V8 power 'not compelling' enough for new Ford Ranger Raptor

Ford Australia has revealed it momentarily considered installing its venerable Coyote 5.0-litre V8 engine in the new Ford Ranger Raptor before settling on the new super-ute’s twin-turbo V6 petrol.

Speaking with

Ultimately, though, Capicchiano said the V8 – which has appeared in everything from homegrown Ford Falcons through to the Mustang and F-150 – didn’t provide the immediate torque and response befitting of the Ranger Raptor’s performance.

“I think as a program guy, you always want to look at every avenue and every opportunity that comes up, right? So do you want to discuss different powertrains? Absolutely right. You're not doing your job if you're not,” said Capicchiano.

“Did the Coyote V8 ever go anywhere beyond a conversation? No. And that was pretty obvious from the start.

“The reason for that is for one you want to have low-down torque and so you want to be able to have an extended plateau of torque so that you can basically get drive out of corners. Where you don't want it is purely sitting up top and with the powertrain that you guys are proposing, which was the Coyote V8, which is similar to what we've got in the F-150, in the Mustang, it produces its power and torque really high up in the rev range.”

The new Ranger Raptor deviates heavily from the original four-cylinder diesel model, employing a 292kW 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol with anti-lag technology and an active exhaust.

The brief for engineers was to produce a truck that offered a broader off-road performance envelope, but still presented as a refined and liveable everyday drivetrain.

According to Capicchiano, the V6 was the unequivocal choice for Raptor.

“You know, when we looked at the ingredients of what makes an off-road truck, the V8 didn't make for a really compelling discussion for us,” he said.

“Sure it’d sound grouse, I think everyone loves the sound of a V8, but the V6 turbo is the right powertrain for us because it enables us to sort of get the right amount of drive out of the corners and you know, with the technology that we've got in the system at the moment – in Baja mode, you've got anti-lag - you've got a bunch of other cool features that we've tipped into the turbocharged power plant. It really makes the car feel incredibly urgent and lively out of corners.”

Listen to Cappichianno’s insights into the Ranger Raptor development process, plus some behind-the-scenes launch goss on carsales’ inaugural The Showroom podcast on the free LiSTNR app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or where ever you get your podcasts.