Road test: Ford Ranger Raptor

Monday, 13 March 2023

The new Ford Ranger Raptor is here, now with more power, more tech and even sweeter jumps!

FORD RANGER RAPTOR
Base price: $92,990 (Estimated Clean Car fee: $5125)
Powertrain and economy: 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 with 292kW/583Nm, 11.5L/100km and 262g/km CO2 (WLTP),10-speed automatic
Vital statistics: 5381mm long, 2028mm wide, 1922mm high, 3270mm wheelbase, towing capacity 2500kg, 17-inch alloy wheels.

The Raptor’s 850mm maximum wading depth was a particularly helpful asset recently.

Safety: TBA
We like: Wonderful fun to drive, almost twice as quick as the old one, impressive tech

The Raptor’s pricing has been tweaked a few times since launch. Factoring in on-road costs and Clean Car fees, it’s almost a $100,000 ute.

We don't like: Chews through petrol, almost a hundred grand on the road, reduced towing capacity

Ford’s first Ranger Raptor was a show-jumping, gravel-spitting hooligan with seemingly bottomless popularity – it feels like every third Ranger in Auckland is a Raptor.

Preventing the first Raptor from perfection was its 2.0-litre powertrain, a functional 2.0-litre bi-turbo that eventually seeped into almost every other Ranger trim package; diluting a large amount of the goodwill it earned at launch. Now a new Raptor has landed, out to right its predecessor’s central wrong. Spoiler alert, it’s fantastic.

Retina-piercing red highlights are a new addition for the second-gen Raptor.

OUTSIDE

To get a full grasp of how different the new Raptor is from the old one, you need to dive into all of the Rangers that call its heavily revised T6 architecture home. Ford pushed the front wheels 50mm forwards and all four wheels 50mm outwards.

SYNC 4 is a little fiddly in places, but is much better presented than its predecessor.

* Ford Bronco Raptor spotted playing in the dirt

The petrol V6 was sourced from Ford’s Explorer ST.

* Road test review: Ford Ranger RTR

* How the Ford Ranger Raptor does those jumps

That one particular puddle was asking for it...

A new frame, transfer case, and suspension package all work together to – successfully – make the Ranger the most polished drive on the market.

Inevitably the Raptor takes these figures and stretches them even further. It’s another 72mm wider thanks to some meaty arch extensions that enable bigger 17-inch wheels and honking 33-inch BF Goodrich K02 all-terrain shoes (a carryover from the last model).

Despite being roughly the same size as the old one, the new Raptor looks larger and more imposing thanks to clever design.

The more squared off mini-F-150 front end and those tall C-shaped LED light signatures make this probably the most aggressive looking vehicle on the market. It’s certainly more imposing than the rounder, friendlier looking outgoing Raptor. This is in spite of the fact that it isn’t really any bigger than the old model. It’s 49mm taller and 50mm longer in its wheelbase, but it’s also 17mm shorter in overall length and no wider.

Having initially been launched with a sticker price of $85,490 the price soon went up to $89,990, before arriving at the current price of $92,990. Bolt on a $5,175 Clean Car fee (thanks to an admittedly rough 262L/100km C02 rating), and you’re one or two options away from this being a $100,000 ute.

Our fording in our Ford was delayed by a canoeist that was canoeing.

INSIDE

Those familiar with the old Ranger Raptor will be familiar with all the little bits of racy tinsel, like the coloured marker on the top of the steering wheel, the suede tsunami, bolstered front seats, and copious number of Raptor prints and embroidered bits. New for the T6.2 Raptor is the blinding bright red contrast stitching and highlights – replacing the blue of its predecessor.

These changes are paired to the much talked about sweeping changes implemented across the full Ranger line-up.

Whilst the outgoing Raptor was excellent, the new one manages to be even better.

A blockier, more upright dashboard is home to a digital cluster and a grand 12-inch portrait touchscreen packing Ford’s latest SYNC 4 interface, which includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, customisable pages, B&O sounds, 360-degree cameras, navigation, and much improved menu presentation.

The Ranger’s top trims really are a cut above the double-cab pack when it comes to the tech they’ve managed to cram into the dash.

Those hoping to haul adults in the back for their next gravel or dune adventure might be disappointed to find that second-row legroom doesn’t feel much improved between generations, despite the longer wheelbase.

The modular nature of the dashboard has meant that several Rangers I’ve driven have minor creak and panel gap issues, although neither was present on this Raptor. The motoring media set mustn’t be jumping it high enough.

UNDER THE BONNET

Before we get to that loud vibraty thing between the front wheels, it’s important to touch on the mechanical bits that truly make a Raptor a Raptor.

Inevitably on top of the list are the agro pick-up’s Fox Racing shocks. These were a headline feature in the old Raptor, and are even more advanced in this new one. The 2.5-inch diameter shocks come with ‘live-valve’ tech that effectively uses driver telemetry to adjust damping forces in real time, with data flowing at a rate of 500 updates a second. Put simply, they’re like the adaptive damper you might find in a hot hatch, but geared for gravel.

New shock mounts, generous bash plates, locking front and rear differentials, and a stiffened C-pillar all further add to the Raptor’s on-paper off-road credentials. There’s seven different drive modes; Normal, Sport, Slippery, Rock Crawl, Sand, Mud-Ruts, and the returning Baja – each making a surprisingly tangible difference to how the Raptor feels behind the wheel. And then of course, there’s that engine.

Gone is the 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel and in its place is a thrumming 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 making 292kW and 583Nm and paired to Ford’s familiar 10-speed auto. So capable is the Explorer-sourced six that it can haul the hefty 2475kg ute from nought to 100kph in just six seconds. Four seconds quicker than the outgoing Raptor, and quick enough to scare a good number of Evos and Rexes.

There’s a familiar caveat to all of this of course. The softer suspension package means a reduction in towing capacity. This means that, even with its much more powerful engine, the Raptor is only rated to tow 2500kg – or a ton less than most other standard Rangers.

It’s also thirstier than a standard Ranger, we averaged more than 12L/100km during our time with it. And, while ANCAP has given the ordinary Ranger a five-star rating, the Raptor is currently unrated.

ONE THE ROAD

The old Raptor was an absolute blast to drive. It was chuffed to get airborne, incredibly easy to coerce into a powerslide and then hold, and would glide over corrugated surfaces in a way that would make a Rolls-Royce engineer do a double take. And, the new Raptor wipes the floor with it.

The difference is not in the way T6.2 takes bumps or slides. Ford’s chassis tweaks are very much a case of evolution over revolution here, further improving what was already a near perfect formula. The way the Raptor deals with rocky roads and how it completely mutes suspension rebound is nothing short of physics defying.

As with the last model, it’s more than happy to break traction and get sideways while flattering you with how easy it is to control. Steering is satisfyingly weighted without feeling pretend, making the Raptor oddly easy to place at speed.

No, the biggest difference is that fabulous engine. Green and environmentally friendly it sure is not, with worse fuel economy than its predecessor and a hefty five grand Clean Car levy. But it can’t be denied that it’s mighty fun.

Popped into Sport or Baja, and it sounds almost dare I say like a long lost BMW six – particularly as you get towards the top of the rev range (something the EcoBoost unit is always rather eager for you to do).

The difference in power delivery is transformative, with the six expertly balancing sharp response on tarmac with welcome predictability on dirt. It feels just at home rushing to redline at 100kph as it crawls over rocks in four low.

VERDICT

In 2023 it’s both hard and quite easy to see why a customer could want to spend nearly a hundred grand on a Ford Ranger Raptor. Hard in the sense that now more than ever we know that vehicles like this aren’t doing the planet much in the way of favours. Easy in how many of us, in uncertain times, would benefit from owning such an efficient smile-generating tool.

That price is tough to justify in the context of other utes, absolutely. But, given that the Raptor effectively also functions pretty effectively as a surrogate for a performance car, a family car, and something to park on the driveway and stare at, one could make the argument that it’s actually a little bit of a bargain.

The Raptor accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. There’s nothing else quite like it.