Ford’s Raptor has $84K Kiwi price tag
Now you know how much to save for the rock-hopping Ranger, writes David Linklater.
Ford New Zealand has announced a price for the forthcoming extreme-offroad version of the Ranger pickup truck, the Raptor.
Revealed in Thailand in February, the Raptor will go on sale later this year at $84,990. That’s a $15,350 premium over the current flagship of the Range lineup, the Wildtrak.
‘‘We’re unbelievably excited to confirm that the Ranger Raptor is coming to New Zealand in 2018,’’ says Simon Rutherford, managing director of Ford NZ.
‘‘The response to our announcement in September, and the interest from the global reveal back in February to bring it to market at such an affordable price only adds to the anticipation ahead of its arrival in local showrooms.’’
Ford calls the Raptor its first ‘‘performance ute for New Zealand’’. That’s off-road performance, mind.
There was disappointment from some quarters at the Raptor’s launch in February that it didn’t have a super-powered engine under the bonnet: it’s powered by a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel that makes 157kW/500Nm, putting it only slightly ahead of the standard Ranger’s 147kW/ 470Nm.
Ford says it has tested its new 2.0-litre engine extensively, including running a ‘‘thermo cycle’’ on the engine, heating both turbos to the point of glowing red for 200 hours non-stop.
The turbo bearings and the low-pressure turbo are watercooled to reduce temperature, avoid over-heating and protect the air induction components, allowing the system to withstand these extremes.
The bi-turbo setup has the smaller, high-pressure turbocharger connected in sequence with the larger, lowpressure turbo. At lower engine speeds, the two turbos work in series, while at higher engine speeds, the small turbo is bypassed, with the larger turbo alone providing boost.
Maximum power is not the point of Raptor, says Ford. Like the American-market F150 Raptor, the new Ranger is all about extreme off-roading.
The Raptor is larger than a standard Ranger in every dimension, with an increase in length of 39mm and height of 58mm, but the biggest boost is in the Raptor’s width, which at 2180mm is a whopping 331mm wider than the standard Ranger due to the massively increased track, which is now 1710mm.
Ground clearance is also up to 283mm, while the approach angle of 32.5 degrees, ramp over angle of 24 degrees, and departure angle of 24 degrees are also vastly improved over the standard ute.
Ford has seriously upgraded and reinforced the Ranger’s chassis for the Raptor, and incorporates new geometry for the larger suspension to allow for greater wheel travel.
Up front, there are strengthened protruding shock absorber towers, while down the back the Raptor ditches the Ranger’s leaf spring setup for a bespoke version of the Everest SUV’s coil-over rear suspension with an integrated Watts linkage.
‘‘Kiwis love the Ranger, and there have been calls for a vehicle like the Ranger Raptor for some time,’’ says Rutherford. ‘‘The Ford design and engineering team has worked incredibly hard with Ford Performance on this truly unique programme to deliver a product that will live up to the Raptor DNA, and the high expectations of New Zealanders.’’
The Ford Performance Ranger Raptor will be offered as a single specification in New Zealand.
The styling is headlined by its ‘‘Ford’’ block-letter grille, HID headlamps with LED daytime running lamps, and unique front and rear bumpers. It wears 33-inch diameter BF Goodrich allterrain tyres, flanked by Ranger Raptor-specific heavy-duty sidesteps.
The long travel suspension features Fox Shox, aluminium upper and lower control arms, heavy duty skid-plates and underbody protection. Water wading capability is increased to 850mm.
The 10-speed automatic transmission has magnesium paddle shifters. Raptor has a unique six-mode Terrain Management System (TMS), which includes low and high range four-wheel drive and a locking rear-differential.
The Ranger Raptor’s TMS introduces Baja mode, which Ford says offers ‘‘ultimate’’ off-road performance settings.
Other standard equipment includes smart keyless entry, push-button start, power tailgate lock, Sync3 with an eight-inch colour touchscreen and integrated sat-nav, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Raptor interior also features unique leather-accented seats, a unique instrument cluster with its own start-up display, and Raptor-embossed steering wheel with competition-spec ‘‘straight ahead’’ marking.
The Ranger Raptor will compete against HSV’s forthcoming SportsCat pickuptruck (based on the Holden Colorado) and perhaps even highend V6-powered versions of the Volkswagen Amarok and Mercedes-Benz X-class.