Ford Introduces The 2013 F-150 Limited, Improves Raptor

William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

June 26, 2012

Ford's current policy on pickup trucks is to continuously update them with new models and powertrains. For the 2013 model year, Ford introduced a mild-refresh of the F-150 and now has a new model to introduce, the F-150 Limited.

The Limited takes the place of the King Ranch, Harley-Davidson, and Platinum of being the top dog in the F-150 lineup. With four trucks taking the luxury stance in the F-150 lineup, you're left wondering what makes the Limited special.

Unlike the King Ranch, Harley-Davidson, and Platinum, the Limited doesn't really have a stand-out identity.Think of it as a Lariat with more luxuries.

The Limited's exterior gets a set of 22-inch polished aluminum wheels, more chrome trim, HID headlights, and raised “Limited” lettering on each side of the bed. The front and rear bumpers, grille surround, fender flares, and side-mirror caps are painted in of three colors available on the Limited: Ruby Red, Tuxedo Black, and White Platinum.

Inside, the F-150 Limited gets heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, and MyFordTouch standard. Also standard on the Limited is a backup camera, voice-activated navigation, Sony audio system, power-sliding rear window, power running boards, power-folding side mirrors, a 110-volt outlet, a tow package and trailer brake controller, and a reverse sensing system.

If you want an F-150 Limited, be prepared since you can only order it as a SuperCrew and get it with the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 making 365 HP and a six-speed automatic. You can spec either two or four-wheel drive for the Limited.

The F-150 Limited will come out sometime this fall.

What Does Ford Have In Store For The 2013 Raptor?

2012 saw massive improvements for the Raptor with a Torsen limited-slip front differential, an available front-view camera, and other items.

For 2013, Ford decided to make the Raptor more off-road ready by introducing factory beadlock-compatible alloy wheels, which happen to be the first wheels in the world to offer conventional and Beadlock mounts. Beadlocks secure the edges of the tire between two surfaces, keeping the tire on the rim when off-roading with low tire pressure.

If you want this for your 2013 Raptor, you'll need to get a beadlock ring kit from Ford Racing.

Other changes for the 2013 Raptor include HID headlights, MyFord Touch, and a new exterior color called Terrain.

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

Press Releases on Page 3 & 4

• Building on three decades of truck leadership and a decade of luxury pickup innovation, Ford marks the 2013 model year with its most refined F-150 yet
  
• Offering standard SYNC^® with MyFord Touch^®, navigation with SiriusXM^® Travel Link^™, rain-sensing windshield wipers and high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, F-150 Limited features an unprecedented level of customer convenience and connectivity technologies
  
• Featuring series-specific Limited details on the exterior like dimensional box-side lettering and unique 22-inch polished aluminum wheels, F-150 Limited has stylish red and black full-grain leather and genuine aluminum and piano black finishes
  

DEARBORN, Mich., June 26, 2012 – Ford, the industry’s truck leader, marks the launch of the latest F-150 with a new statement on pickup luxury for 2013 – the F-150 Limited.

“The F-150 Limited signifies the highest levels of design refinement, luxury and technology that we’ve ever offered in a Built Ford Tough pickup truck,” said Ford Group Vice President for Product Development, Raj Nair. “The F-150 Limited reflects a growing trend – more and more customers today have high expectations for luxury and convenience, yet their needs call for a truly capable truck.”

Ford leads the luxury truck segment. In 1999, the company introduced the special-edition 2000 Harley-Davidson F-150. In 2001, the first King Ranch F-150 arrived. The 2009 F-150 took truck luxury to new heights with the Platinum model.

Today, more than 30 percent of F-150 sales are from these high-end trims, with MSRPs that start at more than $35,000 and reach almost $50,000.

Limited meets the still untapped and growing luxury needs of customers and dealers interested in exclusivity and fine craftsmanship who want to differentiate themselves from other high-end options. F-150 Limited surpasses the well-appointed Lariat, western-themed King Ranch and contemporary Platinum.

Refined exterior design

The 2013 Ford F-150 Limited design combines unique 22-inch polished aluminum wheels and center caps with a monochromatic exterior theme available in three handsome hues – Ruby Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat, Tuxedo Black Metallic and White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat.

The theme carries through the F-150 Limited exterior design with body-color front and rear bumpers, front bumper valance, sideview mirror caps, wheel-lip molding, upper fascia and grille surround.

Segment-first HID headlamps provide a signature look while delivering two and a half times more light than conventional halogen lamps. Lamp detailing even incorporates F-150 insignias.

Jewel-like chrome highlights the bold three-bar grille, tie-down hooks lining the cargo box, the single tip of the tuned exhaust and the tow hooks on 4x4 variants. “LIMITED” dimensional lettering accents the box sides.

F-150 Limited is available exclusively with a SuperCrew four-door cab configuration.

Inside Limited

Rich red and black full-grain leather-trimmed seats take luxury and style to new heights in trucks – capitalizing on a trend seen in other high-end luxury vehicles. The seats also offer cooling and heating with memory functionality to remember seating preferences for two different drivers. Head restraints are four-way-adjustable and second-row seats are heated, too.

Aluminum trims the center panel and console, lending a sophisticated yet technical touch that complements the piano black accents. Ambient lighting can shift the mood of the F-150 Limited interior, offering five accent colors.

A standard moonroof provides the upward view, while the rear view camera aids maneuvering visibility. Voice-activated navigation offers a bird’s-eye view via a centrally mounted 8-inch LCD screen. A power-sliding rear window features privacy tint and defrost functionality.

Connectivity comes standard with MyFord Touch^® powered by SYNC^®. Designers have optimized the physical interface for MyFord Touch to accommodate truck users who may be wearing work gloves by providing easy access to climate controls and audio presets on the center stack.

Limited offers a unique gauge cluster design with a 4.2-inch driver-programmable productivity screen that can be customized to monitor various vehicle systems. The new series level also includes a media hub with USB ports, an SD-card reader and RCA video input jacks. A powerful Sony^® Audio System is standard.

Built Ford Tough

F-150 Limited brings uncompromised capability for entrepreneurial and lifestyle pursuits with an electronic six-speed automatic transmission with tow/haul mode, trailer tow package, trailer brake controller, Reverse Sensing System, power-deployable running boards and a 110-volt power inverter.

PowerFold side mirrors keep warm and dry in inclement weather and help ensure driver visibility with heated glass, memory position functionality, puddle lamps, turn signals and self-dimming actuation.

F-150 Limited is powered exclusively by Ford’s ground breaking 3.5-liter Ti-VCT EcoBoost^® engine, featuring:

• 365 horsepower at 5,000 rpm on regular fuel
  
• Unsurpassed 22 mpg highway for 4x2 model
  
• Twin independent variable camshaft timing for improved fuel economy
  
• Best-in-class 420 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,500 rpm vs. premium V8 competitors
  
• Up to 90 percent peak torque available from 1,700 rpm to 5,000 rpm
  

To complement that power, sport-tuned dampers are fitted front and rear for confidence-inspiring road dynamics.

F-150 Limited arrives at dealerships this fall.

• Ford raises the F-150 SVT Raptor bar again for 2013, offering industry-exclusive beadlock-capable wheels to help increase grip in low-traction conditions
  
• SVT Raptor now offers high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps for improved visibility, SYNC^® with MyFord Touch^® for added connectivity and an all-new earth-toned color called Terrain
  
• New Raptor offerings build on internal triple-bypass FOX Racing Shox^™ dampers, Torsen^® front differential and front-mounted camera technologies, adding even more high-performance off-road capability
  

DEARBORN, Mich., June 26, 2012 – Ford is delivering higher levels of capability in the new 2013 F-150 SVT Raptor, answering the call from off-road enthusiasts for even more performance.

The latest Raptor features available industry-first, direct-from-the-factory forged-aluminum conventional wheels that can be upgraded after purchase to extra-capable beadlocks, plus other functional improvements. These include available high-intensity discharge HID headlamps that are brighter and whiter than standard lamps, significantly expanded connectivity features and Terrain, a new earth-toned exterior color.

“Ford F-150 SVT Raptor’s popularity continues to grow based on its proven reputation,” said Ford SVT Chief Engineer Jamal Hameedi. “It’s the ultimate high-performance off-road pickup, so it’s critical that we continue to push the boundaries of off-road capability. New available beadlock wheels help to improve Raptor’s performance in soft sand and other challenging conditions, enabling our customers to go further.”

SVT Raptor sales are up 20 percent in 2012, breaking last year’s record in the January to May period.

Off-road high performance

Raptor’s newly available forged wheel combines the proven reliability of a conventional wheel with the capability to convert to a true beadlock wheel.

Beadlock wheels secure the edges of a tire to the wheel between two surfaces so the tire is unlikely to roll off the rim if it’s aired down to very low pressure, providing extra grip on the trail.

Raptor’s wheels are unique because converting from conventional rim to beadlock only requires that customers unbolt the standard outer decorative ring, dismount the tire from its regular position and then remount the tire in the lock-enabled position with the available beadlock ring kit from Ford Racing.

This marks the first application of a wheel that has both conventional and beadlock-mounting abilities – a solution so innovative that Ford has filed for a patent on the system.

“Raptor’s exclusive beadlock wheels give the customer the best of both on- and off-road worlds,” said Adam Wirth, SVT chassis engineer. “Tire inflation can be dropped to a very low threshold for maximum traction under extreme conditions, yet holds tight – and stays tight – when returning to the road.”

SVT Raptor connectivity

SVT Raptor features Ford’s acclaimed SYNC^® communications and entertainment system, allowing hands-free voice-activated control of a driver’s mobile device and the truck’s audio system. For 2013, SVT Raptor adds a new 4.2-inch multifunction LCD screen for the MyFord^® driver connect technology.

SVT Raptor’s driver connectivity can be upgraded to MyFord Touch^® using an 8-inch center stack touch screen with five-way controls mounted on the steering wheel. In addition, this connectivity upgrade features the 4.2-inch productivity screen, mounted in the instrument cluster. Driver-configurable, this LCD screen includes menus for gauge setup, trip computer, fuel economy and towing/off-road applications. Truck-specific MyFord Touch offers additional button controls and rotating knobs to accommodate a driver’s work gloves.

SVT Raptor can be specified with an available voice-activated Navigation System using the 8-inch screen and SD-card capability for map and points-of-interest storage.

A rear view camera is available as well.

Inside SVT Raptor

SVT Raptor is equipped with standard unique leather and cloth-trimmed seats, with driver’s side power actuation and six-way adjustability. These seats feature Raptor-specific bolsters to keep the driver and first-row passenger firmly in place, regardless of terrain conditions.

The SVT Raptor interior features unique center stack and door trim appliqué finish and leather-trimmed steering wheel with thumb pads.

SVT Raptor can be ordered with an optional Luxury Package, adding numerous comfort and convenience technologies. In addition, SVT Raptor can be specified with an interior color accent package, featuring contrasting blue against a black environment and real aluminum trim components.

Cloth-trimmed sport seats are available to government and fleet buyers.

Outside, SVT Raptor is available in Race Red, Blue Flame Metallic, Tuxedo Black Metallic, Ingot Silver Metallic, Oxford White and a new Raptor-exclusive hue for 2013, desert camouflage-inspired Terrain.

SVT Raptor prowess and power

Since launching as a 2010 model, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor has set the benchmark for low- and high-speed off-road performance.

Aggressive all-terrain tires, industry-exclusive internal triple-bypass FOX Racing Shox^™ dampers, skid plates and standard Hill Descent Control^™ have established Raptor as an off-road force to be reckoned with.

Building on this foundation, SVT engineers expanded Raptor’s footprint for 2011 with a four-door SuperCrew model, joining the two-door SuperCab original.

A Raptor development imperative has been to continually improve off-road prowess in every dimension, from rock-crawling to hammer-down desert-running.

Last year, Ford began offering a front grille-mounted camera to improve driver visibility when climbing over rocks and other obstacles that might be obscured by the front of the truck. The camera transmits the captured image via the center stack-mounted LCD screen. A washer function helps keep the camera’s field of vision clear in wet and muddy conditions.

The 2012 model year saw Raptor add a Torsen^® limited-slip differential to the 4WD system enabling the truck to balance traction between both front wheels. If the left front wheel loses traction, the system forces torque to the right front wheel, and vice versa. The system is optimized to help minimize steering kickback when navigating challenging surfaces.

The SVT Raptor is available exclusively with a 6.2-liter V8 engine, producing best-in-class 411 horsepower and 434 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to an electronic six-speed automatic transmission with tow/haul mode and SelectShift Automatic^® functionality. The 4WD system features electronic shift-on-the-fly capability for the transfer case.

The front axle features the Torsen differential with 4.10 to 1 gearing. The rear axle is also 4.10 to 1, with an electronic-locking differential.