Yes, I live in a desert and it's the perfect environment for what it was designed for. Hell, I put aftermarket wheels and big tires on my Land Rover and wheel it all over the desert. People seem shocked to see it offroad. Clearly have no idea Land Rover heritage. I get what you are saying though. I see trucks back in the US that are decked out and likely never seen so much as a blade of grass off-road.
The Raptor really isn't bad when you break down the parts / mods. It's coming stock with 35" BFG TA/KO2 tires, the lift kit would cost a few grand, beefed up control arms, etc, high output engine, etc it adds up. If you took a stock F-150 and modded it to be similar or equivalent, you'd spend quite a lot.
I will toss a pic of my LR on here when I get home. (imgur blocked at work).