knowing how much you are terrifying your passengers by having a little display right in font of the driver.
Oh how devious – oh the humanity!
Imagine this: Ford’s revolutionary inflatable rear seatbelts, which act as torso and neck airbags for rear passengers, with one (evil) caveat: they pop when the driver wants! How cool would that be? I’m sure your passengers would delight at the idea that you can pop those belts without warning!
In all seriousness, Ford’s safety innovations are impressive and I would never (really) suggest that they be used for anything other than saving lives. The interior is basically the same layout as Raptors of the recent past. There is a massive, plastic mounting platform surrounding the gear lever that has nifty toggle switches. These switches can easily hook up to flood lights, missile launchers or a 30-mm cannon. Probably best to stick with the lights for now.
Seats are comfortable and with the additional length of the 2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4 (nearly a foot) over the Super Cab, the back seats are very accommodating. There are lots of grab handles which work great for restraint and to prevent a gang of angry people from pulling you out of the cab.
Passenger: “Okay Nathan – out.”
Nathan: “No!”
Passenger (to event workers): “Someone help pull him out!”
Nathan: “NO! It’s mine, MINE I say!”
Passenger: “Grab his legs!”
2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4: “Get out big boy – you can’t afford me anyway.”
Prices start at $44,700 for the 2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4. That’s about 10-grand more than the F-150 XL Crew Cab 4X4 – – – BUT, it would cost well over 10-grand to turn that XL into any semblance of the Raptor equivalent.
This Raptor Crew Cab is larger and more expensive than the Super Cab model and it’s worth it for those of you who have families. I would buy one for no other reason than to piss-off my family at every family event. Unfortunately, “She-who-must-be-obeyed” knows how obnoxious the Raptor makes me – so no dice.
I hope you can get one reader.
It’s so much fun it’s criminal.
Automotive media, racing, vehicle evaluation, wrecking yards, and car sales are just a part of Nathan Adlen’s vehicular past. He writes out of high octane passion! To read more reviews by Nathan Adlen or just to enjoy more of excellent writing please visit him on at his examiner.com page HERE.
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