BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS

IF YOU only ever want to drive a manual then there’s only one choice here, and that’s the Warrior, as the Raptor is auto only. End of that story.

Then there’s the issue of budget, as there’s a significant difference here. The Raptor is $76,290 before you pay for the on-road costs, so more like $83K on the road. And that’s before you add a bar or lights, both standard on the Warrior. As an automatic the Warrior is $65,490 driveaway. The manual Warrior is $2500 less again. So, you can either buy the Warrior or spend around onethird more again to get a Raptor.

Is the Raptor a one-third better drive? Yes, that value is in there. In building the Raptor, Ford started with a better ute in the Ranger than Premcar did with the Navara, and then Ford did more work to the Ranger than has been done in creating the Warrior from the Navara. Where Premcar’s engineers have worked within the basic suspension architecture of the Navara, Ford has made fundamental suspension changes. Thanks largely to the Raptor’s suspension it is a better drive than the Warrior on the road and more capable off it. The more refined and punchier powertrain, and extra safety kit sweetens the deal.

For all that, the Warrior is still not disgraced in the Raptor’s company and still feels good to drive, even jumping from one to the other. Premcar has really done a stellar job on the suspension and wheel/tyre package to make the Warrior so much better than a stock Navara, both on and off the road. Premcar’s effort even puts the Navarabased Mercedes-benz X-class to shame.

So while there’s value on the Raptor, there’s also plenty of value in the Warrior.