With the diversification of people’s lives, when people buy cars and choose models, they become broader and more diverse than before. Especially in recent years, the policy of pickup truck models has picked up and the process of pickup truck models has accelerated, which has also made many users who like outdoor travel have renewed their desire to buy pickup trucks with high playability. In the current domestic pickup truck market, imported models will still become the first choice for players who pursue high-end quality attributes. Today, I’m going to experience the Ford Raptor, a new generation of hard-core high-performance pickups that are talked about by new and old players at home and abroad. It is one of the most popular models among many imported pickups.
The new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor belongs to Ford F series. Since 1977, this series has been the best-selling pickup truck in North America for 45 consecutive years and the best-selling model in North America for 40 years. In this series, besides the new generation Ford F-150, there are also F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550.
Thanks to the excellent cost performance, rich scenes and low entry threshold, the Ford F-150 is the most widely used. As a high-performance model of the Ford F-150, the Ford F-150 Raptor has experienced three generations of evolution since its launch in 2009. It has the pedigree of Baja racing and extends from road to all-terrain crossing. The Ford F-150 Raptor sells well in more than 60 countries around the world, with excellent off-road performance, reliability and humanization. Since the Ford F-150 was officially introduced to China in 2017, it has also achieved good sales in the domestic pickup truck market segment.
In June last year, a new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor was officially launched. This new car not only achieved as many as 40 new highlights upgrades in high-performance off-road and intelligent interconnection, but also made no small changes in appearance and interior. Today, we came to Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia, and drove this American high-performance off-road pickup truck to clear the sand. While experiencing the powerful performance of this car, the desert driving skills we learned will also be used for life, which is a rare opportunity.
A new generation of language design focuses on hard-core appearance
As a special category, pickup trucks are mostly practical in appearance design, and fancy designs are basically hard to see on pickup trucks. At the same time, considering the practical scene, the design of this kind of car will be more tough, and with the bulky size of some full-size pickup trucks, you can feel a strong sense of oppression when you get close to it. The new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor can completely explain what is hard and what is oppressive in appearance.
Compared with the previous generation, the new generation Ford F-150 Raptor has not changed much in appearance, and still retains the tough body lines and a very reliable appearance at first glance. If we have to say where the changes are, I think we have added more fashion elements and scientific and technological elements to cater to the aesthetics of current consumers.
Compared with the ordinary version of F-150 pickup truck, the new car has a fender 18 cm wider, which has more visual impact, width and recognition, and lays a solid and moving posture for the Raptor. The wide front grille is matched with the brand logo running through the whole front of the car, which shows the rough and informal personality. The black engine radiator at the top is also designed with edges and corners. With the logo of "RAPTOR", the strong visual effect is by going up one flight of stairs.
The headlights of the new generation Ford F-150 Raptor still adopt a stacked design inside, and the shapes on both sides highlight a certain sense of design. The "7" daytime driving makes the visual center more concentrated. The mainstream lighting configuration includes adaptive far and near light, inductive switching and other functions. Six expansion switches are reserved in front of the rearview mirror, which can be connected with auxiliary lamps.
The new generation Ford F-150 Raptor has a body size of 5930*2199*1992mm and a wheelbase of 3694 mm.. The low center of gravity and long wheelbase design make the car’s driving performance more stable in the desert, and it is more comfortable to climb over the sand dunes with higher difficulty. The design of long car and short rear pocket also ensures the space and comfort of passengers in the car.
In order to meet the strong impact of rocks and the ground during off-road, the new generation Ford F-150 Raptor uses steel front and rear bumpers, and designs a very strong bottom guard under the front bumper. Even if the chassis touches the ground on the off-road road, the bottom guard plate can play a strong supporting role, which avoids the shock absorption damage and damage to the engine oil pan, lower arm and other important parts.
The metal fixing ring and tailgate picnic table of the new generation Ford F-150 Raptor rear bucket are convenient for our daily use, and the industrial-grade rear bucket wear-resistant coating can effectively protect the rear bucket and effectively prolong its service life. Standard three-fold soft cover for rear bucket can not only protect the container, but also be an anti-theft, sun-proof and rain-proof artifact, which can also reduce wind resistance and improve off-road performance. A 400W external power interface is also provided in the rear bucket, which is convenient for external connection of high-power appliances.
The new generation Ford F-150 Raptor is equipped with Bailuchi KO2 all-terrain off-road tires. As the top tires of Michelin, it is specially designed for extreme off-road, which is durable and has superior off-road performance. Compared with the old model, the strength of the tire wall is increased by 20%, and the thickness reaches 4.5 mm. The pattern has also been optimized, improving the traction of snow by 19% and mud by 10%.
Comfortable technology cockpit
The cockpit of the American pickup truck has always given people a very rough and simple impression. It seems that his users don’t care whether the cockpit is comfortable or not, and whether the workmanship is good or not, as long as it meets the functionality. However, the new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor seems to realize that functionality alone is not enough, and comfort and convenience cannot be ignored.
The layout of the new generation Ford F-150 Raptor is basically the same as that of the previous generation, but the difference is that it has become more detailed and has a stronger sense of technology. The interior is made of more advanced materials, such as leather steering wheel, front and rear rows of leather+fabric stitching seats. Even where plastic is needed, the new car has been upgraded in material and looks a lot more delicate.
The 12.4-inch LCD instrument and the 12-inch high-definition central control panel cater to people’s pursuit of the technology cockpit. The SYNC?+ Zhixing interconnection system includes the dual-tone AI intelligent voice interaction system, VPA Zhixing partners, real-time car navigation, and supports Bluetooth, navigation, car Wi-Fi, as well as a series of daily use and entertainment apps such as iQiyi, movie tickets and takeout. Although the driver of this car may not buy movie tickets or order takeout by car, through these convenient ontological functions, we also see that the new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor is making changes.
We still see many physical buttons with convenient operation and high accuracy in the car. The car air conditioner is equipped with AAR full-time intelligent fresh air system with PM2.5 detection and purification function, which monitors the PM2.5 index in the cockpit in real time, and uses HE micron-sized high-efficiency activated carbon filter element (PM2.5), with the filtration efficiency exceeding 95%. It is of great help to improve the air quality inside the car when driving in the desert.
The leather multi-function steering wheel has moderate thickness and excellent grip, with four-way electric adjustment and metal shift paddles and a centering mark in the middle. On the right side of the steering wheel, the shortcut buttons for driving such as exhaust sound and suspension mode adjustment are designed, which will be very convenient to use.
American cars are famous for their comfort. The spacious seats of the new generation Ford F-150 Raptor are very soft, and it is easy to find a suitable sitting position with the spacious armrests. When it comes to sitting posture, in addition to the multi-angle adjustment of the seat and steering wheel, the accelerator and brake pedal of the new car can also be electrically adjusted back and forth, which is convenient for users of all shapes.
High Strength Body+3.5L V6 EcoBoost?? Twin Turbocharged High Power Engine
Whether crossing or off-road, power is very important, especially desert driving, which requires long-term stable output. Whether there is a strong power reserve directly determines how much fun you can get. The new generation Ford F-150 Raptor is equipped with a re-adjusted 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost?? twin-turbocharged high-power engine, which has stronger low-speed torque performance. The maximum net output power rises to 311kW, which is about 40 horsepower higher than that of the previous generation, and the peak torque rises to 684 N m. Advanced twin-turbine technology and compression ratio of 10.5: 1, together with new high-power cooling fan, further improve cooling efficiency.
Non-load-bearing body has always been the standard of hard-core off-road. The new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor uses high-strength steel full-frame body and composite body. The upper support of shock absorber, control arm support, arm support, tie rod support and spring fixing support are strengthened. Two trailer hooks and a trailer connection point are provided on the front and rear tail beams, and the total weight of the trailer that can be towed also reaches 2 tons.
With strong power and strong skeleton, the comfortable shock absorption system is directly affected, and the new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor has also been upgraded. The new generation FOX? 3.1 Live Valve? shock absorber adopts advanced electronic control valve damping technology, and the damping coefficient can be adjusted in real time according to the state of the shock absorber. Larger diameter (3.1 inches) anodized shock absorber bucket, filled with brand-new exclusive design of low-friction shock absorber fluid, reducing internal friction and improving vehicle driving comfort; The electronically controlled valve is upgraded to provide damping performance of over 450kg. According to the data read by sensors from all parts of the vehicle, such as suspension height, each shock absorber can also adjust the damping coefficient up to 500 times per second to adapt to complex road conditions.
Seven driving modes can easily cope with various working conditions, including standard mode, anti-skid mode, trailer/heavy load mode, sports mode, cross-country mode, rock climbing mode and Baja mode. In Baja mode, the vehicle will automatically set the steering force of the steering wheel, the transfer case, the electronically controlled differential lock rear drive axle, the vehicle stability control system, the active exhaust system, the active damping system, the throttle response and the shift logic of the gearbox, and at the same time display the corresponding modes on the dashboard to meet different driving needs.
The new generation Ford F-150 Raptor provides a creeping cruise mode (with a single pedal function). When it is turned on, the vehicle will automatically distribute the required torque, and the crawling speed will be adjusted by SET+/-, which weakens the difficulty of off-road, especially when going down a steep slope or getting out of trouble, which is more delicate than manual operation. At the same time, it also provides 360 panoramic visual images, as well as four kinds of exhaust sound waves, three kinds of shock absorption working modes and four kinds of power steering modes.
Feel the fun of playing sand brought by American pickup trucks from low to high.
In order to let us better understand the new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor and desert driving skills, the coaching team specially arranged four-stage courses from entry to mastery. The first lesson is to get familiar with vehicles and understand simple desert driving skills.
When driving in the desert, the first choice is to have a correct sitting posture and a steering wheel holding gesture, and hold the steering wheel thumb with both hands on the outer ring, so that even if the vehicle is out of control, it will not hurt your fingers. The tire is deflated to a tire pressure of about 1.4Bar, which not only maintains sufficient contact with sand, but also prevents the danger of tire tripping when hitting the direction.
Baja mode is used in the whole driving process. In this mode, the vehicle will automatically adjust the engine response, steering wheel and shock absorber mode, and start the rear wheel differential lock, and the exhaust sound will become more violent. I had a better experience. We have to shut down ESP manually. The output of 3.5L V6 naturally aspirated engine is smoother and more delicate than that of turbocharged engine, and it is easy to find a proper throttle foot feel even if you are just getting started.
Starting and braking must be gentle, which is the first lesson of desert driving. When parking, both the front and the rear should always face the bottom of the slope, so as not to be trapped and tied up because of starting. In the first project, you can feel the smooth power output of the vehicle, and learning to use the sideslip and inertia of the vehicle to climb the hill will make you look more like an old driver.
The second subject is steep slope descent. After the driving vehicle rushes up from the bottom of the slope, it slowly descends into the bottom of the slope from an angle of about 40. This subject mainly trains the use of inertia to wash slopes and brakes. Although we are all afraid when facing the unknown, we must not slam on the brakes when rushing to the top of the slope, so it is difficult to start once the vehicle stops. When descending slowly, we can turn on the creep mode and set the speed to 10km/h or even lower. At this time, we just need to hold the steering wheel well and don’t let the car body tilt, so we can successfully complete the descending movement.
Of course, if you want to try autonomous operation, it’s no problem, but you must pay attention to straighten the body when going downhill, brake lightly and observe the descending speed. Too fast may lead to forward somersault of the vehicle. When you are familiar with the feeling of braking feet and have certain control ability over the vehicle, as long as you overcome your fear, there will be no problem.
What should I do if I have no power in the middle of the slope? I’ll tell you next. Although the new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor is full of power, it is inevitable that the sand is too soft when washing the slope, which leads to the failure of washing the slope. At this point, you only need to turn left or right, and continue to refuel, and the vehicle will turn around along the top of the slope and slide down to the bottom of the slope.
When doing this action, remember to ensure the power output of the vehicle at all times. When returning, don’t compete with the sand, and slowly move the front of the car down along the flow direction of the sand. Remember not to brake for fear, which will cause the vehicle to stop halfway up the slope or roll down.
"Hotpot boiling" is a skill that desert drivers like very much and must master in desert driving. It is very useful to deal with trapped deep pits. By slowly accelerating from the bottom of the pit, the vehicle will generate centrifugal force, so that the wheels can firmly grasp the ground, and the vehicle will slowly move upward at the bottom of the pit gradually.
Remember not to be too anxious when doing the action of "hotpot". Use the power of the vehicle to rush to the highest place, and use the inertia of downward dive to accelerate the vehicle. This action can help you get out of trouble and show off your skills, which will increase the pleasure of test drive in the desert.
The shock absorption performance of the new generation Ford F-150 Raptor in this test drive really surprised me, which changed my fear of the back seat of pickup truck. In the bumpy and big ups and downs scene, the back seat can still maintain good comfort. When crossing sand dunes or forming a cross-axis scene, the formation of long shock absorbers can also make four wheels land at the same time, which increases the stability of the vehicle.
Full text summary:After a day’s experience, I have a deeper understanding of the new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor, which is called "Desert Super Run". Strong power, solid skeleton and shock absorption, the new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor brought me a very exciting feeling in the desert experience. Compared with off-road skills, the new car has also made great improvements in intelligence and comfort. Can have such a performance, worthy of being favored by new and old players.
