The Ford F-150 Trims With an Off-Road Advantage
The Blue Oval's bestselling pickup can be quite capable with the right options.
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QuickTakes:
If you're looking for a full-size pickup truck with plenty of configuration options, the Ford F-150 is tough to beat. Available in three cab and bed sizes with five engine choices — including a hybrid — the eight trims of the bestselling pickup in the United States offer something for everyone.
If off-roading is your jam, there are two specific trims as well as a package that can add more dirt worthiness to your truck.
The FX4 Package
You can add the FX4 Off Road package to the XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum trims with four-wheel drive. You'll get the advantage of a rear differential locker, hill-descent control, a mode for rock crawling, skid plates, and upgraded shocks.
This package only adds $1,000, but it's not available with the base 3.3-liter V6 engine, so you'll have to upgrade to the 2.7-liter V6, 5.0-liter V8, or 3.5-liter V6 as well.
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Tremor Trim
If you want more off-road chops than the FX4, look at the Tremor trim. This truck is only available with the Super Crew cab combined with the 5-foot-6-inch bed. The 5.0-liter V8 is standard, but buyers can also opt for a 3.5-liter V6 for no extra charge.
The Tremor boasts robust 33-inch all-terrain General Grabber tires, an added inch of ground clearance, and the Tremor-specific shocks. There's an available Torsen limited-slip front differential, while a locking rear differential and a torque-on-demand transfer case are both standard.
In addition to Normal, Eco, Sport, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Deep Snow/Sand, and Mud/Rut drive modes, the Tremor also gets a Rock Crawl mode that locks the rear differential, mutes the throttle response, turns off the stability and traction controls, and adjusts the shift points. There is also an inch more suspension travel in the front than your run-of-the-mill F-150, and an inch and a half more in the rear.
When you also consider that approach, departure, and breakover angles get a nice improvement as well, the Tremor seems well worth its $63,000 price tag for those planning to hit the dirt.
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Dino Power: The Raptor
Most hardcore off-roaders will look to the Raptor as the ne plus ultra of desert runners. Only available in the Super Crew Cab with the short bed, the Raptor comes with a 3.5-liter high-output V6 making 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque.
Live-valve, long-travel Fox shocks and a five-link suspension set up in the rear means the Raptor can keep tires on the ground through the biggest of whoops. The rig comes standard with 35-inch tires, and while buyers can upgrade to 37s, the tradeoff is slightly less wheel travel. Those big tires provide 13 inches of ground clearance and the best geometry of the F-150 lineup.
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As in the Tremor, the torque-on-demand transfer case, rear locking differential, and available Torsen limited-slip front differential are also here. Drive modes are a bit different. They include Slippery, Tow/Haul, Sport, Normal, and Rock Crawl as well as Off-Road and Baja modes to exploit the Raptor's capabilities. All this will cost you about $79,000.
For folks who have money to throw around, there is the Raptor R. While not a specific trim, checking this option box on the Raptor build sheet adds a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 into the mix with 700 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque plus an extra $31,000 to the bottom line.
Suspension parts, the driveshaft, and the transmission are beefed up on the Raptor R to handle all the extra power, and 37-inch tires come standard.
All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication) and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.
