Ford Ranger Raptor 2019 Review

The Ford Ranger Raptor is built by Ford Performance to top the 4WD Ranger dual-cab ute line-up. It's an off-road-focussed flagship which Ford says was developed primarily with Australian and South-East Asian markets in mind, and is the wildest, most-expensive Ranger to hit local showrooms yet.

And while we've certainly covered the Ranger Raptor in detail before – even taking it to the drag-strip and the wilds of the Northern Territory – it's the concrete jungle where we'll focus this test, determining once and for all if Ford's Ranger Raptor is a livable daily driver.

We said the Ford Ranger Raptor was the most expensive Ranger yet, and we weren't kidding. At $74,990 (plus on-road costs), the jacked-up Ranger is $47,300 dearer than the entry to the Thai-built PX3-series range, and $11,000 more than the one-from-top Ranger Wildtrak Biturbo.

The fact is you couldn't build this sort of truck for the money, and the factory engineering and support that's worked into the deal equates to fewer headaches for those intent on using the Ranger Raptor as per the brief.

Warranty extends to five years / unlimited kilometres while service intervals are set at 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first). Ford's standard payment price sees servicing for the first 60 months equate to $2300. Metallic and prestige paint, including the wet-cement-looking 'Conquer' hue of our test vehicle, is priced at $600.

We’ve spent a bit of time off-road in the Ranger Raptor previously, and can vouch for its abilities away from the beaten track. But in the cut and thrust of city traffic (and the daily run through the 'burbs) we were keen to see if this trail-tough truck would be its own undoing.

Wider, taller and with chunkier guards and bumpers, the Ranger Raptor is (at first) difficult to place in traffic. The parts of the body visible from the driver's perch are narrower than the wheel track (1710mm) making placement in supermarket car-parks, and through tight roundabouts and driveways, tricky. It's all a matter of familiarity, of course, and with rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard, the door space either side of the parking bay soon becomes the Raptor's only issue.

Surprisingly, and in spite of the chunky all-terrain tyres, the Ranger Raptor's cabin is pretty quiet. There's no tyre roar, and the mechanicals are well attenuated – far better than in 3.2-litre powered predecessors. Much of the improvement is thanks to the Raptor's new twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre.

Ford's latest 10-speed automatic transmission makes short work of gear shifts and is more intelligent than we've experienced in other applications (i.e: Mustang). Sport mode helps move things along even more.

Primary controls are as easy to operate as any modern SUV and deliver similar levels of feedback. The Ranger Raptor might look like a truck, but it's truly as easy to operate as a mid-sized family hauler, seating support is likewise a highlight. The expected bells and whistles (including Ford's user-friendly SYNC 3 infotainment array) function precisely as intended, the only caveat being we observed poor AM and DAB radio reception on Melbourne's south-east urban fringes.

Perhaps the only other downside is that the Ranger Raptor can't carry or tow as much as its derivative model. Payload is listed at 738kg (-212kg) while braked towing capacity is 2500kg (-1000kg).

The vehicle is also 154kg heavier (2404kg kerb) than the Ranger Wildtrak. The long-travel Fox Racing Shox dampers, Watts Link rear-end, four-wheel disc brakes and unique 17-inch alloys with 285/70-series BF Goodrich All Terrain KO2 tyres all contribute to add additional mass to an already heavy platform.

The Ford Ranger Raptor is available Down Under now… but there's a lengthy wait for anyone willing to splash their cash. Ford says there's a six-month wait for the Ranger Raptor in Australia, where "demand far exceeds supply".

To date, more than 1000 orders have been placed for the Ranger Raptor locally. That demand has exhausted allocation from Ford's Thailand plant but bolstered sales figures for Ford Australia's best-selling model. In 2018, Ford sold 42,144 examples of the Ranger in Oz, or 9561 fewer than segment top-seller, the Toyota HiLux.

Realistically, anyone: off-road enthusiasts, tradies, farmers, adventure travellers… the list goes on and on. And though we did find a couple of downsides to the Ranger Raptor, we'd almost add families to that list as well.

We say 'almost' for two reasons: the primary being the Ranger Raptor's lack of autonomous emergency braking (and therefore adaptive cruise control), which brings into question its categorisation as a five-star ANCAP car. The second is that without a lockable 'boot', it’s also a little tricky to use as a grocery hauler – and with three kids across the backseat there's a fair chance the school bags and soccer gear will get soaked on a rainy day.

The Ranger Raptor tops Ford Australia's crew-cab light commercial utility range. The Ranger is available in XL, XLT, XLS, FX4, Wildtrak and Raptor grades respectively, with a choice of 4x2 and 4x4 drivelines, automatic and manual transmissions, and single, space and crew-cab bodystyle available throughout the range.

Currently, 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel and 2.0-litre twin-turbo-diesel powerplants are available, Ford yet to offer the 2.3-litre four-cylinder or 2.7-litre V6 petrol units in the land Down Under.

Given its heady price tag, the Ranger Raptor challenges local rivals that include the HSV Colorado SportsCat+ (from $68,990 plus ORCs), Mercedes-Benz X 350 d PROGRESSIVE (from $73,270 plus ORCs) and Volkswagen Amarok Ultimate TDI580 (from $71,990 plus ORCs). There are links to some terrific feature stories on those models below.

Put aside the price (and the lack of AEB and adaptive cruise control) and the Ranger Raptor is an absolute ripper.

Sure, a little extra grunt wouldn't go astray (just imagine it with a Coyote V8!), but for around-town running and the occasional off-road getaway, there aren't too many vehicles as capable as this one direct from the showroom floor.

More civilised than it looks, and with most of the technology dual-cab ute buyers expect in 2019, there's little the Ranger Raptor can't do – and do easily.

How much does the 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor cost?
Price: $74,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel
Output: 157kW/500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.2L/100km (ADR Combined); 10.1L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 212g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2015)