VWerks' Predator Provides Affordable Raptor Look
By Larry Edsall
So, you like the way the Ford Raptor looks, but you don't necessarily need — or simply cannot afford to purchase or to insure — a pickup truck that can fly across desert terrain at full speed.
If that's the case, consider the 2013 VWerks F-150 Predator, which offers a Raptor-like appearance but not that truck's extreme performance.
If VWerks sounds familiar, it's likely because you've heard about its KTS version of the Ram pickup or the various Jeeps it has modified, including converting four-door Wranglers into pickups.
Or perhaps you've heard of VWerks' parent company, Venchurs Vehicle Systems, which does compressed natural gas powertrain conversions for Ford pickup trucks.
VWerks' latest conversion offering is the Predator, well, the Predator and the Sabre, but we'll get to the Sabre in a moment.
While the Ford Raptor comes only with a four-wheel-drive powertrain that includes Ford's 411-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8, the Predator package can be applied to any F-150 SuperCrew short bed. The add-on package — Predators are sold as turnkey trucks through Ford dealerships — includes a fiberglass hood, vented front fenders with inner splash shields, new rear bedside panels, front grilles, a front bumper valance and a Venom bumper, LED lighting kit, 2-inch leveling kit, V-Tec Wizard 395 black wheels, 35-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires and graphics.
The suggested cost is $16,500 in addition to the cost of a new F-150, which can carry any of the available Ford powertrains.
If you want more, there are other options: Katzkin leather seating, side steps, a rear Venom bumper, cold-air intake, cat-back exhaust, rear leaf springs and a tonneau cover.
However, if, as VWerks General Manager Greg Golab puts it, you don't want your truck Baja style but somewhat more reserved, there's the Sabre, a sort of executive work truck.
The Sabre is designed for any F-150 SuperCrew. The conversion includes a new hood, 2-inch Superlift Level-It Lift kit, Flowmaster performance exhaust, 20-inch Moto Metal wheels in chrome or satin black with BFG tires and a Hypertech speedometer calibration, as well as floor mats and badging.
Options include a PHP EcoBoost Performance kit, Pro Comp shocks, Go Rhino nerf bars, Kicker audio, an UnderCover Lux SE tonneau, Katzkin leather seating and more.
The basic Sabre conversion adds $10,400 to the F-150's price. For information on either kit, call VWerks at 855-264-4372.
Comments
@Dean
Infinity seems to be very 'NA'. Outside of that market it isn't very big.
Lexus is sort of similar, but we have lots of Lexus cars on the road. We have what we call the Toyota Prado which is extremely similar to the Lexus 470, a mid size 4x4 wagon. They are extremely popular here.
As for the Patrol, it used to be very popular in Australia, but since the Renault buy out of Nissan, Nissan have been slow to produce a replacement.
The Y62 replacement Patrol is much more expensive than the Y61 Patrol. The Y61 was great because it was an affordable large SUV for the average family.
The Y61 Patrol is quite cheap here at about $55k, but it's drawback is the engine. Nissan have had a gap for a reasonable cheap light diesel for a large SUV/Pickup.
I hope the ISF Cummins works out as it will be a fantastic diesel that will be able to take on the European diesels.
This is what is great about competition, fair competition.
@Dean
I don't know about the chassis being a Titan chassis on the Patrol.
The Titan runs on a modified Navara/Frontier setup.
I think the Patrol has its own unique chassis.
I'll check it out. I'm not 100% sure.
VWerks 2012 Ram 1500: Doomsday Ram. http://www.fourwheeler.com/featuredvehicles/129_1212_vwerks_2012_ram_1500_doomsday_ram/
NO! This is the ultimate poser truck. The only reason I would ever get a Raptor is for the off road performance.
@Evan
I think this indicates that the Raptor is quite a marketing tool for Ford. Flattery?
What is the value of the Raptor name? It appears to be of greater value than some give it credit for.
Look at Coca Cola as a brand name, it's quite valuable.
This will only make more people want a "the real thing" Raptor even more, not take sales away.
SO I'm not trying to tear this down, but I don't see the value...$16k for a new front clip, new quarter panels, a leveling kit, some tires and some rims sounds REALLY overpriced.
If you add this to a $35k SuperCrew F150, you're basically looking at the same price as a new Raptor.
Now at $8k, I'd say they have something...but even still, I'd rather build a new F150 with a 6" lift for $8k (or less). It wouldn't look like a Raptor, but it would still look awesome.
Will the predator hood & grille fit flush with the regular f150 fenders?
I'll take the hood and the grill--you can get rid of all that other junk. The the F-150 will look like a real truck and not just a Big Rig poser.
I'll take the real thing. Just the best truck around. Good they have to make imitations of the RAPTOR just as fiat ram tried to do. How many of those do you see? What was that ram thing called?? #1 truck is from FORD.
@Dildo Hemi, 100,000 dollars huh?? Shows your stupidity as usual.
Wait a minute here... You can get the Shelby Raptor treatment for $18,000 and you have to pay $16,000 for this kit? No thanks. I realized this is an apple's to orange's comparison, but it just gives you an idea of how much less you get for your money.
As others pointed out, you get so close to the cost of a Raptor, why do it? Maybe if you already have an F-150 and wished you'd gotten a Raptor?
Owen: I think you missed the part of having to buy the Raptor first, to get the Shelby Raptor!
For $16.5K, I'd expect a lot more suspension performance than a 2" leveling kit. Heck, you can shell out $4000 for a performance suspension that'll give 17" of usable travel in the front and 12" in the rear. The front flares and bed sides can be had for about $2000. Add wheels, 35s, and a rear locker and you've got a very capable truck (more capable than a raptor?). All for less than $8k.
Sandman: I was just making a value for money comparison. From Shelby you get a superchargers and other go-fast goodies, where for the same money from vwerks you get some fiberglass and led's. I know the base-vehicle-prices are wildly different, hence my use of the term apple's-to-orange's.
Maybe you need a more direct comparison, you could get an F-150, forego the vwerks bodykit and have someone install you a supercharger for less money.
In the end I am merely echoing what others have said, this is a huge waste of money. Anyone happen to know what it would cost to get Raptor fenders/Grill from Ford?
This is way too much money to spend for what you get. Just go buy the Raptor.
Any credible Off Road shop could mod your F150 for less that this.
I'd buy the fake Raptor grill if it could be bolted on to a standard F150.
Maybe the real Raptor grill would work so what's the point?
OHHH NNOOOOO how dare someone be able to buy a Raptor to do anything other than fly through the dunes at 100MPH.... that what all Raptor owners swear they do. Anyone who buys this is just a poser with too much money to spend. Now how will anyone know if you have the "real deal" or not.
@ devilsadvocate - 'tis worse to be a poser with a pretend product than be a poser with a real product.......
When I owned sport bikes, people used to ask me "how fast does it go?"
The next question was always "how fast have you had it up to?"
My answer........ 165.............165.
You can make a scooter look like a 165 mpg crotch rocket, but you'll never hit 165 on a scooter.
Either way, most are posers but one poser has more cred than the other.
Ford requested a $9 billion line-of-credit from the government, and a $5 billion loan from the Energy Department. Ford pledged to accelerate development of both hybrid and battery-powered vehicles, retool plants to increase production of smaller cars, close dealerships, and sell Volvo. Ford is in better shape than GM or Chrysler because it had already mortgaged its assets in 2006 to raise $24.5 billion. Although Ford didn't need, and didn't receive any funds, it also didn't want its competition to get the upper hand thanks to the government bailout.
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