Roush Performance doesn’t play around when they say they are going to increase the performance of a vehicle. A prime example of which is the P-51 Mustang we talked about a few months back. So when I came across the new Roush Raptor it immediately grabbed my attention. Immediately my mind started jumping to the most extreme scenario where they’ve swapped that Eco-Boost out for a supercharged Coyote V8, or something along those lines. But that’s not what Roush had in mind.
Instead, they went a different route entirely. They came right out and said how great of a truck the Raptor already is. Nic Shafer, VP of Marketing and Communications for Roush had this to say “Improving on the Raptor was a big challenge. Ford Performance has delivered the ultimate in street and off-road capability in the all new Raptor.” Which is a serious compliment coming from a company with the reputation Roush has.
Not being the type to turn their back on a challenge, Schafer also had this to say, “We at ROUSH had to work hard to improve the vehicle for the serious off-road enthusiast, focusing on extreme off-road capability. We feel we have accomplished this with our all new ROUSH package.”
They focused on one main area with the Roush Raptor, and it happens to be one of the best parts about the truck in the first place, the suspension. Straight off the factory floor the Raptora comes with 3.0 Fox Racing Shocks, which is up from the 2.5’s that came stock on the Gen 1. And the new upgraded shocks from Roush are 3.0’s as well, only they’very been redesigned and upgraded. The end result is the ROUSH/FOX 3.0 High-Performance External Bypass Shock which will give the operator multiple levels of adjustment not only when the trail gets rough, but on-road driving as well. For the record, they were designed with off-road racing in mind. The point being, these things are beasts. Having the external bypass allows the driver to adjust everything from dampening to compression and rebound control, so you can customize the setup for any situation, all while being a lot more resilient to take the added punishment.
Aside from the suspension, most of the upgrades are focused on the aesthetics of the truck. Roush wanted all the badging to resemble the real thing so that actually used OEM-grade automotive graphic materials and made sure they were permanently installed. They also added what that they are calling “bead protector rings,” which will come in either black or red and they give you both in case you change your mind down the road. They do that because bead locks are technically illegal in most states. So while granted it may not be as good as having the real thing, it’s a pretty good alternative because it gives you the look while also adding a layer of protection to the custom 20″ rims.
In conclusion, this may not be something that your everyday off-road enthusiast will utilize to its full potential. The Roush Raptor is designed for the “serious” off-roader, someone who won’t hesitate to push it to the limit by smashing it along open desert roads blowing the minds, while also scaring the shit out of, your unsuspecting passengers.
