Long live the king
The most hardcore bakkie out there worked its way into our hearts, both in the bundus and on the daily grind
+ brawny exterior and unmistakable presence; flawless package doesn’t fit in modern parking bays; thirstier than it should be
Ask any elite athlete about the importance of finishing strong, and you’ll be told about the importance of standing up straight, pushing down the final leg, keeping your head up, and so on. So it was with our longterm Ranger Raptor, which saw off a rather strong contender just before we returned to sender.
The Ranger Raptor burst its way on to the South African double cab
FORD RANGER RAPTOR SPECIAL EDITION 2,0 BIT DOUBLE CAB 10AT 4X4
bakkie market when nobody expected anything of the sort. Almost nine years after the Americans launched the Raptor brand model as the most extreme model variant of the F-150, the Ranger – also cut from the Raptor cloth – found its way here.
The next-generation model is just around the corner, so we spent some time with the outgoing model before it finally
bowed out. Despite the Ranger being quite a few years old, it caught the eye of those with higher-octane fuel in their veins thanks to its beefier appearance (150 mm wider and 51 mm taller than a regular Ranger). Visually, what sets the Raptor apart are its dramatic fender flares, integrated Ford lettering on the grille, and model-specific wheels wrapped in chunkier off-road rubber than
another model that rolled off a production line.
A new Ranger has already launched and we enjoyed a few months with the only model on top of the already outstanding Raptor – the Special Edition – which added some black to the contrasting grey body panels and red racing stripes, inside and out, to match the red recovery hooks at the front. Other unmistakable
add-ons were the roll-over bar from the Ranger Wildtrak and the lockable roller shutter courtesy of the Stormtrak models. The latter required significant helpings of elbow grease and we hope Ford simply uses an electric system on the new model.
First impressions really matter and all those who caught a first look of the Raptor were suitably impressed with its presence on the road, befitting its bulk.
The downside to its dimensions is it doesn’t fit into conventional spaces such as single-car garages and parking bays at shopping centres. However, this is made a bit more bearable by parking sensors and a high-resolution rear-view camera.
As the Raptor is top of the class for off-the-showroomfloor off-road capability, it was quite popular with sister title Getaway to navigate more remote destinations, and with CAR’S photographic and video crew, which is tasked with filming Suvand bakkie test vehicles off the beaten track. On most of these outings, there was seldom a need to engage pukka off-road tools like the rear diff-lock or descent control. Low-range paired with those massive tyres was always up to the task, whether traversing the powdery dunes in Atlantis, wading through water in the Cederberg or upskilling wetbehind-the-ears journos during 4x4 training in Melkbosstrand.
The cabin helped occupants soak up kilometres with its dualzone climate control and two-tone leather/alcantara upholstery that was never too hot or cold. In the case of the Raptor Special Edition, it comes equipped with front seat heaters with three temperature settings, so the driver and front passenger are always comfortable.
It was on one of these longer journeys that the Ranger Raptor returned its best fuel consumption figure of 8,74 L/100 km.
Unfortunately, the urge to mash the throttle against the floorboard too often in adverse conditions (that is what a Raptor is made for, isn’t it? – ed) resulted in a 10,14 L/100 km average at the pumps. The Raptor’s ability to soak up speed bumps, no matter how gargantuan, also revealed some bad habits.
More recently, the Raptor saw off a challenge by Toyota’s Hilux GR-S during a comparative road test we could not resist.
While not an outright dragracing machine and at just under R1 million, the Ranger Raptor SE nevertheless made a strong case as the ultimate all-rounder when you consider none of its peers can match its off-road prowess.
Over to you, Ranger Raptor Junior...