Reminiscing on the good ole days when Ford’s highest performance engine was eight cylinders, the rules of carbon and fuel were much looser back then. And as with the change of time, Ford reinvited the wheel with a better performing V6 alternative. The problem was, putting a V6 in something as dramatizing as the Raptor was like opting for the V6 Mustang in the early 2000’s – it did not matter how cool you thought you were, it was still a V6.

Sadly, that is how the Raptor of today has always been looked at – sure it looks cool, and even though the high-output EcoBoost engine produced a rabid 450-horsepower – at full throttle it just sounded sad.  However, now that there is a new player in town with the RAM TRX their supercharged V-8, Ford was not going to bend over and let RAM be on top.

It is bit strange when we start to look at the numbers, the RAM TRX produces 702-horsepower; which makes us wonder why Ford kept to the even figure of only 700-horsepower when developing the Raptor R. Granted, an extra 3-plus horsepower wouldn’t have been all that noticeable, but when it comes to comparing sizes, every inch, uhhh, horsepower matters. Afterall, ego is on the line. At least when it comes to the off-road performance, the only ego you must worry about is your own.

Spotting a Raptor R in the wild will be like trying to tell the difference between breast implants and the real things. The Raptor R looks nearly identical to the EcoBoost Raptor apart from a slightly more bolstering hood and some graphics on the side with the number ‘8’ in tiny print that gives the impression of mud, a key detail is that there is on one ‘V8’ notation printed in the graphic – it is like trying to find Waldo. Spotting a Raptor R is one thing, but there is a dramatic difference in hearing one with its 5.2-liter supercharged soundtrack when at full throttle sounds like the growling stomach of a hangry wife in need of a snack and a good nap. The similarities are daunting.

Swapping out the EcoBoost V6 for the Mustang’s GT500 5.2-liter supercharged V8 is no easy task. Ford had to recalibrate the intensity of the Raptor to take on such extreme performance with an upgraded cast stainless steel exhaust manifold, a unique oil cooler and filter with a deeper oil pan to handle more aggressive situations. The air intake had to be upsized to allow for higher air flow. And because the V8 now weighs more, there had to be suspension work too with an increase in the spring ratings and more muscular frame brackets.

On the pavement, the V8 springs into action when duty calls to outrun anyone that looks at you the wrong way. Unlike modern day performance cars, the Raptor R does not have a launch control system; simply put the torque management system within the four-wheel drive and drive modes are simply capable enough to achieve such demanding acceleration. Just put the truck in Sport and set off; in 3.5-seconds you will be reaching 60-mph as the 10-speed transmission shuffles through its gears like a race car. Just to compared to the intensity of how quick that can be, most common electric vehicles carry similar acceleration time – that is bloody quick. And since we here like stroking egos, it is claimed that the Raptor R is about .1 of a second quicker than the RAM TRX.

When it comes to the off-road chops, all things are the same. Every off-road software & hardware has been carried over from the EcoBoost Raptor making the Raptor R an unstoppable tank when the terrain gets rough. This includes the insanely comfortable and impressive adjustable Fox Live Valve dampers, adjustable steering system, and the dominating 37-inch BFGoodrich off-road tires. Naturally, there is also the Active Exhaust that carries four different modes: Quiet, Normal, Sport, & Baja. But come on Ford, we really only need two, Quiet and Load As Fff, uhhh, heck… And we only say quiet because at highway speeds, Baja mode does get a raspy after a while.

Now, we do have a rule here at SSB, a vehicle that costs over $109,000 isn’t one we want to put into any extreme or even really, any mildly aggressive scenarios, were not Top Gear or Motor Trend after all. So, we didn’t test the off-road nature of the Raptor R. Which as we already know is plenty capable when the dirt road ends. It is really up to you to find those limits – we don’t carry enough insurance to find out.

As near as it makes no difference, the Raptor R carries a $30,000 premium over the EcoBoost Raptor. Is it worth it? Depends on how big your ego is and how much you really don’t care about the money. But with the violent sounds of a V8 gurgling in your driveway, the pure blissful joy you feel knowing you are .1 of second better than the RAM TRX, and that moment you pull up to a EcoBoost Raptor, you sit back and smile at the speed you’re about to lay down… now how can you put a price on that kind of happiness.