Getting close to purchase time for me. I've been presented with a dilemma that has me considering a 2013 Raptor instead of a 2016 Lariat. I have my own thoughts on the pros/cons of each.

Anyone here have a Raptor before their 2015 or 2016 non-Raptor? Please share your experience with both.

For reference, my planned purchase, if new, would be a 2016 Lariat 3.5 EB

 

I currently have a 2014 Raptor(my second) and a 2016 Platinum with the 3.5 EB.
The pros on the Raptor....It's a bad *** truck with presence, awesome sound, looks, ride quality and acceleration. The seats are MUCH better than on the 2016, deeper and softer cushions with nice non stretched out looking leather with awesome cooling features.
2016.... It's a nice truck with a nice interior with great electronic gadgets and features. The 3.5 has nice power but it runs out of steam above 4200rpm, normally where the v8's are starting to pull real hard. The new software for the nav/radio is light years better than the older set up in the raptor and 2015 model year Fords. The seats are ok but feel thin and the cooling feature really sucks! The ergonomics are iffy... there is some stitching on the arm rest that really digs into your elbow and there is a hard spot on the door where my knee always hits unless i have the seat all the way down to the floor(i'm 6 ft1).
Fuel mileage...combined city and hwy driving of 72 miles round trip per day with 90% of it being on tolls running about 80/85mph. The Raptor(you dont buy one for the fuel milage) gets 10.8 mpg but it is also supercharged and putting out just a hair under 700 hp with 37 inch tires. The 2016 EB completely stock truck is averaging 16.2mpg.

 

My roommate had a raptor he let me drive, and I have a '15 5.0. I'd rather have the '15. As awesome as the raptor is, it burns fuel like you wouldn't believe and isn't always very practical. Car washes may refuse to clean it, parking garages can get pretty iffy, and the extra width makes it difficult to park in busy areas. They say that if you can afford the truck you can afford the gas, but when the fuel prices go back over $2 a gallon you're going to feel a big sting unless your daily commute is short. Your money may be better spent on a loaded 15/16. The NA 6.2 V8 isn't that far ahead of the 5.0 in power. Put an exhaust on the 5.0 and you'll get the same glorious feeling you would stepping on the gas in the raptor. Both are great trucks. It's a matter of practicality.

 

I had a Raptor. It wasn't practical for me. I ignored common sense and good advice to get it, because it was so damn cool. When gas was pushing $5 a gallon I was regretting my choice. As well as every time I had to park it anywhere but my driveway. No parking lot is your friend in a Raptor.

I'd suggest reading this thread: http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f4/sh...-raptor-31113/ As well as some other stickies in that same sub-forum of FRF.

 

Those are some BA pics of your raptor

 

I had a 14 raptor for awhile. It looked just awesome, rode good, and sounded good. It also felt slow, stopped like a freight train, and sucked gas.

Now I don't drive much so the gas thing didn't bother me a bit. But the stopping and acceleration were horrible. My 15 is clearly faster.

I really wasn't happy with the raptor, but I can't think of a major issue. I sold it for s profit last fall when the market dried up and lots of people still wanted one.

 

I had 2 Raptors and MUCH prefer my 15 XLT.

Now the 17 Raptors....hmmm......

 

I had a '10 Raptor, bought new in '10 and sold three years later with just 18k miles on it. It was great but I never used it for what it was intended for and it seemed like it just mostly sat in the driveway. The fuel mileage was bad but that didnt bother me because I only filled it up once a month anyway. It held it's value much better than other vehicles I've owned.

Now I have a '16 Lariat FX4 with EB 3.5L, a 4" lift, 35" tires and some other mods and absolutely love it. It rides smooth, stops much better, fits in parking spaces better, fits in some car washes, and I just like driving it more. It didnt cost as much as the Raptor so I'm not so worried about doings mods to it or getting it scratched.

 

Why?

Thanks to all the answers so far.

 

The 17 Raptor is supposedly coming with around 450 HP EB, + 10 speed tranny, wider, more crap on it etc.