Drive
Baja mode. This is the setting where you will have the most fun with the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor.
For those who don’t know, Baja is a legendary off-road race held annually between Mexico and California. Vehicles are specifically tuned to jump and power through a sandy course at incredible speeds. So the fact the Raptor has a Baja mode in its arsenal should give you an idea of how this plays out.
It’s not new to the 2019 model, but it has been improved to wring out the maximum fun factor of the vehicle. The tires grip the ground for dear life as I move up through the gears on a sandy path. They gobble up the deep sand with ease – maintaining pace while kicking up an impressive plume of sand as you go.
I hesitate about making that first – relatively small – jump for a split-second, but gun it anyway. That feeling of something so heavy gaining some airtime is hard to fathom, but there’s really no feeling like it. The upgraded Fox shocks absorb the landing and without a moment pause, the 2019 Raptor is back up to speed. It’s a thrill unlike anything else, and you only get it from an F-150 Raptor.
Overall
Yes, it will handle day-to-day driving perfectly fine – even if it is a bit of a gas guzzler. But you’d be missing the whole point of buying the 2019 Raptor if you didn’t take it off-road a couple of times per month. The Baja mode is a seriously moreish experience, and I can't wait for another go at it.