Engineers Having Fun With The 2017 Ford Raptor

We already know that the upcoming 2017 Ford Raptor will have a 3.5 litre Ecoboost engine and a 10-speed transmission, and we also know that its aluminium body will make it lighter and more nimble than its predecessor.

But what about its off-road performance? Can the new Raptor jump dunes as fast as the last one did?

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That’s what Ford’s engineers wanted to test out, so they took a prototype truck and sent it to the sand dunes in the Southwestern United States. There, they took the Raptor on a 106-kilometre excursion that included sand dunes, steep angles and enough obstacles to put the truck through its paces.

According to the manufacturer, the vehicle performed flawlessly, completing the trail 25% faster than the last Raptor did.

As a reminder, we don’t know exactly when the 2017 Raptor will come out (we expect to learn more at an upcoming Auto Show), but we can’t wait to take the wheel of the pickup truck to see what it can do off-road!