Feast your eyes on the greatest Bronco yet, the Ford Bronco Raptor. Not only is it the most powerful road-legal Bronco, but it is also the world’s first Ultra4 Racing-inspired SUV. This range-topper joins Ford’s very successful high-performance off-road vehicle franchise, which also includes the F-150 Raptor for North America and Ranger Raptor for global markets.
You might ask, what is the Ultra4? Much like the Dakar Rally, the Ultra4 Race is known as “the epitome of gruelling off-road competition.” It features demanding races such as the famed King of the Hammers in the Johnson Valley in California.
Being built for one of the most gruelling off-road competitions, the Bronco Raptor has been overhauled from the ground up. “Like the Ultra4 desert race trucks, the ‘Raptor of SUVs’ conquers desert dunes at highway speeds and is equipped with competition-level off-road technology and hardware,” Ford explains.
This competition-level off-roader starts at its core with a new Raptor-specific frame for “increased suspension travel and track width for handling stability during high-speed desert runs.” The new high-strength steel frame accompanied by a reinforced B-pillar crossbar and C-pillar gives this Raptor variant more than 50% total body-in-prime torsional rigidity increase over a standard four-door Bronco model.
To further deliver the Ultra4 inspiration, the Bronco Raptor combines an advanced 4×4 system with competition-level, Ford Performance-developed axles to develop a new level of off-road “sure-footed confidence”. The upgraded front and rear axles increase the track width by 8.6 inches / 22 cm over the base Bronco. Not to mention there are 4.7 inches / 12 cm more of ground clearance and larger front and rear driveshaft for increased wheel torque.
The suspension and tires are everything when you are going over rough terrains. That is why the Ford Performance team collaborated with FOX to develop the High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) system with Live Valve technology. Similar to the system found in the Ford F-150 Raptor, this advanced suspension system continuously monitors terrain conditions hundreds of times every second to adjust suspension tuning accordingly. Additionally, Ford Performance partnered up with BFGoodrich for standard 37-inch KO2 all-terrain tires (37×12.5 R17 LT), the largest tires of any production SUV in America.
With all these new upgrades, the Bronco Raptor needed to have a powerful engine. Powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost engine with intercooler and air-induction systems designed to endure the higher ambient desert temperatures, the new Bronco will produce more than 400 horsepower. Did we mention the Raptor is the “most powerful street-legal Bronco ever? Paired with the powerful twin-turbo engine is a 10-speed SelectShift™ automatic transmission to meet all sorts of terrains and elevations needs.
Though Ford has not released all the performance specs yet, we can easily see this latest Raptor is going to be the most awesome Bronco yet. Whether you want the ultimate off-road Bronco or the meanest Bronco for the streets, the Bronco Raptor will surely turn heads with the dual-exhaust system with active-valve technology.
Would you want one of these bad boys if you had the chance?
Source: Ford
Keyword: The All-New Ford Bronco Raptor