The 2023 Ford Raptor R Gets 10 MPG City
Image: Ford
Ford was very gracious, and gave the people a second generation of the F-150 Raptor. But some of those people — obviously the buyers and fans — were turned off when they learned the badass off-roader would be equipped with an Ecoboost V6 under the hood. Then, they heard the vacuum cleaner-sounding exhaust note. Ford made a swift pivot after that, and countered with this high-performance V8-powered F-150 Raptor-R. While it’s what we were all hoping for in a performance truck, that V8 performance comes with a price at the pump.
The latest fuel economy numbers for Ford’s F-150 Raptor R were released, and the 2023 off-roader is rated to get 10 city/15 highway/12 combined.
The EPA says these numbers will land 2023 F-150 Raptor R owners an annual fuel bill of $4,750. Unsurprisingly, the Raptor R gets identical fuel economy numbers to the Ram TRX. Some might find this strange though as the TRX has a bigger V8. But both trucks have nearly the same horsepower, with the Raptor R sitting at 700 horsepower to the TRXs 702. Competitors like the not-as-extreme Chevy Silverado ZR2 gets slightly better fuel economy at 14/17/15 combined. But to get fuel economy numbers that match the Raptor-R you gotta get into heavy-duty pickup territory.
Screenshot: EPA
But those numbers are hard to pin down. The EPA doesn’t require automakers to report fuel economy ratings of HD pickups because years ago they couldn’t conceive that ordinary people would want to drive big-ass trucks.
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One of the many things to blame for the Raptor R’s bad fuel economy is its huge 37-inch off-road tires and equally bad aerodynamics. Yet, you might argue, it’s a performance truck, so poor fuel economy is expected. There’s also the argument that, “If you can afford this truck you’re not thinking about fuel economy.” And we here at Jalopnik agree. But in a world where automakers are making dramatic transitioning to EVs, including Ford, fuel economy numbers like these really stand out.
It comes down to, the Raptor R is a god-like desert-runner off-road pickup, and buyers of this thing likely don’t have one care about much lighter their wallet will be after hitting the pump (or the environment for that matter). It’ll hurt a little. Yet, you know they’ll have a blast driving it, and Ford will sell every single one they build, effortlessly.
