Ford Ranger Raptor: Secrets revealed

Forget Volkswagen’s lusty Amarok V6 and even the hotly anticipated Mercedes-Benz X-Class; Ford’s upcoming Ranger Raptor is already the super-ute everyone is talking about.

Never mind that Ford is yet to even confirm its existence, or that it’s more than a year away from showrooms: the prospect of the most extreme factory Ranger ever is already sending Ford fans and 4x4 ute enthusiasts into meltdown all over the world.

Long before the first spy shots emerged in June and news of Ford’s Ranger Raptor trademark application broke earlier this year, Ford Performance execs admitted to us 18 months ago that a hard-core Raptor version of the Ranger was “a fascinating idea” and would be considered if it made business sense.

Of course, Ford Performance is the same outfit that produced last year’s wild F-150 Raptor, which is about to be released in upgraded 2018 guise for the US, and the same mob that promised to release 12 new models by 2020.

So far, it’s delivered eight, including the Ford GT, F-150 Raptor, Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Focus RS and the Shelby GT350 and GT350R Mustangs.

A junior Raptor tough-truck is not only a logical next step for Ford Performance and the perfect headline act for Ford’s ‘mid-size’ pick-up range when its returns to North America in 2019, but a guaranteed cash cow.

Top-end, high-margin XLT and Wildtrak variants already account for 70 per cent of Ranger sales in Australia, where the ute is Ford best-selling model by a factor of four, with nearly 37,000 sold here last year.

That was enough to make it the nation’s fourth most popular new vehicle overall in 2016, just behind the Hyundai i30 and Toyota’s Corolla and HiLux – Australia’s favourite model bar none last year.

Record sales have seen the Ranger narrow its sales gap to HiLux even further in the first half of 2017, and to July both utes are Australia’s two top-selling vehicles by a long way.

The same trend is occurring across the Asia Pacific and when the Ranger is reintroduced to the US market in 2019 for the first time in 20 years (since 1999), it will become one of Ford’s biggest selling — and most profitable — models globally.

Australia is the Asia Pacific’s biggest Ranger market and Ford’s Aussie engineers designed and developed it and its T6 platform, which will also underpin the US designed and built Bronco SUV to be launched globally in 2020, so both models will be well suited to our market.

The current Ranger is already sold in 180 countries globally and built in Thailand (for Australia), Argentina and South Africa. Its replacement will also be produced in Detroit, where the Bronco will be manufactured alongside it by 2020.

So what’s new?
Everything. That’s right, it’s an important detail that hasn’t been widely reported: Ford’s first Ranger Raptor will not be based on the existing Ranger, but the redesigned, next-generation model.

As suggested by this speculative Topspeed.com rendering based on the latest spy shots, the Raptor will wear all-new sheetmetal for its dual-cab body.

But that’s where its similarities with the mainstream 2019 Ranger models end, because the Raptor will get unique front-end bodywork – including beefier front quarter guards and likely bonnet, and of course a more aggressive grille and bumper, plus LED headlights.

The rear-end will be chunkier too, with a bespoke cargo bed brandishing heavily flared wheel-arches wrapped around a redesigned rear suspension so different that the regular Ranger twin-cab tray won’t fit on it.

Yes, unlike standard Ranger models that will continue to come with load-friendly rear leaf springs, the Raptor will come with coil springs and a version of the Everest’s multi-link suspension at the back, bringing a much wider wheel track and greater ride height with ground clearance of up to 250mm.

This is thanks in part to chunky 285/70 R17 BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres similar to those found on the Wrangler Rubicon. On the test vehicle you see here, they’re fitted to blacked-out versions of the 17-inch alloys seen on the F-150 Raptor.

A development of the rear-end employed under the Everest, Ford’s Australian-designed sister SUV to the Ranger, the Watts Link can clearly be seen in these first undercarriage shots, despite Ford’s attempt to shield them with underbody camouflage.

The Raptor’s redesigned rear suspension and Ranger-first rear disc brakes will also make their way under the born-again Bronco SUV, which will also benefit from an upgraded ladder frame underneath all Rangers, improving rigidity and crash safety.

Apart from its wider body and increased ride height, the Raptor will also bring a host of bespoke interior upgrades to the new Ranger’s redesigned cabin.

The biggest questions revolve around Ford’s Ranger Raptor powertrain plan, which remains unclear for each market.

We know the Ranger Raptor will be produced with a version of the F-150 Raptor’s ballistic 331kW/691Nm 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol EcoBoost V6, at least for the US.

We also know it’s being developed with a diesel engine (not just because the prototype vehicle in the detail shots here was an oil-burner), most likely a higher-output version of Ford’s 3.2-litre inline five-cylinder PUMA turbo-diesel, which delivers 147kW/470Nm in the current Ranger.

What we don’t know is whether the V6 will be restricted to the US and the diesel to other markets like Australia, or whether both engines will be available in both markets.

Either way, both Raptor engines – and perhaps even the inline five in new mainstream Ranger models – will be matched with the new 10-speed automatic transmission Ford has co-developed with GM.

This alone will bring a significant improvement to fuel consumption, driveability and, matched with four-wheel drive and a low-range transfer case, off-road capability.

On road, there’s no question the turbo-petrol V6-powered Raptor would set a new performance benchmark in our dual-cab ute market, but it remains to be seen whether the diesel version matches the current performance leader, Volkswagen’s Amarok V6.

It’s powered by a 180kW/550Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel that propels it to 100km/h in just 7.9 seconds, a benchmark that should be eclipsed by next April’s new Mercedes-Benz X 350d, which will pack a 190kW/620Nm 3.0-litre V6 diesel.

When will we get it?
Exact release timing for the new Ranger and all-new Ranger Raptor remain unclear for specific markets, but the short answer is a lot sooner than you might think.

Our sources have confirmed Ford will soon begin a slow-release teaser campaign for the new Ranger in the lead-up to its global debut, which we understand will take place at the Bangkok motor show next March.

It’s not clear if the range-topping Raptor will be revealed alongside the standard Ranger in Thailand; it’s more likely to be unveiled later next year in the US, when the US-spec Ranger is presented in North America.

Either way, expect both the redesigned Ranger and the all-new Ranger Raptor to go on sale globally in the second half of next year, as 2019 models.

While the standard Ranger will remain competitively priced for its battle with the HiLux, Amarok, Holden Colorado, Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi Triton, Mazda BT-50 and Isuzu D-MAX, the Raptor won’t come cheap.

In fact, given the current Wildtrak flagship is priced around $60,000, the Amarok V6 Ultimate costs about $68K and the X-Class V6 could top $75K, we wouldn’t expect any change from $80,000.

Image render: Topspeed.com