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The rumors have been swirling around about the new V8-powered 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R for months. Will it have a supercharger? Will it be more powerful than the Ram TRX? Which V8 will it be? We will finally learn on Monday morning. But one thing is for certain: the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R truck will be beastly.

What’s so special about a Ford Raptor?

An orange Ford Raptor jumping in the desert
2021 Ford Raptor | Ford

Inside and out the Ford F-150 Raptor is a special truck. A Raptor is immediately recognizable by its giant black FORD grille, big shoulders, scoops, and of course its marker lights. The Raptor is so wide that the DOT requires it to have an extra set of marker lights on the grille. But it’s what’s underneath that’s really special. It has long-travel, faster reacting, shocks on 35-inch tires that help it bound through the desert like a competition trophy truck.

It has a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 that makes 450 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque. The Raptor needs all that power because this thing is big and capable. It’s only available as a five-seat SuperCrew and Ford expects you to do truck stuff with it, too. That includes its new tow and payload ratings for 2023 of 8,200 pounds and 1,400 pounds.

Inside, the truck 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor has paddle shifters, real aluminum trim, Recaro seats, and enough leather and wood to outfit a Victorian drawing room.

Will the new Ford Raptor have a V8? Yes.

The new 2023 Raptor R will have a V8, at least according to the CEO of Ford Jim Farley. The question isn’t really will it have a V8, but which V8. Ford makes several V8s, like the 5.0 Coyote that’s in Mustangs and several others. Most are expecting the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R to get a tweaked version of the Mustang Shelby GT500’s V8. It makes 760-horsepower in that car, and that should be enough to trump its Ram competitor. But, could it be the new 6.8 that CNET is reporting on?

What is the Ram equivalent to the Raptor?

This 2022 Ram 1500 TRX Sandblast Edition looks like a whole lot of fun in the sand.
2022 Ram 1500 TRX Sandblast Edition | Stellantis

In 2020 Ram started stuffing the bonkers supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi engine into a beefed-up Ram Rebel truck and called it the TRX. Why a TRX? Because a T-rex is a bigger and faster dinosaur than a raptor. Pretty much all of the original Ram’s sheet metal was updated to allow for the big motor and the new suspension. Like the Raptor, it has long-travel special suspension, bigger wheels and tires, and a stance like a race truck.

The TRX is special because it has 702 horsepower from that big V8. The Ram 1500 TRX starts at $80,685, or more than $100,000 for the new Sandblast edition.

How much money does a Ford Raptor cost? What’s the R’s premium?

The latest Ford Trucks Tweet, above, shows how you can watch the reveal. A regular Ford F-150 Raptor, if you can call a truck like this regular, costs $72,000. That includes a lot of goodies, but there are still options. You can get 37-inch wheels, a B&O stereo, a mobile generator that can run tools, and more. It’s hard to say how much the Raptor R will cost, but if it wants to compete with the TRX, it should be priced at about $81,000.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.