F-Series Friday: Raptor vs Roush: Which Tuned F-150 Reigns Supreme?

By Brett Foote - June 29, 2018

If you had to decide between a Roush F-150 and a Raptor, which would you choose?

In the old days, if you wanted a tuned pickup, you turned to the aftermarket. Companies like Roush, Saleen, and Hennessey have long offered seriously capable F-150 iterations, both on and off-road. But then Ford came along and dropped the Raptor on the world, offering a proper turnkey solution. And it comes with a full factory warranty. But as good as the Raptor is (and it’s really good), can it take on the old stalwarts?

Well, YouTuber Steve Cook decided to find out. He was lucky enough to score the keys to not only a new Raptor, but a Roush F-150 as well. More specifically, he’s looking to buy one. You see, Cook already owns a Jeep, but he needs a real truck to tow his boat with. So if you’re going to choose between a pair of incredible Ford trucks, why not film the whole thing and offer up an incredibly cool comparison?

One one hand, you’ve got the Roush F-150. Essentially a trim package available on Ford’s venerable pickup, the Roush sports one big advantage off the bat – it has a 5.0-liter V8 under the hood. On the other hand, you’ve got the Raptor and its adequate twin-turbo V6 power and undeniable off-road capability.

Cook immediately expresses some concern over the Raptor’s width, which makes drive thru chicken sandwiches tough to retrieve. But the Roush’s bolt-ons “can’t compare” to the SVT’s factory-built goodness. In the end, however, Cook chooses the Roush based on the fact that it’ll tow his boat more effectively. Because, well, the Raptor isn’t really designed to do that.

So which one is ultimately better? That question, friends, is one you’ll have to ask yourself. Because both of these tuned F-150s, despite their similarities, serve two very different purposes!