How Santa's sleigh compares to a 2019 Ford Raptor

(December 19, 2018) A new comparison chart pits the 2019 Ford Raptor against Santa’s Sleigh. Although the latest iteration of Ford’s 4x4 truck is ready for 10 different driving conditions and has been known to catch air, Santa's Sleigh really has superior speed, hauling capabilities, and cargo space.

Breaking down the specs on each vehicle, the team at FordPartsOnSale.com put together an infographic to share some holiday magic with truck enthusiasts of all ages.

“This new generation of Raptor has lost a few hundred pounds, adapts to terrain changes, and has a Trail Control system,” says Don Heelon, parts manager at FordPartsOnSale.com. “If Santa had to travel on the ground, he’d want a Ford Raptor. It can crawl where necessary, race through deserts and highways, plow through snow, and even fly, if only for a second.”

Santa’s Sleigh proved itself a tough competitor. Breaking down the key features of each vehicle, the chart reveals the features where the Raptor impresses and other details where Santa leaves the Ford trailing behind.

The Raptor shines on these features and specs:

    • Fuel economy — The Raptor gets 15/18 mpg compared to the reindeer's 1-2 cookie per house requirement. The truck’s 3.5-liter turbo V6 is both powerful and efficient. The immense cookie fuel Santa requires will put his A1C and cholesterol levels in peril.

    • Transmission — The 2019 Ford Raptor has a 10-speed automatic that offers more of a traditional shifting experience that many drivers prefer. Shifting the sleigh is done through a series of proprietary grunts and whistles that instruct reindeer. An incorrectly executed grunt could cause unknown problems like missed deliveries.

    • Horsepower — The new Raptor produces 450 horsepower @ 6400 rpm, so a mere 9 reindeer (8 plus Rudolph) doesn’t seem like a contest.

Christmas magic gives Santa’s Sleigh the win on these features and specs:

   •  Suspension — The Fox dynamic dampers and the front-end position sensors help the new Raptor adapt to 10 different driving modes. Although the truck is adaptable and offers superb grip and handling, the sleigh’s suspension will always feel like you're riding on air. Of course, the sleigh is actually riding on air.

    • Cargo space and payload rating — If hauling gifts is your thing, Santa’s Sleigh wins every time. It has infinite cargo space. The Raptor has a mere 52.8 cubic feet of cargo room. Its hauling capacity hasn’t been released but rumors put it anywhere from 1000 to 1800 pounds. Of course, the big man’s got that beat.

    • 0-60 — This is where the sleigh tops it all. Despite being stuck with a huge curb weight, Santa’s rig goes 0 to 60 in an estimated 1/32 of a millisecond. The Raptor’s 5.1-second time seems lumbering.

“Ford hasn’t released the numbers, but we’ve heard the 2019 truck will tow up to 8,500 pounds. It’s got the torque,” says Heelon. “The other thing we hear is the 2020 Raptor will have the new 7.0-liter V8 as an option. If that’s true, we’ll have to put it up against Santa’s rig one more time.”