Ford Raptor

Thanks to Randall Bohl and Joe Sage of Arizona Driver Magazine for snapping and posting this shot of yours truly behind the wheel of the 2010 Ford Raptor.

Yes, I'm wearing a tie. TV and all that.

Anyway, this was at a special Ford event this past Tuesday (10/6) at Firebird Raceway south of Phoenix...a ride and drive for members of the Phoenix Automotive Press Association to get familiar with hot new FoMoCo product all in one place.

Some of them were vehicles already tested and posted here on TireKicker (Ford Taurus, Mercury Milan Hybrid), but we got a couple of fresh rides, too...including the Raptor.

A full review is coming, but I'll say this much in advance: The Raptor is going to be a huge and deserved hit among the serious off-road crowd, and is so well engineered and so civilized in everyday on-pavement driving that I believe it will sell to an even larger pool of drivers.

There's no denying the visual impact. And the way Ford's guys sweated every detail...well, that's a story for the full review.