The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor drove away with top truck honors in the Northwest Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year Mudfest. The “Best Pickup” award is based on two days of grueling on-road handling and off-road testing courses driven by 28 members of the Northwest Automotive Press Association at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington.
The competition featured 27 crossover and sport utility vehicles vying in six categories, including compact, premium compact, family, premium, pickups and extreme capability.
“The pickups category was extremely tough this year,” said Tuan Huynh, NWAPA Mudfest Event Chair., Northwest Automotive Press Association. “Ford F-150 Raptor won the hearts of our members for its prowess both on-road and off over two days of rigorous testing.”
The win is the latest in a long line of awards the all-new F-150 Raptor has taken home. It was named Pickup Truck of the Year by FOUR WHEELER and Best Pickup for 2017 by Cars.com, and was honored with the Autotrader Must Test Drive award. Raptor was also named Truck of the Year by Popular Mechanics and AutoGuide.com.
The recognition highlights Ford’s yearlong celebration of F-Series as best-selling truck in America for 40 consecutive years and best-selling vehicle in America for 35 consecutive years. Join the #40YearsTough celebration at www.40YearsTough.com.
Ford F-150 Raptor stands alone in the high-performance off-road truck segment
The purpose-built, off-road F-150 Raptor builds on the success of its predecessor with performance gains and new technology. The all-new Raptor stands alone among high-performance off-road trucks, featuring a high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine generating 450 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque, plus a segment-first 10-speed automatic transmission and six-mode Terrain Management System™. Its high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body saves 500 pounds over the previous model.
The 2017 F-150 Raptor’s competition-proven chassis also sets the performance bar with its second-generation BF Goodrich KO2 tires designed exclusively for the truck’s extended off-road capabilities. In addition, upgraded FOX Shocks (jointly engineered by Ford Performance and FOX) are 44 percent larger with 3-inch diameter shock canisters (2.5-inch previously) and nine-stage bypass damping delivering improved suspension control. The new shock design enables an increase in suspension travel to 13-inches at the front and 13.9-inches at the rear (a 0.8-inch front and 1.9-inch rear increase in wheel travel compared to its predecessor).
