Which would you pick as the galaxy’s best off-roader, the Ford SVT Raptor or Mars Rover

Few people that didn’t grow up in the ‘60s and ‘70s remember that the Soviet Union launched rovers into space and drove them around on the Moon. The technology they used was incredibly advanced at the time. However impressive that feat, their pickup trucks are absolute rubbish. That is why the USA prevailed in the cold war. Remotely operated rovers are still cool, and the USA (with a little help form one of the guys who lived in the former Soviet Union) now drives rovers all over the red planet for grins and giggles – Excuse me to advance science. Let’s compare the Mars Rover’s off-road ability to the 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, one Earth’s best off-roaders, and see how they match-up.

Round One Tale Of the Tape
Let’s start with the shoes. The Rover is sporting Dubs. That’s right, sweet 20 inch alloys on “tires” so low profile there is actually no air. The Raptor is rolling on 17’s. Advantage Rover. Next up, let’s look at range. The Raptor can travel just over 450 Earth miles if driven sanely. The Rover can travel to other planets. Have to give this one to the Rover as well. Everyone knows that suspension travel is key in off-roading. The Raptor has about a foot of wheel travel front and rear. On the contrary, the Rover has about 4 feet of travel. Rover wins again. In the camera category the Raptor has two and the Rover 14. After round one the Rover is about to pin the Raptor.

Round Two - Weekend Practicality
In round two we will look at some fun and practical roles for off-roaders. During a trip to Home Depot, how many sheets of plywood can the Rover carry? Not one. However the Raptor can take home enough for a good size project. At a New England Patriots game, what score on a 1 to 5 scale, with one being the best does the Raptor score? It scores a solid two with plenty of space for a grill, two big coolers, chairs, umbrella, 6 bags of ice and 4 cases of beer. It is also sleep rated for two. The rover scores a 3 strictly on its chick magnet looks. Finally, in terms of GPS speed and updateability the Raptor gets high marks for its instant GPS response and instant Synch capability. The Rover takes 13.5 minutes to recognize commands form the home office.

In terms of price the Raptor is slightly ahead at about $46K loaded. The Rover is $2.5 billion, or about half a day’s US dept. After careful consideration the Torque News Staff awards the 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor the interplanetary off road favorite in this match-up.