2023 Ford F-150 XL vs. Ford F-150 Raptor
The Ford F-150 is undoubtedly one of the best trucks in America, and the numerous trims make it nearly impossible to choose one. The Raptor is one of the best-looking F-150’s of the year, but is it worth the extra money? We’re comparing the XL to the Raptor to figure out whether the upgrade is worth it.
Price
The first thing most people will notice is that the Raptor is substantially more expensive than the XL. The starting MSRP on the XL is $33,695. Ford lists the Raptor with a starting MSRP of $76,775 or over $107K for the Raptor R. That’s a significant hike in cost which can definitely put a dent in your monthly budget. Is the Raptor really worth nearly twice or three times as much?
Powertrain
The Raptor has a heavily upgraded powertrain when compared to the basic Ford F-150 XL. The XL comes standard with a 3.3-liter V6 engine which gets 290 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. Ford allows customers to upgrade to a twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that gets 325 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, but even the upgrade doesn’t compare to the Raptor at all.
The Raptor was built for power and fun, like off-road racing. Ford even has races revolving around this year’s Raptor. It’s equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine with a 10-speed automatic transmission. This gives it 450 horsepower with 510 lb-ft of torque. The Raptor R, meanwhile, boasts a supercharged 5.2-liter high-output V8 engine with 700 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque
Towing
Most people purchase a truck so they can tow and haul more stuff. After all, shouldn’t your truck work as hard as you do? The Ford F-150 is one of the best trucks for hauling on the market with a maximum towing capacity of 14,000 lbs. and a maximum payload of 3,325 lbs.
According to Ford, the new Raptor R can tow as much as 8,700 pounds, which isn’t even close to the regular F-150’s towing capacity, and it’s safe to assume that the basic Raptor tows even less. Case in point: the Raptor is not for towing,
If you are looking for more towing power, you might want to look into the Ford F-250 and F-350.
Features
Keep in mind that the XL is the base for the Ford F-150, which means the features will barely compare to other trims. It comes with a SYNC infotainment system, satellite radio, smartphone integration and an 8-inch productivity screen. As you can see, there’s nothing notable about the XL for interior features.
The Raptor is closer in features to the premium trims offered by Ford, and has plenty of bang for your buck. It comes with everything the XL has and more, including aa 12-inch touchscreen, a 12-inch digital productivity screen, adaptive cruise control, Ford MyKey, a reverse-sensing system, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and so much more. It’s up to you to decide whether the added features are worth the extra cost. In the end, it’s probably going to come down to whether you need the extra muscle.
