All-New Ford Ranger Raptor

What is it?

With flared wheel arches, C-clamp headlights, square bonnet and bold F-O-R-D lettering on the grille, the all-new Raptor is an imposing vehicle to say the least.

As you walk around the back, the LED taillights provide a signature styling link to the front, while the precision grey rear bumper features an integrated step and towbar that’s tucked up high to avoid getting hung up and acting as a ground anchor. Then you have a pair of not-so-subtle chrome tailpipes exitWing from either side. Add to that, 17” alloys shod with BF Goodrich All-Terrains, tough, grippy cast-aluminium side steps, a ridiculous amount of approach angle, a choice of bold colours and you have quite a good looking, yet intimidating pickup.

As we know from the previous generation, as a commercial pickup the Raptor has limitations. It has a maximum payload of just 700kg, so this does not qualify as a commercial vehicle. It will only tow up to 2500kg, and with CO2 emissions at 315g/km it falls in the highest tax band.

To be fair, the Raptor isn’t aimed at the working pickup market, it’s for those of us who want a bit of fun, and fun it offers by the bucket load.

The biggest news is the introduction of an all-new twin-turbo 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6 petrol engine that’s tuned by Ford Performance to produce just shy of 300bhp and 491Nm of torque. Then there’s a specific boost profile for each gear of Ford’s advanced 10-speed automatic transmission and a racebred anti lag system to help deliver maximum thrills, supported by four exhaust modes from Quiet to Baja.

Speaking of it’s transmission, the V6 is mated to a new fulltime four-wheel drive system (which can switch to 2WD), and features an electronic two-speed transfer case. It’ll reach 62mph from rest in 7.9 seconds, which feels much quicker, and take you to a top speed of 111mph. It’s a bit thirsty mind, expect mid to high twenties.

On the road

From the moment you press the start button and the throaty V6 snarls to life, you get the sense that it isn’t any normal pickup. Everything about it feels tough, from the weighty steering to the way it dismisses potholes.

The 1½ hour on-road route took me along fast dual carriageways and through sleepy villages and narrow roads that are scattered around the South Downs National Park. You would think a loud, brash pick up would feel as out of place as Alf Garnett in today’s woke society, but it didn’t. Despite its size the Raptor negotiated tight lanes with ease, visibility was helped due to the squared off edges of the bonnet, and if there are any blind spots then the camera system is there to help.

For on-road you have three modes:

• Normal - designed for comfort and fuel efficiency

• Sport - more responsive for spirited on-road driving

• Slippery - for more confident driving on slippery or uneven surfaces

On wide and sweeping roads I turned the knob to select Sport, and along with a different full-screen graphic on the instrument display, the exhaust gets louder, the steering stiffens and the transmission becomes more eager. Oh yeah, the gearbox blips the throttle on down changes, which brought out the adolescent in me.

At this point I set the limiter to 60mph as the amount of grip and stability available makes corners almost non-existent, and it’s far too easy to exceed the speed limit. As far as stopping the Raptor goes, braking was consistently solid and confidence inspiring.

There are flappy paddles, but with a total of 10 ratios to choose from it can get a little confusing - 'should I be in 7th gear or 9th?' - I found leaving it auto the best as the ‘box never seemed to get flustered.

Off-Road

Midway through the road route we had a short detour along a green-lane; TW2 ref SU8608-03. A wide, chalk based lane giving fantastic views over Chichester and surrounding area. There was quite a bit of water erosion at southern end creating a few medium ruts that snaked across the width of the lane, but these were no match for the Raptor’s impressive clearance.

The main off-road challenge was a couple of laps around Slindon Safari’s 100 acre off-road site. There were some interesting sections, but nothing that really challenged the Raptor, but that was okay as it was the first day of the press launch and no one wants a broken pickup by a motoring writer with no off-road experience. With this in mind I’ve asked to borrow one for a week to give it a proper test.

The Raptor’s off-road credentials include 272mm ground clearance, a 24º breakover angle, 32º angle and 24-27º departure angle (with and without towbar).

Via the 12” centre monitor you can lock both front and rear diffs and view the 360 camera that automatically pops-up when in offroad modes. The front camera was handy when cresting some of the inclines.

Plus, and I didn’t know this until after the event, there’s a fourlow and off-road cruise control for crawling that Ford call Trail Control. The driver simply selects a set speed below 20mph and the vehicle will manage its acceleration and braking while the driver concentrates on steering through difficult terrain. Can’t wait to try that out whilst green-laning.

Look underneath and there’s some serious underbody protection made from 2.3mm thick high-strength steel that protects key components such as the radiator, steering system, front crossmember, engine sump and front differential.

There’s also twin rated tow hooks at the front and rear to provide flexible recovery options designed to facilitates access to one of the tow hooks if the other is buried, as well as enabling the use of balance straps during snatch recoveries in deep sand or thick mud.

Of course the off-road test wouldn’t be complete without switching to Baja mode and going hell for leather around a fast undulating circuit.

The next-generation FOX 2.5” Live Valve internal bypass shock absorbers and completely redesigned suspension promised to deliver more control across rough terrain at high speed, which they did.

Add to that, the new anti-lag system that’s available in Baja mode keeps the turbochargers spinning for up to three seconds after the driver backs off the throttle, allowing for faster resumption of acceleration out of corners or through the gears when the driver steps back on the accelerator. The only weakness in all of this wonderful tech was me, the driver, as I quickly ran out of talent and slowed down around some of the fast corners. I’m not going to say it was a magic carpet ride, but the ease in which the rough terrain was covered at speed was quite effortless.

Interior

It doesn’t matter where you sit, with plenty of head, shoulder and leg room, the Raptor is a very comfortable vehicle to be in, and the all-new, jet fighter-inspired sports seats in the front and rear increase comfort and offer more support during high-speed cornering.

Here’s a shocker, I even found the 12” centre monitor inoffensive as it’s well integrated into the dash and worked intuitively. Beneath the screen I particularly liked that it has proper dials for the heater, and look up and you’ll spot an overhead panel with a bank of switches for auxiliary extras like lights.

Ford’s new-generation SYNC 4 connectivity and entertainment system is wireless and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility at no extra cost. There’s also a 10-speaker B&O sound system that even drowns out the exhaust!

Another plus was plenty of storage and rubberised cubby areas so things don’t go sliding around when you’re having a bit of fun.

The rear seat can fit up to three passengers who have their own rear vents, USB, USB-C and even three-pointed plug socket.

Tech ’n’ safety

I don’t know where to begin!

When it comes to safety the Raptor offers pre-collision assist, evasive steer assist, reverse brake assist, blind-spot alert with trailer coverage and lane-keeping assist. Then there’s adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane-centring, active park assist, centre side airbag and post-impact braking all help to give it a full five-star EuroNCAP rating.

Conclusion

On the outside the Raptor may resemble the new Ranger, but with unique suspension, chassis and a 3.0-litre V6, the Raptor is the Ranger’s boisterous sibling that you don’t take out unless you want to get noticed.

At just under £60k it ain’t cheap, but the amount of tech available and work that’s gone into the chassis and gearbox means there’s nothing else like it in the UK.

You don’t buy a Raptor because you need a pickup, you buy a Raptor because you want one, like an old Defender, a Wrangler Rubicon or a 2-seat sports car. It’s a fantastic off-road toy that in the majority of cases will never see mud, but it looks great, handles great and sounds great.