I reviewed the previous Raptor last summer and, if you recall, loved it, although thought it needed a bit more power for the size of vehicle. It was marginally lacking in grunt for something that looks the way it does.

I mentioned this to the press fleet manager and he said there was a V6 coming and he’d let me know when it was ready. Well, that time has now come.

Serious grunt for a seriously big truck

The Facelifted-Raptor V6 is now available in the UK with a 3-litre V6 ecoboost engine that produces almost 300 horsepower and a stonking 583Nm of torque. Some serious grunt for a seriously big truck.

I’ll be upfront about this – the fuel economy is not great, but considering the size of it, the weight of it, and the engine… that’s hardly surprising. Ford reckon the combined cycle will get around 20mpg and for the week I had it, I clocked just over 400 miles and managed 21.8mpg, although that included a couple of lengthy motorway trips.

But what about the off-road performance? Does the Raptor V6 still hold its own? Sadly, I didn’t get to really put it through its paces, but all those who have give a resounding ‘yes’. The Raptor V6 has impressive suspension and off-road tyres that mean it’s still capable of tackling even the toughest terrain.

I also wondered about the cost of replacing those tyres, and at a little more than £300 each to replace, they seem an expensive option at first. Given the sheer volume of rubber though, and the unlikeliness of a puncture, I think that investment will last a long time!

Comparing it to the previous version, the 4-cylinder Raptor is still a capable truck and I still love it, but there is a notable difference in both power and torque, meaning it moves off the line very well for something so big. Officially, the 0-60 time is less than eight seconds, which feels fast enough when you’re that high off the road.

Parking was an issue

In truth, it felt fine on the roads, it was just parking that was the issue. At 5.4m long, it would hang out of the end of most spaces, and the width meant space between bays was somewhat limited.

But would I recommend it? I think this is a real marmite moment. Many people I spoke to loved it, many hated it and there was little to no middle ground. Me? I love it. If I had the need for a truck, the budget for a truck (this spec cost £62k) and the funds to keep it full of petrol, then I’d go for this every time.