The 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R Is Real, and We've Seen It

When the Ram 1500 TRX showed up a few years ago, the Ford F-150 V6-powered Raptor immediately lost some of its appeal in the face of the TRX's big, bad supercharged V8. For 2021 Ford made the interior a little nicer, tweaked the suspension, and made 37-inch tires an option on the standard Raptor, but for many, that V6 still wasn't quite enough. Now, however, we know the F-150 Raptor R is real, and it's coming for the supertruck crown.

In fact, Ford didn't just tell us the Raptor R is real — the automaker showed us one. Just after a Bronco Raptor event earlier this month in Johnson Valley, California, Ford gathered a crowd of journalists up on a dry lake bed and told us to sit tight for a surprise. Off in the distance something was hurtling its way toward the group, sending up plumes of dirt and dust in its wake. It looked like a truck, but it was a fair bit quicker than you'd expect a standard Raptor to be.

As it approached, it wasn't what we could see that wowed — it was what we heard. The same deep, guttural exhaust gurgle and supercharger whine that accompanies the Shelby GT500's supercharged 5.2-liter V8 was coming out of the back of an F-150. That's when we knew: The Ford F-150 Raptor R is real, and it'll make its official debut later this summer to compete with the TRX. May the battle of the supercharged V8 supertrucks begin.

At the moment, we don't really know that much about the Raptor R other than it will definitely have a supercharged V8 under its hood. From what little we could see out in the desert heat, the body looks relatively similar to the standard truck. It's likely that more detailed changes will accompany the big news of the V8. In that vein, 37-inch tires will likely be standard on the R, and there will likely be extensive modifications to the suspension and underbody to support the extra power and higher speeds the Raptor R will most likely be able to achieve.

As for an actual power figure, we expect something in the range of 720 horsepower to 740 hp, just to put that pesky 702-hp TRX in the Raptor's rear view. Price is another question mark, but don't be surprised if this thing starts at over $90,000 when it hits dealer lots.

Edmunds says

We'll know more about the Raptor R in the coming months, but for now we're just happy it exists and that we get to enjoy the coming Ford vs. Ram title fight.