A few years back, insiders at Ford thought that their in-house performance group, the special vehicle team, was going the way of the Edsel and the Aztek. Some in senior management believed that outside tuners could churn out high-performance versions of F-150s and Mustangs. SVT was considered by some to be an unnecessary internal expense. Thankfully, enthusiasts inside Ford prevailed and SVT survived.

Its most recent work includes the pavement-shredding 540-horsepower Shelby GT500 Mustang and the 2010 SVT Raptor.

The Raptor is not another Lightning. SVT wanted to go in a different direction. In an interview with Sport Truck, Jamal Hameedi, SVT’s chief nameplate engineer noted, “We saw where the truck market was going, and doing another highperformance street truck wasn’t the best idea. We needed to do something different.”

So what is the SVT Raptor? Basically, it’s a factory-engineered, warranty-backed, desert-racing truck. The Raptor’s offroad skills go far beyond rock crawling. While other manufacturers have offered trucks with off-road packages before, no auto company has ever given the driving public something like this.

The hardware
Optional off-road packages usually include skid plates, bigger tires, differently calibrated dampers and maybe some extra driveline cooling. Packages like these often improve low-speed, off-roading capabilities but compromise higher-speed on-road driving with mushy steering response and floppy wheel control.

SVT went much further with Raptor. The goal was to create a truck that could be driven off-road while retaining a civil on-road ride.

Suspension travel is key to running fast off-road. To achieve travel of 11.2 inches in front and 12.1 inches at the rear, Ford widened the track of the base F-150 Super Cab by 7 inches. This allowed for greater articulation with stock suspension pick-up points. As proof of the standard F-150’s toughness, the stock frame could more than handle the added stresses, so it remains unchanged.

The new, longer, lower front control arms look as thick as the frame rails I see under some competitive trucks. The front suspension uses double wishbones and coil springs surround the shock absorbers.

Raptor-specific leaf springs suspend the live rear axle.

Off-road damper specialist FOX Racing Shox partnered with Ford to develop the front and rear dampers – what regular people call shock absorbers. The Raptor’s unique FOX units are as thick as mortar cannons and substantial enough to literally go off-road racing.

(Ford ran a prototype Raptor in last year’s Baja 1000 and finished second.)

Spring rates have actually dropped compared to stock F-150s. The combination delivers genuinely outrageous off-road performance with an on-road ride that is smoother and more livable than many premium trucks with high-end 20-inch rims and low-profile tires.

Huge BFGoodrich TA/KO 315/70 35-inch tires surround 17-inch alloy wheels that measure 8.5 inches wide. The tires feature a special tread compound and pattern that provides surprisingly great feel.

Underbody armor is standard, with a substantial skid plate up front, plus a second unit under the transfer case. Other special hardware includes an electronically locking rear differential, a seriously recalibrated stability control program and practical hill decent control.

The wrapper
A nearly all-new body wraps around the Raptor’s wider stance; it’s a full 8 inches wider than a base F-150. At 86.3 inches, it nearly matches the width of Hummer H1 and requires additional marker lights to comply with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.

Inside, the excellent front seats that were new on the 2009 F-150 provide even more comfort and lateral support. Bigger bolsters work to keep you in your place whether you’re shooting off-ramps or dry riverbeds.

Since this is an F-150, all of Ford’s modern electronic gadgets are available, including SYNC and a navigation system with Sirius Travel Link.

On-road
At first glance, the SVT Raptor looks to be an alternative to the formidable Hummer H3T. The Hummer is a great off-road truck in the traditional sense. But on the road the H3T is unpleasant to drive. The steering is slow and the suspension feels rubbery.

The SVT Raptor is nothing like the H3T on the road. Surprisingly, it drives smaller than its huge size would suggest.

Short 4.10 gears put the engine’s 310 horsepower to good use, so the Raptor feels ready to strike even in city environs.

A 400-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 is coming sometime after the new year. While the standard Triton doesn’t feel weak, the Raptor will be even better with more power.

Weighing in at a substantial 5,863 pounds, the Raptor will put the soon-to-be-available power to good use. The transmission backing either engine is a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters.

Around town the ride is surprisingly comfortable, but it’s on highway and two-lane roads where the SVT engineering magic becomes evident. The Raptor can be bent enthusiastically through corners.

Unlike what you’d expect from a jacked-up truck, it neither falls on its face nor understeers off the outside of canyon roads.

Off-road
Ford’s demonstration course for the automotive press ran through public land set aside for vehicular recreational use in Southern Californa’s Anza-Borrego Desert. The high-speed track traversed a 22-mile loop of dry riverbeds and flats with surfaces ranging from loose silt to hard-packed sand.

For these conditions we chose twowheel-drive hi-mode, locked the rear differential and switched the stability control system into its off-road mode.

It takes a while to get used to driving fast on sand. The Raptor could traverse huge elevation changes and bumps with little agitation of the occupants. It was eerily smooth.

Conclusion
The base SVT Raptor starts at $39,000, just $2,500 more than a similarly equipped F-150 SX4 that doesn’t have nearly the same off-road capabilities or style. The Raptor can tow 6,000 pounds, so none of the regular F-150’s practical capacities are compromised.

Unless you’re a HDRA/SCORE racing fan or a desert rat already into all-terrain vehicles or buggies, the idea of owning a prerunner probably never entered your mind.

But now that the Raptor is available, this truck opens up possibilities that many people in the Chicago area have never considered.

2010 FORD SVT RAPTOR

ENGINE: 310-horsepower 5.4-liter Triton V-8

TRANSMISION: six-speed automatic

DRIVETRAIN: four-wheel drive

FUEL ECONOMY: 14 city/18 highway

BASE PRICE: $39,000

WEB SITE: Fordvehicles.com