I recently wrote that the Lincoln MKX was the biggest car I've ever driven. That's no longer true. In fact, it's not even close. The Ford SVT Raptor is now by far the biggest automobile I've ever driven.
You gear heads will get off on the 6.2-litre V8 with 411HP and 434 ft-lb of torque. Ford tells me it's the "most powerful half-ton pickup available". I believe it. I've never had as much fun driving than I did this past weekend with the Raptor.
When you're driving the Raptor, you quickly get used to three things:
- You'll be bigger than all other cars on the highway - only the big rigs can compete
- You'll get lots of stares and guys will come up to you and tell you the Raptor is their dream car - if you tell them you own it, they'll be awfully jealous
- Parking it is your only problem - it simply doesn't fit in every spot and you'll be scared to take it underground - you'll end up parking it wherever you feel like it, because nobody would dare tow the Raptor
When I returned it yesterday, I was told I was the last one to borrow it. It's gone back to the dealer where it will cost you $80k or so make it yours.
I was also told that the guy before me took it off road with the windows down and it cost them $600 to clean it for me. I'm not making that up.
In closing, I loved my two weeks with the MKX and Raptor, but now I'm back to my Protege. I feel so low to the ground, I miss the powerful engine, and my dashboard doesn't seem interested in syncing to anything.
But damn, that was fun while it lasted.
