Ford Ranger Raptor
Bonkers pick-up truck arrives in the UK
MEET the car that, in any sensible universe, wouldn’t exist. The new Ford Ranger Raptor takes its attitude from the US market F-150 Raptor, and its inspiration from Dakar-style rally specials. Yet you can now go to your Ford dealer and buy one.
The Ranger is a familiar sight on UK roads – it’s the best-selling pick-up on the market, in fact – but Ford has decided to hand over the workhorse to its Performance division to create, well, a performance pick-up.
On paper it sounds pretty niche. Ford Performance has ditched the standard Raptor’s leaf springs and fitted the type of suspension you’d find on a Fiesta World Rally Car, not a builder’s barge. So there are coil springs and a Watt’s linkage for the rear, as well as Fox dampers all round. The chassis has been strengthened to improve its normal on-road performance, as well as to toughen it up for Dakar-style driving – should you encounter such terrain on your commute.
The Raptor is 44mm wider, 168mm longer and 52mm taller than a standard Ranger, while ground clearance has swollen and the departure angles are better.
But its bodywork is what makes the Raptor stand out. The arches are flared, housing 17-inch black wheels and meaty tyres. Its front bumper is attached to the chassis, and beneath that there’s a skid plate and tow hooks. The grille has ‘Ford’ stamped on it in huge letters – just like the F-150 Raptor.
Inside, the changes are harder to spot. There’s a pair of leather and suede seats, a sports steering wheel, a smattering of blue stitched leather on the dashboard,
“The Ranger feels transformed; the steering is accurate and the body doesn’t lurch”
a different instrument cluster and Ford’s SYNC3 infotainment system.
On the road, the Ranger feels completely transformed. The new suspension set-up at the rear eradicates the traditional shudder and patter that are inherent on pick-ups fitted with leaf springs. The Raptor’s steering is accurate for a 2.5-tonne truck, and the body doesn’t lurch into corners. In all, there are six driving modes; Sport pumps some questionable artificial noise into the cabin, but on the whole the modes are worthwhile.
One setting that deserves special mention is ‘Baja’. This, says Ford, is the Dakar rally mode, where the engine and chassis are set up to cover rough ground
very quickly indeed. The Raptor makes easy work of deep rutted tracks, small boulders and tree stumps while travelling at a decent pace. It was impressive in West Sussex – it’s probably even more so in the Sahara desert.
With such mad looks and amazing dynamics, you’d expect the Raptor to be powered by the V6 from the Ford GT (like the F-150 Raptor). Sadly it isn’t, because Ford has fitted its meanest European pick-up with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel with 210bhp. It’s a strong, punchy engine. But it just doesn’t match the Raptor’s macho image.