Revolutionizing the Truck World: Factory Five XTF Unleashes Your Inner Off-Road Maverick

Factory Five: XTF

So, picture this: you've got a knack for turning wrenches, an insatiable desire for the Ford F-150 Raptor, but a nagging feeling that it could be even more remarkable with some suspension magic. Oh, and let's not forget about that extra $25,000 burning a hole in your pocket and a relatively recent Ford F-150 just waiting for its grand transformation. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the automotive dream we're about to present is none other than Factory Five Racing's latest marvel, the XTF.

Imagine rolling down the streets of Ensenada, ready to take on the Baja 1000 – not in your average F-150, mind you, but in your very own creation, the XTF. Sure, you might be pondering which class you'd enter, but that's all part of the adventure, right? After all, you won't be needing that stock F-150 frame anymore.

In the past, Factory Five's kits involved a bit of donor hardware scavenging, taking bits and pieces from production cars to create something entirely new. But the XTF is a game-changer. You start with an F-150 and end with an F-150, albeit one that now boasts off-road superpowers. The catch? You've got to build the entire truck from the ground up.

Factory Five: XTF

When you're seeking a suspension that's not just impressive but downright jaw-dropping – we're talking 16 inches of travel up front and a staggering 20 inches at the rear – the stock Ford frame just won't cut it (for reference, a Raptor R manages a mere 13.0 inches of front travel and 14.1 inches at the rear). So, what's the secret sauce? It's Factory Five's brand-new tube frame, a masterpiece that replaces the stock ladder frame. This frame is no lightweight – it's 100 pounds heavier than the Ford frame, but it's almost twice as strong and boasts a whopping 327 feet of tubing. The good news is, the installation process might not be as intimidating as you'd think, thanks to the self-contained cab of the 2015 and later F-150. Unbolt it, unplug the wiring, and voila, you're ready to roll – well, roll your sleeves up and start building your dream.

Now, here's the kicker. The $24,990 kit is tailor-made for 2015–20 F-150 four-by-fours packing the 5.0-liter V-8 or the turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 (the newer models won't do). You'll want the crew cab with the 5.5-foot bed and a 26-gallon fuel tank. You see, Factory Five wanted to design this kit around the kind of truck people actually buy, so the ideal prerunner might not fit the bill, but the end result is nothing short of spectacular.

Factory Five: XTF

At first glance, the XTF could easily be mistaken for a Raptor R, what with its flared fenders and massive 37-inch tires. But look a little closer, and that distinctive tube frame gives away the game. It peeks out beneath the rocker panels, leading back to the four-link, coil-spring rear suspension with towering remote-reservoir Fox dampers. The bed is aluminum and, on this particular truck, almost entirely occupied by the optional spare tire (the mount comes in at $199). Those fiberglass fenders are part of the kit and give the XTF an imposing 90-inch width, three inches broader than a Raptor R. As a result, the hood, grille, and tailgate are all Factory Five creations too.

For an additional $6990, you can get the body components in clear-coat carbon fiber, which is not too far off the cost of matching the fiberglass panels to the cab if you opt for the paint route. The nose panel, by the way, is carbon fiber, no matter what. You can further customize your XTF with extras like a rear anti-roll bar for $465 and a tow package for $675. The latter isn't just a hitch; it also includes axle-limiting straps and a Panhard rod to keep the rear suspension in check when towing.

Factory Five: XTF

The carbon-fiber additions slice a cool 34 pounds from the build, helping offset the 388-pound weight gain we observed compared to a similarly equipped 2017 F-150 crew cab with the same powertrain. The Factory Five XTF clocks in at 5862 pounds, and that hefty spare-tire assembly and bed mount account for 130 pounds of that weight. So, it's no surprise that the XTF lags slightly behind the stock truck at the drag strip, even with a mild tune that adds about 60 horsepower. It achieves a 5.9-second 60-mph time, 0.2 seconds behind the standard model. The XTF's generous frontal area becomes noticeable at higher speeds, with a quarter-mile time of 14.8 seconds at 88 mph, while the stock truck records 14.3 seconds at 97 mph. But here's the kicker – the XTF has no problem bulldozing enough atmosphere to hit its 110-mph top-speed limit. And we must stress, our acceleration tests don't involve cinder blocks strewn across the field, but if they did, we'd bet the XTF would come out on top.

To give the XTF a real off-road workout, we made the trek from Factory Five's headquarters in Wareham, Massachusetts, to the Team O'Neil rally school in Dalton, New Hampshire. On the highway, the truck proved itself to be a competent pavement cruiser, akin to a Raptor. Its ample tire sidewalls and suspension travel translate into a comfortable ride, while the stock interior maintains its factory comforts like ventilated seats and a panoramic roof. With the rear anti-roll bar in place, the XTF behaves well on the road, although its all-terrain 37-inch Toyo Open Country M/T tires contribute to a skidpad result of 0.70g and a 201-foot stop from 70 mph. Once you disconnect the rear anti-roll bar, the XTF unleashes its full off-road potential, as we were about to discover.

Factory Five: XTF

But here's the challenge, both on-road and off: the XTF's width. To our surprise, the street parking spaces in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, are just a tad smaller than 90 inches, and out on the trail, the only obstacle that could halt an XTF would be two trees spaced 89 inches apart.

In our quest to push the suspension to its limits, we handed the XTF over to rally driver Wyatt Knox and gave him one simple instruction: find the nearest jump. After a bit of acclimation on the dirt skidpad and slalom course, he aimed the truck uphill toward a steep crest, designed to send rally cars airborne. But rally cars don't come close to the XTF's 20 inches of suspension travel. Instead of flight, the XTF's suspension extended to its full stretch, like a cat clinging to a fabric sofa, and the front tires barely saw daylight. "Normally, that's a jump," Knox remarked with a grin.

Factory Five: XTF

Foiled once more, we decided to tackle a mudhole designed to challenge axles and lift tires off the ground, teaching drivers how to deal with these situations. Yet again, the XTF refused to play by the rules. It tucked its high-side rear tire under the fender and extended the low side deep into the rut, maintaining ground contact like a true pro. If the rear axle were any more flexible, it would be giving a dissertation on modern juxtapositions of the patriarchal monarchy in the American frontier, as exemplified by King Ranch.

When it comes to small-scale manufacturers seeking their niche in the automotive world, there's always the looming threat that a major OEM might decide to emulate their concept on a mass production level. Just think of the Jeep Gladiator, which overshadowed the AEV Brute, or the Factory Five GTM, which was eventually eclipsed by GM's mid-engine Corvette.

However, the XTF, the desert-racer truck of dreams, takes this thrilling concept further than ever before, and we dare say, further than it may ever go. It's a creation that Ford may never undertake, but the beauty of it lies in the fact that you can make it a reality.

Unveil your unique journey in the world of high-performance vehicles with the XTF - a vision unbound by corporate constraints and a testament to the extraordinary possibilities in the realm of custom automotive craftsmanship.

Factory Five XTF Specifications