When you climb into a performance car based on a regular family vehicle, you know what you’ll get: piano black plastics or fake carbonfibre in place of some more dainty trims, maybe some Alcantara, and aluminium inserts on pedals, maybe with a bit of red stitching here and there. For the Raptor, kinda think the same, only rather more subtly, and with Ford’s trademark blue writ through it.
So the Alcantara is there, on the seat pads, in seats that are Raptor branded and more figure hugging than those of most pick-ups but, thankfully, not full-on buckets. The steering wheel is large and round and marked with a red stripe at top dead centre, which, given 3.5 turns between locks and the nature of this car, is way more sensible than it is on a hot hatch. Gearchange paddles are magnesium, and blue stitching abounds, extending even to the dash top, which, in an effort to raise a budget pick-up’s interior to £50,000 levels, features a leather finish.
All in, these changes work well enough: throw in a comprehensive touchscreen and media system (see ‘Multimedia’, right) and the Raptor – spacious front and back, although the rear is better for two than three – does a passable enough impression of a ‘proper’ car rather than a commercial vehicle, provided you’re prepared to overlook some of the cheaper, more brittle plastics.
Behind the passenger space is a load bay the same size as the regular Raptor’s, at 1560mm by 1575mm, on top of which you can stack various cover options. The tailgate is easier to lift than it looks, but throw in the vast ground clearance the Raptor has and you’re looking at a vehicle whose ‘boot’ is on the inaccessible side unless you’re on a stool.
