No need for subtlety

When you take your first look at Ford Ranger Raptor, you’ll immediately notice it’s not your regular Ranger. It’s not a sleeper either. Everything from its grille up front, its big chunky tires, its muscular bulges all the way to its tailgate yells “Off-road” in your face like a drill sergeant on your first day at boot camp. And it continues to remind you and everyone else on the road each day you drive it. We got to spend a few days behind the wheel of a not so subtle Raptor in True Red.

This is not an accessorized Ranger, mind you. It’s a completely different yet stock vehicle, 150mm wider and 50mm taller with ground clearance of 283mm. It’s got a hexagonal grille screaming, “FORD” in big block letters. Underneath its beefy front bumper is a noticeable Bash Plate with thick gauge tow hooks mounted to the front and rear ends of its chassis.

Speaking of the chassis, the Raptor’s is made of strengthened low-alloy steel that’s ‘ultra-durable’ to be able to withstand whatever off-road abuse is thrown at it. It’s got big 33-inch BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. It has an aggressive 32.5-degree approach angle, 24-degree departure angle and a 24degree brake-over angle for harsh terrain. Standard equipment are the 2.5-inch Fox Shocks which give this a completely different off-road characteristic and allowing 30 percent more wheel travel.

Interior

Inside the cabin is where it looks more like a Ranger, like the dash and most of the amenities. You get leather sports seats up front with Raptor accents. The Raptor ditches the digital instrument cluster for analog gauges. You get a meatier steering wheel, sporty blue stitching, and sporty driver and front passenger seats that hold you in during aggressive driving. Finding your driving position is as easy as in the regular Ranger.

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