Since the dawn of time, all a dad has ever wanted is to look good in the vehicle he drives. Okay maybe not since the dawn of time but even in the era of horse-led transportation a man was measured by the quality of his steed. The modern dad will also welcome the opportunity to sit behind the wheel and forget about the burdens of parenthood while driving, even if that drive only takes him to the grocery store to buy more diapers. Bliss comes to those dads, a dad like me, when a monster of a vehicle comes along and shakes him to his manly core, revealing the gnarly dude beneath the layers of stressful fatherhood. Enter the 2019 Ford 150 Raptor.
A truck is a truck but the Ford F-150 Raptor is a truck on a whole other level. At its core it possess all the components that define what a truck should be: a work horse with the ability to tow, push, and carry whatever life throws at you. Ford’s F-150 has earned its place among the modern truck offerings but the Raptor edition takes everything up a notch, like a screaming toddler who doesn’t want to take a nap. As the father of such a screaming toddler, I have often wondered if the F-150 really needs all the hub-bub of the Raptor edition to satisfy the driver within you. The answer is complex.
There is a ton of checkmarks in the pro column of Ford’s F-150 Raptor but it all comes with a hefty price tag which can be a turnoff. However, spending any amount of time with the Raptor, it’s quickly very apparent that the cost of admission treats any driver, let a alone a dad driver, with an exhilarating experience of speed, power and comfort. It’s enough to make any dad look cool and have fun doing it.
What Zoe Enjoyed about the Ford F-150 Raptor
Let’s start off on the nonsensical: my daughter LOVED the bed of the Ford F-150 Raptor. Sure she’s only a one year old, doesn’t have a clue what a truck bed is for and she’s still a little unbalanced on her feet but she had a blast exploring the bed. And the thing is, the bed in the F-150 Raptor isn’t that big: 52.8 cubic feet to be exact with the SuperCab configuration. Hauling long planks of lumber in this bad boy is something you won’t be doing, so if you need a truck with a large bed, you should probably look at the F-150 with the 8-ft bed option. But for me, the 5.5 foot bed was the perfect size. I’m a city boy who would rather have more cabin space to utilize on a daily basis. Every once and while I want the option to carry or haul something and the F-150 is perfect for the dad driver who gets the random call to help move a mattress or needs to pick up a small load of dirt for a home garden project.
The Top 5 Things Zoe and I Both Loved About the Ford F-150
I covered our top 5 things we love about the 2019 Raptor in the video above and they add up to an overall picture of a truck that excels in areas that should be important to any dad shopping for a new truck.
Performance – With the dominating size of the Raptor, it’s not difficult to assume that the a 3.5 L V-6 engine under the hood wouldn’t be powerful enough to give the truck the edge it needs to perform over a multitude of terrains. But this is an ecoboost, high output engine paired with a 10-speed transmission that gives the Raptor all the power you need to haul ass when the pedal is pushed to the floor. I didn’t go to crazy on the off-road testing but I have driven the Raptor through rocky terrain in the Hill Country of Austin, Texas. I felt like a confident champ behind the wheel that day.
Style and Design – Aggressive without being obnoxious, the Raptor has enough style and ruggedness to make any dad feel “hard core.” The Raptor encapsulates the essence of the modern truck design but still finds way to throw back to Ford’s by-gone era, like with optional the 80s inspired graphics along the side of the body. And personally, I could get lost in that Performance Blue paint job; it’s just so damn sexy.
Fuel Economy – While a fuel economy of 15 mpg city and 18 mpg on the highway doesn’t immediately sound impressive (especially as we stand on the verge of the electric truck wave) I was highly impressed at how many miles I was able to get out of a full tank of gas. Gauges told me that I could around 480 miles on a full tank and I certainly put that to the test during my week long review. I was even able to squeeze out a few more miles per gallon – averaging around 17 mpg in city and highway driving – which seems mindboggling once you get a sense of how big this truck is.
Cabin Space – There is a reason why Ford calls its expanded cabin SuperCrew – is gigantic. Talk about roominess! The 2019 Raptor offers enough space for two full sized adults to fit comfortably next to Zoe’s car seat in the back. There was even enough room to push the driver’s seat back several inches before I even came close to tapping her baby seat.
The Perfect Sized truck – Not too big, not too small, the Raptor is like the medium sized bowl of porridge that Goldilocks finds in the three bear’s house – just right. The 2019 Raptor allows for dad drivers like me to live the dual life of transporter and urban dweller. It still needs some extra space in an average parking spot but it’s not completely overwhelming.
The Dad Downvote
While overall the Raptor is certainly kick-ass, there were a couple of drawbacks that give me reason to down vote my score.
Sticker Shock – The base price for the Ford F-150 Raptor I tested is $55,840 – that price alone is already creeping well into luxury truck pricing territory. Then comes the real whammy: with additional options – like the ecoboost engine, the graphics package, the tailgate step and various tech goodies – the price tag tops out at a cringe-worthy $73,360. That’s a lot of moolah for a truck. On the plus side, once you experience the Raptor, you will understand where every penny of that price tag went.
Tech Learning Curve – Ford offers a slew of onboard technology in the Raptor – some of which is optional – and overall it all works nicely. However there is a slightly higher learning curve to navigating the infotainment interface then I was expecting and learning the mechanics of the trailer backup function will obviously take some practice. These learning curves are easy to climb and once you’ve spent a significant amount of time with the Raptor, it’s all bound to become second nature.
Driving a Truck isn’t always about Hauling
Ford’s F-150 is already a very capable truck and in places like Texas, where I live, it takes a capable truck to stand out in a sea of trucks that fill the highways and city streets of the Lone Star State. I’m a fan of special editions and trims in the auto market but these don’t always make as strong a statement as the Raptor does. It’s pricey but it’s also bold in a way that invigorates the driver with the type of confidence and prowess that a truck with the name Raptor should. I’m a dad driver that enjoys the subtleties of driving a truck and sometimes those experiences have nothing to do with hauling something around. Sometimes a truck should just empower its drive with swagger and comfort. The Raptor understands this and it took me along for the ride – a ride that was over before I wanted it to end.
Phillip is a filmmaker, an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and craft beer aficionado. He writes about cars, car tech, and various other cool Dad things. He lives, works and plays in Dallas, Texas.
