Ford Says No Bronco or Ranger Raptor R PlannedFord (Ford)When it comes to current Ford Raptor vehicles, the F-150 Raptor R sits at the head of the class thanks in no small part to its 720-horsepower supercharged 5.2-liter V-8. Lesser Raptor models make do with twin-turbocharged V-6 engines and no "R" suffix—and it appears it's going to stay that way for the forseeable future, according to Ford Racing production vehicle chief engineer Carl Widmann. If you've been hoping Ford would introduce a Bronco Raptor R or a Ranger Raptor R, you can stop holding your breath.Widmann spoke with me first about the F-150 Raptor R while standing alongside an impressive trio of off-road performance machines—said F-150 Raptor R, the Bronco Raptor, and the Ranger Raptor— at the Carlisle Ford Nationals in early June. The conversation then turned to the Bronco Raptor and Ranger Raptor; with both vehicles proving incredibly popular among enthusiasts, I asked Widmann whether Ford had plans to introduce a Bronco Raptor R or Ranger Raptor R to sit above the current models, much like the Raptor R does for the F-150 lineup. His answer was straightforward. "I have not seen any plans for it," Widmann said.Ford (Ford)But his comments about the Ranger Raptor were even more interesting. According to Widmann, Ford may not see the need for a more powerful Ranger because the current truck is already pushing the limits of its segment. "The Ranger Raptor already has significantly more power than any other truck in its class," Widmann said. "Nothing else is even within 30 horsepower.AdvertisementAdvertisement"If anything, the Ranger Raptor might even already have too much power," he added. Widmann pointed out that the Ranger Raptor uses the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 found in the Bronco Raptor; while the Bronco enjoys a slight horsepower advantage, thanks to a different calibration, the Ranger benefits from being a smaller and lighter vehicle, which he says means additional horsepower isn't exactly a pressing need. (Although that didn't stop Ford from offering a software calibration upgrade to boost the power of that Ranger / Bronco Raptor engine.)Of course, product plans can always change. For now, however, Ford appears confident that the Bronco Raptor and Ranger Raptor already offer all the performance most enthusiasts could want without the need for a more extreme Raptor R variant. That means the F-150 Raptor R should remain the undisputed king of the Raptor lineup for the foreseeable future.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State
