Ford adds Raptor power to 2WD Ranger

Friday, 23 August 2019

Ford has announced the return of the popular dressed up FX4 model of its best-selling Ranger ute for the 2020 model year.

But instead of just being kitted up with exterior enhancements, big wheels and lots of stickers, the FX4 gets a much bigger upgrade under the bonnet in the form of the 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder engine and 10-speed automatic transmission that we first saw under the hood of the mighty Ranger Raptor, but has since appeared in both the Ranger Wildtrak and Everest SUV.

Because Ford offers the FX4 in both 4WD and 2WD form, this will also be the first time that the bi-turbo 2.0-litre has powered a 2WD Ranger.

'We are excited to be able to offer our customers the new FX4 with the bi-turbo engine,' said Simon Rutherford, managing director of Ford New Zealand.

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Along with the external additions the FX4 also gets plenty of stickers telling you what it is.

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'To have the addition of both a 4WD and 2WD Ranger FX4 really steps things up for them. And it's all wrapped in its very own design elements and features, to offer customers a Ranger with a genuine identity as a stand-alone model.'

On the outside the FX4 features include a unique black finish mesh grille, a darkened LED high performance lighting system, exclusive 18-inch alloy wheels, a deck liner and an FX4-specific extended sports bar, while inside it gets leather-accented seating embossed with red FX4 logos on the seatbacks, red stitching on the gear selector, handbrake boot and steering wheel as well as special door trim and FX4-branded floor mats.

Like the rest of the Ranger line up, the FX4 comes standard with Driver Assist Technology including adaptive cruise control, active park assist, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition and automatic high-beam headlights.

Ford says the FX4 will be available in Ford Dealerships from December and that it will announce pricing closer to arrival.