Fresh grille could be accompanied by a technology update for year-old F-150 super-truck
The Ford F-150 Raptor R has only been in production for 12 months and yet it’s already being treated to a facelift, judging by this latest batch of spy images snapped by our US photographers.
Seen here in an understated grey paint finish but with a fully camouflaged interior, the V8-powered tough-truck’s design changes appear to comprise little more than new grille and font textures for the front fascia.
The grille now features eight vertical slats arranged in pairs behind honeycomb-esque horizontal bars above and below big, revised ‘FORD’ lettering, which has long been the focal point of all Raptors, including the homegrown Ranger.
Sources close to the project have alluded to an updated set of decals adorning the 2024 Raptor R’s front wings and tub, but no such liveries are present on this spied pre-production vehicle.
Given its young age and identity as the ultimate petrol-powered F-150, the facelifted Raptor R is expected to retain its monstrous 522kW/868Nm supercharged 5.2-litre petrol V8 and its standard 10-speed automatic transmission, leaving the rest of the MY24 updates to be found within the cabin.
Word on the street is there’s an infotainment system upgrade on the way involving a bigger touch-screen – and probably updated software – which would need a minor dash redesign to accommodate it.
At this stage there are no confirmed plans to introduce the Raptor R or even the standard F-150 Raptor Down Under, but it’s possible Ford Australia could introduce the high-performance variant here as its new F-150 range-topper, pending the success of a local right-hand drive remanufacturing program that will soon result in four core V6 variants becoming officially available via local Ford dealers.
Such a move would provide Ford Australia with an answer for the savage, $200K-plus RAM 1500 TRX, sales of which have been running hot – despite long wait times – and will likely continue to do so given it has no factory-built rivals.
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Keyword: Upgraded 2024 Ford Raptor R breaks cover