The Ranger Raptor has been to the gym: that’s the word from Ford on the all-new model revealed this week.
The headline news is the addition of a 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, making 292kW – a handy 85 per cent increase over the outgoing 157kW biturbo diesel model. Torque is 583Nm, 83Nm up on the diesel – which will continue as a cleaner, less-expensive option in selected markets. But not New Zealand, at least at launch; Ford has confirmed Raptor will be offered here solely as a V6 when it arrives in the second half of the year.
The new petrol V6, matched to 10-speed automatic transmission, is the same as the engine fitted to the US-market Bronco Raptor – which makes sense, as the two vehicles are built on the same platform.
As with the higher-specification versions of the standard Ranger, the new Raptor comes with full-time AWD as standard (the outgoing model is part-time 4WD). There’s an electronically controlled low-range transfer case, with locking differentials front and rear.
For the first time, Raptor also now offers Trail Control, which is “like cruise control for off-roading” says Ford. The driver selects a speed below 32km/h and the vehicle manages acceleration and braking over rough terrain.
To view all Ford Raptors (and some other truck treats) listed on DRIVEN, click here
Fox shocks again feature, but this time with “Live Valve” adaptive technology to give a broader spread of on and off-road ability. The dampers have been tuned by Ford specifically for the Raptor.
There are now seven drive modes available: Normal, Sport, Slippery (all configured for on-road), Rock Crawl, Sand, Mud-Ruts and Baja (all for off-road). Baja is new and puts the Raptor into maximum-attack mode, with the most aggressive throttle and gearchange calibrations possible.
Baja also puts the active exhaust into the loudest of its four settings, although drivers can also manually select Quiet (neighbour-friendly), Normal and Sport modes through a separate menu.
Final specification and pricing is yet to be announced, but expect a significant hike over the current biturbo model.
Keyword: Ford unleashes all-new Ranger Raptor with twin-turbo (petrol!) V6