SPY PICS: New Ford Ranger Raptor up close

The 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor has again been captured by our spy photographers in the US, providing further insight into the Blue Oval brand’s next-generation flagship ute.

Engineered in Australia but continuing to undergo development in the US, the next-gen Ranger Raptor was once again spotted in right-hand drive prototype guise but gives us a better look at what lies underneath the camouflage.

Going by these images, it appears the sail-plane-style rear bar that is synonymous with the Ford Ranger Wildtrak may make an appearance on the redesigned Raptor.

New C-ringed headlights and the now-eponymous Ford-branded mesh grille are also set to make an appearance on the 2022 Raptor, which will retain more hard-core handling traits and a friendlier coil-sprung road ride – as denoted here with the rear disc brakes.

Dual exhaust outlets at the rear of this test mule have also fuelled speculation the Raptor variant will be powered by a beefy 300kW 3.0-litre EcoBoost twin-turbo petrol V6 – in the US at least.

In Australia, word is the second-generation Raptor will utilise a 3.0-litre Power Stroke V6 diesel adopted from the new Ford F-150.

In that application, the oiler makes up to 186kW and 597Nm – a significant increase from the current Raptor’s 157kW/500Nm Bi-Turbo 2.0-litre diesel.

As with the current Ranger Raptor, the second-generation version will be infused with plenty of Aussie flavour courtesy of a development program that is undertaken right here on local soil.

Based on the larger new Australian-developed T7 Ranger that will share its underpinnings with the second-generation Volkswagen Amarok, the flagship Raptor is set to employ a wider front and rear track, Fox shocks, bespoke sheet metal and coil spring suspension lifted from the Ford Everest.

While the next Amarok won’t be released until 2023, the new-generation Ford Ranger will be revealed globally later this year ahead of its Australian launch in early 2022. The Raptor will come later.

Hybrids are also on the table as Ranger and Amarok seek to expand their footprint in the US and Europe, but whether Australia will be offered electrified powertrains remains to be seen.

Like all 2022 Rangers, the next Raptor is also likely to bring more advanced infotainment as a result of Ford’s partnership with tech giant Google, which should bring Google Maps and Google Assistant functionality, alongside wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.

It will replace Ford’s current SYNC multimedia system powered by Blackberry, but it remains to be seen which, if any, model grades will get the ultra-large 12.0-inch touch-screen display and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster from the latest F-150.