All About Japan Autos

Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCrew Double Cab SuperCrew Raptor unveiled with 6.2-litre V8 engine.

In the UK, Ford’s performance offering is the impressive Focus RS. But in the US, the Blue Oval offers a rather different powered-up range-topping proposition.

Called the Raptor, the 6.2-litre V8-powered beast is based on Ford’s popular F-150 truck. As well as providing plenty of power to all four wheels, the Raptor features custom-developed Fox Racing dampers which can cope with high-speed off-road driving, including landings from sizeable jumps!

For the 2011 model year, the firm has added a Double Cab SuperCrew model to the line-up, which adds a second row of seats and 300mm to the wheelbase, and joins the already-launched standard cab version.

The Raptor was originally launched with ‘just’ a 5.4-litre V8. But that has now been ditched, with all cars coming with the firm’s 6.2-litre V8, which generates 405bhp and 588Nm – 100bhp and 94Nm more than the smaller unit.

As well as offering buyers the choice of two bodystyles, Ford has created a new colour, called Ingot Silver metallic which can be personalised with additional, contrasting matt black decals. On the inside, Ford now includes a 4.2-inch LCD display called the ‘Productivity Screen,’ which shows data on off-road and towing performance.

Sadly, the super-sized Raptor is only available in the US, where both of the 2011 model year cars are now ready for order at dealerships.