The new Ford Ranger Raptor has arrived in South Africa at a starting price of R1,094,900.
The Raptor is the high-performance, uniquely-styled, flagship model in the next-generation Ranger family, boasting an exclusive powertrain and functional enhancements to produce the ultimate off-roader.
Rugged design
The Ranger Raptor was given a wholly-individual design to stand apart from its siblings by the addition of bold FORD lettering at the front, a bumper that’s separated from the grille, signature C-clamp Matrix LED headlights with daytime running lights, and flared wheel arches that can accommodate the sizeable 17-inch wheels covered in BF Goodrich all-terrain KO2 tyres.
Functional air vents can be found on the flanks as well as cast-aluminium side steps, and at the back, a Precision Grey rear bumper that incorporates an integrated side step and a tucked tow bar which increases the departure angle from 24 to 25 degrees.
Two Raptor-exclusive paints are further offered to accentuate the athletic look namely non-metallic Code Orange and Conquer Grey, as well as solid Arctic White and a selection of five metallic paints comprising Absolute Black, Aluminium Metallic, Blue Lightning, Meteor Grey, and Sedona Orange.
Moving into the cabin, the halo Ranger sees leather sports seats at the front and rear, Code Orange accents, a sports steering wheel with a 12 o’clock marker, magnesium shifter paddles, ambient lighting, and a fully-digital operating interface encompassing a 12.4-inch driver’s display and 12-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
A 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen surround sound setup is installed, too, as well as wireless charging, a 360-degree camera system, lane-keep assist, hill-launch and descent assist, evasive steer assist, blind-spot monitoring, pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control with stop and go and lane centering.
The bakkie can also park itself through the standard Active Park Assist 2.0 programme which is capable of handling steering, gearshifts, acceleration, and braking to autonomously navigate into parallel or perpendicular parking spaces.
For Overlanding enthusiasts, the Raptor brings a 400W inverter accompanied by a 240V power outlet and 12V socket in the load bin.
Show-stopping performance
The star of the show, the Ranger Raptor gets its own powertrain with the introduction of a new 3.0-litre, V6, twin-turbo petrol engine generating 292kW and 583Nm – a big improvement over the old model’s 157kW and 500Nm.
The unit connects to a 10-speed automatic transmission and drives all four wheels via an advanced permanent 4WD system, which is the first time a Raptor has been offered with these underpinnings.
The configuration brings rear-wheel drive, four-wheel high, four-wheel low, and all-new four-wheel automatic settings, the latter of which is suitable for both on and off-road as it “constantly adjusts the flow of drive between the front and rear axles for enhanced traction in all conditions,” said Ford.
As usual, there is also a generous selection of drive modes comprising Normal, Mud and Ruts, Rock Crawl, Sand, Slippery, Sport, and the Raptor-exclusive Baja that is geared towards high-speed off-road performance with all systems turned up to eleven. These profiles combine with the standard rear-locking differential and new front-locking differential to boost the double cab’s agility.
Trail Control is another new feature and essentially functions like cruise control, but for when the tarmac runs out. The driver can select a set speed anywhere below 32km/h and the vehicle then manages acceleration and braking while the driver concentrates on steering through difficult terrain.
Apart from the uprated drivetrain, the Raptor sees a few additional enhancements to ensure that it can handle the most punishing wilderness conditions.
Notably, the upgrades take the form of a reinforced C-pillar, load box, and spare wheel mounts, as well as unique frames for the jounce bumper, shock tower, and rear shock bracket.
Furthermore, the bakkie gains a high-strength steel, 2.3mm-thick underbody bash plate, as well as completely redesigned suspension featuring specially-made 2.5-inch Fox shocks and lightweight aluminium upper and lower control arms.
“These shock absorbers are the most sophisticated yet on Ranger Raptor and are filled with Teflon-infused oil that reduces friction by around 50 percent compared to those on the current Ranger Raptor,” said the manufacturer.
“This allows the suspension to adapt in real time to the driving conditions, providing exceptional on-road body control while absorbing corrugations and bigger ruts off-road with ease, ensuring maximum control and performance.”
As a final party trick, the new Raptor has been equipped with an electronically-controlled active exhaust system with four modes – Quiet, Normal, Sport, and Baja – which changes the Raptor’s vocal character from mild to wild, depending on the driver’s mood.
Ford Ranger Raptor
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