The Ford Ranger Raptor: A Performance Pickup Truck for Europe
In 2019, the Ford Ranger Raptor was introduced as a performance pickup truck to test Europe's appetite for such a vehicle. Despite initial reservations, the car proved popular, with Ford of Europe selling over 8,000 units in 2021. The new generation of the Ranger Raptor has been designed to be even more capable and impressive than its predecessor.
One of the key differences between the old and new models is the engine. While the last car came equipped with a four-cylinder diesel engine, the new model offers a twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine, which produces nearly 290 horsepower. This significant increase in power makes the Ranger Raptor more attention-grabbing than its predecessor. The engine option allows owners to choose between a forcing diesel or the new V6 petrol engine.
For driving on gravel, the Ranger Raptor offers multiple modes, with one of the most relevant being Baja mode. This mode adjusts various settings, such as transmission and traction control, to optimize performance for off-road use. The 10-speed gearbox is in manual mode, and the four-wheel drive system is set to high range. In this mode, the car's chassis and suspension modifications make it an impressive performer on the loose.
The modifications made to the chassis and suspension are extensive and far beyond a simple body kit. The ladder frame was completely redesigned for better performance, and coil suspension was added. Perhaps most cleverly, the car features adaptive Fox dampers, which are akin to motor sports spec dampers. These dampers can reinforce travel at extreme wheel movement extremes while maintaining body control during normal bumps, as well as ensuring that when hitting larger jumps or drops, the wheels compress more effectively.
The four-wheel drive system in this model is not an old-fashioned mechanical system but a proper active system with locking differentials at both the front and back. This means it can adjust to various conditions better than some other systems on the market. With its advanced features and capabilities, there isn't much that this car can't do.
The off-roading capabilities of the Ranger Raptor were demonstrated during a test drive, where it performed exceptionally well on rough tracks. Its power and capability made it clear why this model is so popular among off-road enthusiasts. Despite being designed to have four-wheel drive, the car could also be driven in rear-wheel drive mode, making it suitable for driving on sandy or muddy surfaces.
The dampers were particularly noteworthy as they allowed the car to handle extreme jumps with ease and then settle down smoothly afterwards without a significant rebound. This feature is especially useful for off-roading, where you often need to navigate through difficult terrain quickly. The big BF Goodrich Tires provided excellent grip even on loose surfaces, ensuring that the driver could enjoy the ride without worrying about losing traction.
One of the most exciting aspects of the Ranger Raptor was its ability to take jumps and land smoothly. This was largely due to the advanced dampers locking out during these movements. The suspension then stiffened, allowing the car to handle even higher jumps with ease. However, this capability might not be as appealing for everyday driving in urban areas where such maneuvers are unlikely.
While the Ranger Raptor is designed for performance off-road, it's also a practical vehicle suitable for both on and off-road use. With its robust engine options and advanced capabilities, owners can enjoy both the thrill of off-roading and the convenience of using their vehicle daily without worrying about damage or lack of performance in such situations.
Considering the size and complexity of this car compared to other vehicles available in the market today, which often cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, the Ranger Raptor's price of around 58,000 pounds seems very reasonable. This is because Ford has managed to create a new kind of fast vehicle that bridges gaps between traditional hot hatches and sports cars, catering to a broader range of drivers.
The evolution of performance vehicles by Ford is an interesting development in the automotive world. With many markets drying up for conventional performance models like hot hatchbacks and sports saloons, Ford has successfully adapted to this change by focusing on creating new types of fast cars that appeal to different sets of consumers.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enforeign Ranger Raptor was a bit of a tester for Europe's appetite for the performance pickup truck it came along in 2019 and in 2021 Ford of Europe sold 8 000 of these so I think we can say there is an appetite for a car like this in Europe and now we've got an all-new generation and this one Ford has committed to in slightly bigger terms it's a similar to the old car in lots of ways it's got that reinforced ladder frame it's got completely overhauled axles some very clever Fox dampers and a new active four-wheel drive system but the biggest difference compared to the last car is under the Bonnet whereas the last car had a four-cylinder diesel engine which didn't give it particularly remarkable performance maybe it was a bit unexciting this new one you can have that forcing the diesel if that's what you need but instead you can have a twin turbocharge V6 petrol Engine with nearly 290 horsepower which is enough to get most people's attention isn't it let's go and have a go right ladies and gents here we go you forward Ranger Raptor on gravel now this thing has more driving modes than Rory McIlroy on a practice day but the one we need right now is called Baja mode it'll just sort itself out change the uh transmission setting change the traction control setting fiddle about with the dampers all of that jazz the 10-speed gearbox is in manual mode the transmission is in four-wheel drive high range and we can find out what this thing's like on the loose the chassis and suspension modifications for this car are extensive this is by no means a Ford Ranger with a body kit so if that illusion is in your head forget it they started by completely redesigning the ladder frame for the car and then they added proper coil suspension and some very very clever adaptive dampers by Fox which are basically Motor Sports spec dampers really um very clever because they can reinforce the travel of the Piston right at the extremes of the wheel travel so they can leave body control nice and supple while the car's just riding along normal bumps like this and then when it hits some bigger ones or for example when it takes off on jump the wheels know it because they've got position sensors so so when the when the wheels go to full droop the suspension basically reinforces that compression damping right at the bottom of the travel and so you can do some obscenely lowest jumps on this car otherwise here the four-wheel drive system is new and it's not one of those old-fashioned mechanical ones that only really can switch between two wheel drive and four-wheel drive mode it's a proper active four-wheel drive system and now there are locking differentials at the front as well as at the back so with all those driving modes and all that tech there really isn't much this car can't do we've been doing some serious off-roading with it this morning and it's been doing things really you would not expected a pickup truck you would expect to have to be in a proper off-roader you know Land Cruiser Defender to do the sort of rock crawling and climbing and descending that we've been doing so far this morning it'll take a special Defender though to do the sort of things on a gravel track that this car can do up front there is that 288 horsepower V6 engine that's new if you want to you can select a rear wheel drive mode on this on the on the drive line and kind of mess about on a beach or in a farmer's field or imagine Raptors owners doing that quite a lot to be honest and maybe the hardcore off-roading stuff hmm maybe that isn't going to be such a popular thing for a raptor owner I don't know we'll see it's got plenty of grip even on the loose you know it's got these big old knobbly BF Goodrich Tires on and they generate loads of grip and it's just absolutely eating those bumps up isn't it I mean this is a properly bumpy track I can think of lots of cars that would be throwing you out of your seat but because of those expensive dampers we just bobbing along very nicely indeed right here's a big jump oh there it goes amazing I mean the dampers just lock out the car just flies but then you land and it doesn't rebound at all just sort of hunkers itself down and gets on with it I think that's pretty amazing I have to say and maybe people don't have this kind of uh gravel track in their backyard if they live in King's Lynn or Stoke-on-Trent they're quite hard to find in the UK aren't they but there would be lots of cool things you could do with this car do you like the way it sounds I guess that's a question isn't it because I forced them to diesel never sounded that exciting this one's got a bit more rasp to it when you stick it in Baja mode you get what do you get pretty much straight through exhaust pipes and while that doesn't sound as silly as a a Hennessy tune V8 it's not bad it's better than a four-cylinder diesel isn't it so it sounds good is it fast it's fast enough for this sort of thing I mean this is a two and a bit ton car it's large even though it's only a mid-sized pickup truck it's going to be a big car on European roads it's certainly a big car on tracks like this in outright terms I think they quote about eight seconds to 62 objectively that's only kind of fast super mini Pace isn't it but you know this is a car for a different sort of set of circumstances than a traffic like Grand Prix in it we know that and it works all right and considering the sort of cars you can spend 58 000 pounds on these days I think this is a pretty convincing product I have to say Ford can't make performance cars like they used to you know maybe there aren't the markets for hot hatchbacks like they used to be or Sports saloons they're all drying up so it's found a way to evolve hasn't it to make a new kind of fast forward and it's going to take a bit of getting used to for sure but you can rest assured it's a lot of fun so thanks for watching don't forget to like And subscribe and all that see you next 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