Driving Experience in Urban Areas

[shane_02112]

I'm on the verge of buying a 2024 and although I don't live in an urban area, I do have to go downtown (Atlanta) a few times per month for in-office work and I'm wondering if the Raptor is parking garage-friendly? Asking because I have zero issues with the Badlands, but considering the added height and width of the Raptor I wanted to see if anyone could give their experience in similar situations. Thank you!

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[userdude]

In the South, probably fine. Up North or West coast, might be more suspect...

Years ago I had a big lifted 82 F-250 and got stuck in the Galleria garage in Houston because of the rollbar and break lights mounted on top. My friend rode in back, we drove around obstacles, and several times he had to push up those height bars they hang to get around. Somehow we drove in, but getting out took like half an hour... lol

 

[stampede1]

I would reconcile the clearance of the Raptor with the usual parking garages it will be expected to clear. As for maneuverability, it is almost 10 inches wider than the standard bronco. For its size, it has a respectable turning radius and it is not very long. The other issue is rear view visibility due to the 37 inch tire on the back of the vehicle which obscures most but not all direct rear visibility. The side view mirrors can pick up what is directly behind the Raptor rather well other than say a motorcycle or small car in a tailgating position. But for purpose of backing up, the rear camera is pretty good and has a wide angle effect that facilitates sighting vehicles or pedestrians approaching before they are actually behind you. One thing that I have noticed more and more lately in parking garages is that more spaces are dedicated to "compact vehicles", which can be annoying if other spaces regular spaces are not available.

 

[cobro92]

I would definitely check the garage(s) and make sure there is clearance first (width and height). Bring a tape measure. If you're only going down there during the day, it seems like an outdoor lot might be better, if you can find one close to work.

Last resort would be to park outside of the city and then take public transportation in.

 

[AZ_Craig]

I would definitely check the garage(s) and make sure there is clearance first (width and height). Bring a tape measure. If you're only going down there during the day, it seems like an outdoor lot might be better, if you can find one close to work.

This would be my take on it also. We're around 79" tall from the factory so if you have some rather low clearance garages (I've seen 6' 6" for instance), those will definitely be no bueno. You need to account for another 3 or 4 inches if you plan on doing any sort of permanent installation of a rack on your roof also (I'm pushing nearly 7 feet tall with my Trailrax on for instance). I pretty much figure if a garage is signed as having less than 7 feet of clearance now, I won't even think about trying to get in it.

Only other concern would be very tight squeezes in areas with high curbing where the width can be an issue. One thing I will mention is that the 360 cameras make parking quite easy and turning radius is really good. I personally prefer backing into spots in most cases as knowing where your front fenders are can always be a bit tricky in a tight squeeze. Tight parking spots can be a bit of a pain in the butt, but opening doors is generally pretty easy since our bodies are significantly narrower than the whole vehicle (and as long as you have a few inches of clearance on each side of your parking spot, you are generally fine). Personally I found parking a rented Chevrolet Tahoe I had a much bigger pain in the ass recently.

In a nutshell, I think it really comes down to the specific garage you need to deal with.

 

[Medicin3man]

My $0.02

Ive had the Raptor for over a year now. Ive driven in some pretty tight spaces, but at no point have i ever felt that the Raptor CANT be an urban vehicle. Its quite nimble and can get into some small spots. As far as parking garage, just keep the stock antenna...that is my guage!

 

[911braptor]

I’m in boston and the problem isn’t the height, it’s the width. Some of the garages here have lifts and it doesn’t fit into the lift tracks

 

[Bschurr]

Braptor in NYC is fun and gets a lot of eyeballs especially in the summer with the top off - tourists love it! I haven’t had a problem parking in a garage but, you do need to be aware of height clearances and prepared to get banged an oversized fee but, that applies to almost any vehicle larger than a Mini Cooper these days!

 

[Pipper99]

I would reconcile the clearance of the Raptor with the usual parking garages it will be expected to clear. As for maneuverability, it is almost 10 inches wider than the standard bronco. For its size, it has a respectable turning radius and it is not very long. The other issue is rear view visibility due to the 37 inch tire on the back of the vehicle which obscures most but not all direct rear visibility. The side view mirrors can pick up what is directly behind the Raptor rather well other than say a motorcycle or small car in a tailgating position. But for purpose of backing up, the rear camera is pretty good and has a wide angle effect that facilitates sighting vehicles or pedestrians approaching before they are actually behind you. One thing that I have noticed more and more lately in parking garages is that more spaces are dedicated to "compact vehicles", which can be annoying if other spaces regular spaces are not available.

Whew, I feel like I’m threading a needle getting my Badlands in my garage at home. I don’t think a Raptor would fit.

 

[indio22]

My company parking garage spaces would be awfully narrow for a Braptor. And parallel parking around the city (Chicago), a Braptor would stick out further than I'd like, asking to get clipped. I prefer a shorter wheelbase more narrow vehicle for urban use, my 2-door base Bronco does well parking and maneuvering in traffic. My old CJ-5 was great, could shoehorn that into any parking space.

 

[AZ_Craig]

And parallel parking around the city (Chicago), a Braptor would stick out further than I'd like, asking to get clipped.

It's really easy to get those 37s up on a side walk though.

 

[shane_02112]

[/QUOTE]

Whew, I feel like I’m threading a needle getting my Badlands in my garage at home. I don’t think a Raptor would fit.

It fits in my garage- I have about 3" clearance, and although I have two separate garage doors, there is plenty of room width-wise.

 

[911braptor]

Whew, I feel like I’m threading a needle getting my Badlands in my garage at home. I don’t think a Raptor would fit.

like a glove. 2” to spare! Haha

 

[Pipper99]

like a glove. 2” to spare! Haha

That’s awesome!

 

[911braptor]

Ha…yeah. I had my Boxster in that garage and it looked like a normal size garage. The raptor is just massively wide.

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