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Ford F-150 Raptor gets EcoBoost V6, new chassis and aluminum body [w/videos]

The Autoblog staff universally loves the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, and the truck's about to get even better. Coming in the fall of 2016 (we'd assume as a 2017 model), the next off-road-ready pickup from Ford will boast an all-new, purpose-built, high-strength steel frame and a lightweight aluminum body that saves more than 500 pounds when compared to the current Raptor. It's six inches wider overall than the regular 2015 F-150, which both makes it look awfully mean but also aids in stability when driving fast off the road, and new LED lighting elements make it stand out when the sun goes dim. Under the Raptor's muscular hood will be a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that will make more than the current 6.2-liter V8's 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque, though we don't have exact power figures for the next-gen Raptor quite yet. Also new will be a 10-speed automatic transmission, which will replace the current six-speed unit and ought to provide appropriate ratios for both rock crawling and high-speed desert trail running. Speaking of high-speed running, what makes the Raptor tick, perhaps more than any other single component, are its custom-designed suspension bits. Redesigned, larger Fox Racing Shocks with more suspension travel and all-new terrain management technology, combined with BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires, are the bits and pieces that allow for Baja-style off-roading. View 14 Photos The four-wheel-drive system in the next-gen Raptor will include a Terrain Management with settings for Normal driving, Street driving, Weather mode (for rain, snow or ice), Mud and Sand, Baja mode and Rock mode. According to Ford, the Raptor's new transfer case is designed to work as both a locking unit for crawling and a full-time unit for other off-road applications. A Torsen front differential will be optional. Basically, if all of this new stuff turns out to be as good in practice as it sounds in a press release, the next F-150 Raptor will only serve to separate Ford's off-road pickup even further from its half-hearted competitors. Feel free to watch the video and read more down below.

Shelby GT500 laps N"urburgring in under 7:40?

A couple of weeks ago we brought you footage and official times of the new Chevy Camaro Z/28 lapping the Nürburgring. With a 7:37.47 lap time, the Z/28 emerged as the fastest muscle car ever to lap the circuit. But what was missing from that picture was how fast the king of all Mustangs, the Shelby GT500, could manage to lap the Nordschleife.
Ford never released any information or footage of the GT500 on the Nürburgring that we were aware of - that is, until the guys at SVTPerformance.com put in a request for Mustang videos. Among the clips they received was never-seen, in-car footage of the Shelby GT500 lapping the circuit. And boy did it hustle.
Although not quite official, the video seems to show the GT500 lapped the venerated German track in a touch under 7:40. That would make it a tick or two faster than the Camaro ZL1 - but what of the Z/28? By Chevy's quoted time, the Z/28 is still faster than the GT500, but SVTPerformance suggests GM may have fudged the numbers a bit and scrubbed half a second or so off their lap time.

How the 2015 Ford Mustang will save your knees

The 2015 Mustang is one of the most hotly anticipated vehicles of the moment, and Ford continues to leak out interesting little details about its newest pony car. The latest info doesn't have anything to do with its quarter-mile time or handling, but if any of that goes drastically wrong, the innovative new glovebox-mounted airbag may prevent passengers from knee injuries.
All variants of the 2015 Mustang get the active knee airbag as standard, and it's the first vehicle in Ford's lineup to receive the system. The setup is actually quite simple and ingenious. The glovebox is made from a plastic outer panel that is attached to the inner door. Sandwiched between them is this new injection-molded plastic bladder that folds flat when in use. If the passenger-side airbag deploys, the system springs into action to act as a cushion for your knees. Compared to a traditional knee airbag that has to fully inflate, this arrangement is 65 percent lighter and can use a 75 percent smaller inflator. It's also basically invisible when you look at the glovebox door.
Ford spokesperson Ed Saenz declined to tell Autoblog whether the system will appear in other vehicles in the Blue Oval's lineup but said, "We're considering other applications." Provided it's effective, the approach seems too simple not to make its way to other products. Scroll down to watch a video showing how the glovebox-mounted knee airbag works.