Ranger Raptor VS. F150 Lariat

[markal49]

Depends mostly on your use case. I agree that an F-150 Lariat will likely have higher resale than a Ranger Raptor, but I'd focus more on how you're going to use it while you own it than what it will be worth when you're ready to move on. IMO it's too big of an expenditure to focus on resale more than how it fits into your life.

I have a Ranger XLT which is OK, but not great. I'm very tempted by a Raptor. In April, I found one available for a test drive. Loved it. It's a very fun truck to drive. The sales woman said, "hey, want to take an F150 Lariat for a test while you're here?" What does she have to lose on a rainy Friday afternoon? I said, "sure, let's do it". The F150 if very smooth, very quiet, nicer ride overall compared to the Ranger Raptor. Also, it's HUGE. Enormous. I would not want to live with a full size truck on a daily basis. Too much of a PITA in my view. Yesterday, I drove a couple trails that would have sucked in an F150. It would have been harder, it would have gotten very scratched up and I probably would have lost a side view mirror (almost lost it on the Ranger!). The only way I'd personally consider an F150 or similar is if/when my wife and I decide to get a larger camp trailer (right now we travel with a teardrop).

So, how would use this truck? Is one much better than the other for those uses?

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[trafficman337]

All depends on how you plan to use the truck? eg: Fast off-roading, or hauling/towing?

I am looking for a daily type of driver, an occasional light load from Lowe's. In my lifetime, I have never driven a vehicle off road, but have had my share of Raptors. I know it is a bit strange, but looking at the RR as a sporty alternative when taking the cars out is not an option. I like the lines and performance of the RR and quite honestly, I spent a Sunday morning walking my dealers lot and I am beside myself on the new way Ford is putting a keyless entry pad on the new F150. You take a loaded Lariat, closing in on an MSRP of 80k and they stick a keypad on the door that looks like it was made in an elementary school science experiment. I am leaning on taking my delivery on the RR when it comes in. With a build week of 8/4, I am hoping for the second week of September. Thanks!

 

[trafficman337]

Depends mostly on your use case. I agree that an F-150 Lariat will likely have higher resale than a Ranger Raptor, but I'd focus more on how you're going to use it while you own it than what it will be worth when you're ready to move on. IMO it's too big of an expenditure to focus on resale more than how it fits into your life.

I have a Ranger XLT which is OK, but not great. I'm very tempted by a Raptor. In April, I found one available for a test drive. Loved it. It's a very fun truck to drive. The sales woman said, "hey, want to take an F150 Lariat for a test while you're here?" What does she have to lose on a rainy Friday afternoon? I said, "sure, let's do it". The F150 if very smooth, very quiet, nicer ride overall compared to the Ranger Raptor. Also, it's HUGE. Enormous. I would not want to live with a full size truck on a daily basis. Too much of a PITA in my view. Yesterday, I drove a couple trails that would have sucked in an F150. It would have been harder, it would have gotten very scratched up and I probably would have lost a side view mirror (almost lost it on the Ranger!). The only way I'd personally consider an F150 or similar is if/when my wife and I decide to get a larger camp trailer (right now we travel with a teardrop).

So, how would use this truck? Is one much better than the other for those uses?

Thanks for the info and the time. I am looking for a weekend errand type of vehicle, with some light loads from Lowe's here and there. Also, looking for the sportiness of the RR and ability to park it without a challenge. What started the whole thing was the resources and cost. I was just looking at all the incentives that come with jumping into a full size truck and seeing the margin between the two. When you look at all the incentives on, say, a new Lariat F150, before tax, your flirting with about a 4-6K difference. At this point, unless there was ever further incentives offered, I am leaning toward the RR.

 

[gmpetrie]

Look at the Lariat Ranger. Based on you use case, it may be a better fit. Here are what I understand the downsides of the Raptor relative to the Lariat:

- RR needs Premium Gas
- RR gets slightly lower MPG
- Somewhat lower towing capacity

If you are OK with these, then the Raptor is a great choice; both trims are excellent IMHO.

My fully loaded Lariat was about $5K below the Raptor MSRP.

 

[trafficman337]

Depends mostly on your use case. I agree that an F-150 Lariat will likely have higher resale than a Ranger Raptor, but I'd focus more on how you're going to use it while you own it than what it will be worth when you're ready to move on. IMO it's too big of an expenditure to focus on resale more than how it fits into your life.

I have a Ranger XLT which is OK, but not great. I'm very tempted by a Raptor. In April, I found one available for a test drive. Loved it. It's a very fun truck to drive. The sales woman said, "hey, want to take an F150 Lariat for a test while you're here?" What does she have to lose on a rainy Friday afternoon? I said, "sure, let's do it". The F150 if very smooth, very quiet, nicer ride overall compared to the Ranger Raptor. Also, it's HUGE. Enormous. I would not want to live with a full size truck on a daily basis. Too much of a PITA in my view. Yesterday, I drove a couple trails that would have sucked in an F150. It would have been harder, it would have gotten very scratched up and I probably would have lost a side view mirror (almost lost it on the Ranger!). The only way I'd personally consider an F150 or similar is if/when my wife and I decide to get a larger camp trailer (right now we travel with a teardrop).

So, how would use this truck? Is one much better than the other for those uses?

My head is spinning right now with the final decision, although as I have stated earlier in the thread, I am leaning toward to RR. I am fortunate enough to have a take home work car for now, but whichever truck I decide on, will mostly be used on the weekends to run the occasional errand, or Lowe's trip. At this point, I am intrigued with the sportiness and documented fun driving with the RR, so I leaning that way.

Look at the Lariat Ranger. Based on you use case, it may be a better fit. Here are what I understand the downsides of the Raptor relative to the Lariat:

- RR needs Premium Gas
- RR gets slightly lower MPG
- Somewhat lower towing capacity

If you are OK with these, then the Raptor is a great choice; both trims are excellent IMHO.

My fully loaded Lariat was about $5K below the Raptor MSRP.

Thanks! I wish I had room and the funds to buy all of them! Lol. I will head over to the dealer tomorrow after work. They have a Lariat Ranger. I will check it out. That would be another case where my 2000.00 cash back offer would work and there would be employee pricing involved as well. I do like the looks on the RR though, at first quick look, you would swear it was a full size 150.

 

[Tailwagger]

- RR needs Premium Gas

Raptor only requires 87 (regular), unless you flash it in which case it requires 91.

 

[gmpetrie]

Good to know, and I stand corrected. Thank you for the correction!

 

[markal49]

Thanks for the info and the time. I am looking for a weekend errand type of vehicle, with some light loads from Lowe's here and there. Also, looking for the sportiness of the RR and ability to park it without a challenge. What started the whole thing was the resources and cost. I was just looking at all the incentives that come with jumping into a full size truck and seeing the margin between the two. When you look at all the incentives on, say, a new Lariat F150, before tax, your flirting with about a 4-6K difference. At this point, unless there was ever further incentives offered, I am leaning toward the RR.

For that use case, I'd definitely go Ranger. Have you tested the F150? I was really surprised how much I didn't like driving something that large. As others suggested, take a hard look at the Lariat (or even XLT) Ranger. You'll spend even less and it will do what you want. My XLT has the FX4 package and the advanced towing and tech package, so lots of bells and whistles for the $47k I paid (less these days). One of my biggest complaints is that I find the seats rather uncomfortable, but that's a personal thing. The Raptor seats are better IMO, the Lariat seats are not IMO.

 

[gmpetrie]

Lariat seats work for me!

 

[LantaLurker]

I traded in my 23 f150 for a RR. The f150 has a comical amount of storage, the backseats are basically a studio apartment. I didn't utilize most of it but definitely nice to have. The f150 was also much harder to park and maneuver in tight spaces. It does have ventilated seats unlike the RR but it isn't nearly as sporty, it has a ton of body roll. I would argue the f150 rides much more like a cloud but doesn't handle bumps nearly as well as the RR. The f150 can tow alot more but realistically with the lower payload of the lariat you're only towing 8-9k max, even then most people will tell you to get a HD if you're towing more than 7k for some reason.

The f150 can be equipped with a hybrid if you do a ton of city driving, and the pro power onboard allows you to use the truck as a very efficient and quiet generator for camping, your house or anything else you would need.

It boils down to whether you want a sports car that can do it all vs a utility boat. The only thing that would compell be towards the f150 would be the hybrid and all the goodies that come with it, and the additional room. If you don't need/want either and want a sportier truck the RR is a no brainer

 

[trafficman337]

Well, first and foremost, thanks everyone for your input. Much appreciated. Made a decision to go with the Ranger Raptor. The truck is being built the week of 8/4, so I am hoping to see before mid September. I really paid attention to the usage questions, I am not towing anything and don't have any kids left at home where I need to shuttle anyone around in the backseat. Looking forward to getting the Shadow Black RR. Thanks again!

 

[gmpetrie]

Glad to help! Enjoy the Raptor! I’m sure you will really like it!!

 

[Dre' Dawg]

Can I play too? From a local car show last night…

Can I play too? From a local car show last night…
To all you RR / Shelby owners... life doesn't get any better... y'all are members of the Bad Ass Club!!

 

[Lion77]

Parents are in their mid-60's and have a 2015 F-150 with the 5.0, super cab and 8ft bed. I think the tow rating is right around 10k~11k and that's mostly what they use it for (larger camper). A bit older than some of the other's mentioned, but still a common F-150 variant that's not ancient.

I've borrowed it on several occasions for hauling cargo and absolutely hated driving it. Suspension tuning felt numb and vague, steering was also numb and a bit sloppy / imprecise, the throttle response was like almost nothing until you get to 50%+ then it starts to move decent (I prefer a more aggressive throttle mapping common in sports cars like a Mustang or sporty daily's like Mazdas). It just felt like this big floaty thing. I actually liked driving a 2001 F-150 with the 4.6 better (just felt more connected to the road strangely).

As others have mentioned, it's also a big boat. It hauls a lot of stuff and has a cavernous interior which some people like and use (parents have two large dogs that sit in the back seats), but I just feel like it's too big for non-work / hauling / towing applications and outside of that would never consider one. If you think the F-150 is bad size wise, think about the F-150 Raptors....they are what, 6 inches wider than a regular F-150? Great for big open desert-scapes, suck-tastic for EVERYTHING ELSE.

I most of the rest fo the world, a Ranger, Colorado, Tacoma sized truck is considered "full sized". If you go back to the 90's and early 2k time period or prior, the F-150s / Tundra's / Rams of that era are about the size of Gen 2 ranger (just a bit longer).

So, while the Ranger Raptor is considered a mid-sized truck by today's standards, it's really a full-sized truck by historical norms and globally. I'd say it's "right sized" for the majority of uses. If you tow / haul, I think most people are served well by the 7,500 lb capacity of a regular ranger, but even the 5,500 lb tow of the RR is not bad for average stuff (utility trailers, U-haul car dolle's with compact cars, small / mid-sized campers, UTV's etc.).

Here's my feedback on my 2024 Shelter Green RR (Pro Cal Tune + TriboTEX on entire powertrain):

1. Power and torque are copious, the combination of the 10R60 (7 forward gears) and the nice mid-range and linear torque band roll-off mean power is ALWAYS on tap, literally. This is obviously more unique to the Raptors in particular of any type, but all the Ford trucks now use 10 speeds.

2. The bed is wider and more spacious than previous gen "mid-sized" trucks like the 3rd gen Taco's, Colorado's of Gen 1 Ranger (2019-2023). It's just about right for average use cases and there's workarounds for some more uncommon use cases (i.e., hauling 12-foot boards, use a trailer).

3. The suspension design and tuning is unique, it's the only truck with a Watts which typicaly what you would find on something like a dirt oval late model tube frame race car (4-like with watts quick change rear ends). So, it does very well off-road for articulation but it's also verty precise and predictable making it more "sports car like" than some of the larger trucks. Sure, it's less capable at crawling due to ride height / articulation, but it's also going to out-handle the other mid-sizers on 99% of terrain, especially as you add speed. Also, the only mid-size with live valve shocks, including remote reservoirs in rear, this is a legitimate race suspension for off-road.

4. The live valve shocks offer better response over a variety of terrain since they are actively tunable through the drive modes. Your not stuck with "soft floating" suspension on-road or a "overly stiff" and unpredictable ride off-road. It does surprisingly well at both and if you do swap on more "road oriented" tires like Falken Wildpeaks, the on-road handling really comes alive. I kept the K03's since I want more off-road focus and I think they are fine on-road for most of my uses, but it's an option.

5. Interior is simply elegant in my opinion. It's not overly busy, feels solid and quality (mostly), mine doesn't have any rattles, just a very functional down to business sport appearance that fits the truck's personality. It's a decent size, not too big, not too small. Back seat is big enough for kids and teens unless they are super tall, but most of my family is under 6ft tall and I have a son that's only 5, so no issues there.

6. Pro Cal allows you keep your warranty and is factory-like reliability, the truck was developed by Ford Performance, they did the Pro Cal tune using standard development that's done at the OE level that includes compensation for temp, altitude, humidity and high load conditions with all the factory safeties for temp etc. Not many other that offer that and I would NEVER use any ECU cal other than factory on something that didn't have a built bottom end (forged pistons and rods, i.e., an actual race-built engine).

7. Truck is very mod-friendly. You can do a lot of things with it from Baja, to rock crawling to trails to sand dunes to overlanding / camping etc. It's just a versatile truck that does a lot of things reasonably well.

8. Ironically, when Ford Performance did their promotional video comparing the RR to the Bonco Raptor to the F-150 Raptor R, the Ranger was the fastest OVERALL (combined time of all 3 courses). Why? Because it does a lot of things well even if it's not the best at any one thing. Bronco was best at crawling, F-150 Raptor R was fastest on large desert baja, but both were slower on the tighter tracks. So, on average, it's a very fast truck and that was stock.

9. Even bone stock, the off-road performance of this truck is VERY good. It may not be the absolute best as trails / crawling stock (mostly due to not having sliders which is a somewhat easy fix if that's your thing), but even with the factory ride height, it can do 99% of the trails / general off-roading.

10. In TFL's truck test, it was the ONLY truck they tested (and it was Pro Cal tuned) that passed their Toaster Test, aka towing max load at high altitude in 90+F heat. Probably because the powertrain is capable of towing 7.5k but the truck has to be de-rated to 5.5k due to suspension limitations (stability of the off-road suspension), but still, it's very capable and even with the Pro Cal tune you maintain tow rating (same applies to F-150's including raptors and Bronco's, but not the Explorer ST where you give up towing if you do a Pro Cal, guessing cooling system isn't up to task).

Sorry for the very long and massively overly detailed post, but there's a lot of good things to say about this truck! It's not perfect like anything, but it does a lot of things very well and at a very reasonable price (comparatively).

 

[Dre' Dawg]

Parents are in their mid-60's and have a 2015 F-150 with the 5.0, super cab and 8ft bed. I think the tow rating is right around 10k~11k and that's mostly what they use it for (larger camper). A bit older than some of the other's mentioned, but still a common F-150 variant that's not ancient.

I've borrowed it on several occasions for hauling cargo and absolutely hated driving it. Suspension tuning felt numb and vague, steering was also numb and a bit sloppy / imprecise, the throttle response was like almost nothing until you get to 50%+ then it starts to move decent (I prefer a more aggressive throttle mapping common in sports cars like a Mustang or sporty daily's like Mazdas). It just felt like this big floaty thing. I actually liked driving a 2001 F-150 with the 4.6 better (just felt more connected to the road strangely).

As others have mentioned, it's also a big boat. It hauls a lot of stuff and has a cavernous interior which some people like and use (parents have two large dogs that sit in the back seats), but I just feel like it's too big for non-work / hauling / towing applications and outside of that would never consider one. If you think the F-150 is bad size wise, think about the F-150 Raptors....they are what, 6 inches wider than a regular F-150? Great for big open desert-scapes, suck-tastic for EVERYTHING ELSE.

I most of the rest fo the world, a Ranger, Colorado, Tacoma sized truck is considered "full sized". If you go back to the 90's and early 2k time period or prior, the F-150s / Tundra's / Rams of that era are about the size of Gen 2 ranger (just a bit longer).

So, while the Ranger Raptor is considered a mid-sized truck by today's standards, it's really a full-sized truck by historical norms and globally. I'd say it's "right sized" for the majority of uses. If you tow / haul, I think most people are served well by the 7,500 lb capacity of a regular ranger, but even the 5,500 lb tow of the RR is not bad for average stuff (utility trailers, U-haul car dolle's with compact cars, small / mid-sized campers, UTV's etc.).

Here's my feedback on my 2024 Shelter Green RR (Pro Cal Tune + TriboTEX on entire powertrain):

1. Power and torque are copious, the combination of the 10R60 (7 forward gears) and the nice mid-range and linear torque band roll-off mean power is ALWAYS on tap, literally. This is obviously more unique to the Raptors in particular of any type, but all the Ford trucks now use 10 speeds.

2. The bed is wider and more spacious than previous gen "mid-sized" trucks like the 3rd gen Taco's, Colorado's of Gen 1 Ranger (2019-2023). It's just about right for average use cases and there's workarounds for some more uncommon use cases (i.e., hauling 12-foot boards, use a trailer).

3. The suspension design and tuning is unique, it's the only truck with a Watts which typicaly what you would find on something like a dirt oval late model tube frame race car (4-like with watts quick change rear ends). So, it does very well off-road for articulation but it's also verty precise and predictable making it more "sports car like" than some of the larger trucks. Sure, it's less capable at crawling due to ride height / articulation, but it's also going to out-handle the other mid-sizers on 99% of terrain, especially as you add speed. Also, the only mid-size with live valve shocks, including remote reservoirs in rear, this is a legitimate race suspension for off-road.

4. The live valve shocks offer better response over a variety of terrain since they are actively tunable through the drive modes. Your not stuck with "soft floating" suspension on-road or a "overly stiff" and unpredictable ride off-road. It does surprisingly well at both and if you do swap on more "road oriented" tires like Falken Wildpeaks, the on-road handling really comes alive. I kept the K03's since I want more off-road focus and I think they are fine on-road for most of my uses, but it's an option.

5. Interior is simply elegant in my opinion. It's not overly busy, feels solid and quality (mostly), mine doesn't have any rattles, just a very functional down to business sport appearance that fits the truck's personality. It's a decent size, not too big, not too small. Back seat is big enough for kids and teens unless they are super tall, but most of my family is under 6ft tall and I have a son that's only 5, so no issues there.

6. Pro Cal allows you keep your warranty and is factory-like reliability, the truck was developed by Ford Performance, they did the Pro Cal tune using standard development that's done at the OE level that includes compensation for temp, altitude, humidity and high load conditions with all the factory safeties for temp etc. Not many other that offer that and I would NEVER use any ECU cal other than factory on something that didn't have a built bottom end (forged pistons and rods, i.e., an actual race-built engine).

7. Truck is very mod-friendly. You can do a lot of things with it from Baja, to rock crawling to trails to sand dunes to overlanding / camping etc. It's just a versatile truck that does a lot of things reasonably well.

8. Ironically, when Ford Performance did their promotional video comparing the RR to the Bonco Raptor to the F-150 Raptor R, the Ranger was the fastest OVERALL (combined time of all 3 courses). Why? Because it does a lot of things well even if it's not the best at any one thing. Bronco was best at crawling, F-150 Raptor R was fastest on large desert baja, but both were slower on the tighter tracks. So, on average, it's a very fast truck and that was stock.

9. Even bone stock, the off-road performance of this truck is VERY good. It may not be the absolute best as trails / crawling stock (mostly due to not having sliders which is a somewhat easy fix if that's your thing), but even with the factory ride height, it can do 99% of the trails / general off-roading.

10. In TFL's truck test, it was the ONLY truck they tested (and it was Pro Cal tuned) that passed their Toaster Test, aka towing max load at high altitude in 90+F heat. Probably because the powertrain is capable of towing 7.5k but the truck has to be de-rated to 5.5k due to suspension limitations (stability of the off-road suspension), but still, it's very capable and even with the Pro Cal tune you maintain tow rating (same applies to F-150's including raptors and Bronco's, but not the Explorer ST where you give up towing if you do a Pro Cal, guessing cooling system isn't up to task).

Sorry for the very long and massively overly detailed post, but there's a lot of good things to say about this truck! It's not perfect like anything, but it does a lot of things very well and at a very reasonable price (comparatively).

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