The 2025 F-150 Raptor Has a Lower Payload Rating Than This Weird Iranian Ute

There are some crazy modern trucks on the market these days, with roomy interiors, luxurious appointments, and the kind of power figures that would make your priest question whether God or the devil were involved in their construction. These vehicles often make tradeoffs though, and sometimes the tradeoffs can be pretty embarrassing. Imagine realizing your 2025 Ford F-150 Raptor is rated to haul a lower payload than a hacked-up French car from 40 years ago.

The Ford F-150 Raptor is a mean machine, to be sure. It boasts a twin-turbo V6 good for 450 horsepower, which will fling it to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds. The bonkers Raptor R bumps up to a V8 with 720 horsepower and does the same sprint in just 3.6 seconds. All that, and it will gladly haul five people at a rapid pace over whatever nasty desert terrain you care to throw at it. And yet, the Raptor is limited somewhat when it comes to one fundamental point—it’s got a payload capacity of just 1,400 pounds — over 1,000 pounds shy of other F-150 models. That means it technically has a lower payload rating than some rather less truck-ish machines; especially one.

Enter the IKCO Arisun 2 . Imagine someone took a Peugeot 405 sedan, hacked the back off, and replaced it with a tray (bed) —because that’s exactly what Iran’s biggest automaker did. Now, you might think this chopped-up, compromised ute would be outperformed in every way by the brawny American pickup. And yet, it’s rated to haul a bigger payload than the Ford any day of the week.

The figures are even more surprising when you look at the relative spec sheets of our two contenders. The Arisun 2 weighs just 2800 pounds, but has a payload capacity of 1653 pounds (750 kg). Compare that to the 5,710-pound curb weight of the F-150 Raptor, which steps up to 6,090 pounds for the Raptor R. Each is only rated for a payload of 1,400 pounds.

It’s worth remembering that payload generally includes passengers. The more friends you’re carrying, the less capacity you’ve got for stuff. With only two seats up front, the Iranian ute comes out ahead in that regard. You can bring one friend, and that’s it.

OK, it’s important we’re up front about the comparison. We know very well that Ford determines payload and tow ratings using the Society of Automotive Engineer (SAE) guidelines. As for IKCO, their methods are less clear. Thus, we can’t say definitively that the Arisun 2 actually outperforms the F-150 Raptor when it comes to hauling a payload. What we can say is that if you asked each automaker, the Iranians would be happy for you to haul more in the Arisun than the Americans would approve for the Raptor. Indeed, even if you’re buying an F-150 Raptor in one of the Middle Eastern countries where they’re on the market, the payload rating remains the same— at just 1,400 pounds . So if you’re in Iran shopping for a truck based on payload figure, looking on the literature alone the Arisun would be right there with the Raptor.

The older models from the Iranian automaker did even better with payload. The original Arisun could handle a payload of up to 1829 pounds (830 kg) in petrol guise. It would still carry a healthy 1653 pounds (750 kg) if you bought the version that ran on compressed natural gas.

These older Arisun models were built from 2015 to 2022, and also looked like the classic Peugeot 405. However, they were actually based on the IKCO Paykan, which was effectively a rebadged Hillman Hunter. They used a longitudinally-mounted engine driving the rear wheels, and were basically a mid-1960s car with a Peugeot 405 bodyshell stuck on top.

It’s amusing to compare the mighty Raptor with the humble and weird utes of Iran. It’s not necessarily a fair comparison, and not just because we don’t know how the Arisun’s figure is calculated. Unlike the Iranian products, the Ford F-150 Raptor is not necessarily intended to be an out-and-out working vehicle. Ford made compromises to the payload rating, but it was in the quest for performance. The F-150 Raptor has a chassis and suspension built around soaking up bumps at speed and maximizing off-road performance. To achieve a supple ride with great control in challenging terrain sometimes means compromising how much weight the truck can take.

Regardless, Ford’s desert runner can still can do real work. It’s rated to tow 8,200 pounds, so you can hook up a trailer and move some serious weight. It’s nowhere near as good as the rest of the F-150 range—even the hybrid model can drag 12,700 pounds without breaking a sweat. However, it dominates the unibody Arisun 2 in this regard; the Iranian contender can only tow a trailer up to 1653 pounds (750 kg); no surprise given the whole truck weighs barely any more than a Miata.

Let this be a lesson in first impressions. If you were looking at both trucks, and you had to haul 1500 pounds of cement, you’d probably be thinking the brand-new Ford would be the right choice. And yet, you’d technically be operating it outside its rated capacity, particularly when you add on the weight of the driver and passengers. Meanwhile, the dinky-looking Peugeot ute would actually be within its rated capacity. And looking at the two vehicles, I bet nobody would have guessed that.

Image credits: IKCO, Ford

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