The big, bad Raptor returns next year as a 2017 model with a new angle on Baja flavored performance. Truck fans are buzzing about the Raptor’s twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, coupled to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The boosted, small displacement motor is a gamble by Ford but with strict fuel economy regulations coming soon, this is just the beginning of a new era.

Not to worry though as Ford says its 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 with twin turbochargers will pump out around 450 hp, easily out muscling the old 6.2-liter V-8, which was rated at 411 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. The new motor will have less weight to push around as the Raptor’s aluminum body weighs a whopping quarter ton less than the outgoing model. Will this added agility make the 2017 Raptor handle even better off road? Only time will tell.

The new super truck comes standard with enlarged Fox Racing shocks, Torsen limited-slip front differential, a new transfer case and a Terrain Management System with multiple driving modes that can be dialed in according to road conditions.

The styling is an updated spin on the old model’s “Tonka Truck” persona. Check out the gigantic “Ford” stamped grille and tailgate, beefy fender flares, and muscular track that sits six-inches wider that a standard F-150.

The interior is all new with paddle shifters for the 10-speed automatic and roof-mounted switches wired for auxiliary aftermarket gear. Previously, the Raptor had a six-speed automatic with no paddle shifters and auxiliary switches that were located in a not-so-convenient location on the dash.

Finally, the Raptor is no longer an SVT badged model – as a matter of fact, none of Ford’s new lineup of performance vehicles are. Instead, the new family of performance vehicles will fall under the Ford Performance Group family.

Ford says the new Raptor will go on sale as a 2017 model in the fall of 2016, so get your checkbook ready.