The ultimate Ford Ranger has landed
Friday, 27 July 2018
FORD RANGER RAPTOR
Price range: $84,990
Powertrains: 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four (157kW/500Nm). Ten-speed automatic, 4WD.
Body style: Double cab ute.
On sale: Now.
The coolest name in the automotive industry makes its way down-under on the Ranger Raptor, a high-flying (literally) extreme off-road-focussed version of the best selling vehicle in New Zealand.
Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?
Let's get one thing straight first up; the Raptor has never been about on-road straight line performance.
Nope, even the monster F150 Raptor has always had more love lavished on its suspension and off-road ability than its engine.
That is because Raptors have always always about pounding across rough terrain at a frankly silly rate and crawling over anything you wanted to point it at.
**READ MORE
* New Ford Ranger Raptor revealed
* Ford Ranger outsells Toyota Hilux nearly two-to-one for May
* 2018 Ford GT Competition Series is a lightened track weapon
* Meet the WRC-inspired Ford Transit van of your dreams**
And the Ranger-based version is no different in that regard, having been extensively re-engineered for serious off-road use, including extra underbody protection, chassis reinforcement and new coilover suspension - using a Watt's link setup and solid axle - at the rear replacing the standard Ranger's leaf spring setup, with a set of spectacular Fox Racing shock absorbers with an internal bypass at the front and remote reservoir at the rear.
Where did you drive it?
After much flying to get to Darwin, we finally ended up at a thoroughly massive cattle station called Tipperary. Or 'Tipery' if you take into account our 'Strayan cousins' habit of dropping out any letters deemed unnecessary. With more than 1.2 million acres of scrubby outback-edge land to thrash across, it was the ideal playground for the Raptor.
Of course, before we got to the fun part, there was the long road drive to get there, which was also where the Raptor's suspension shone rather brightly with a fantastically comfortable ride and beautifully accurate and predictable handling.
Let's get that engine out of the way first though.
While the capacity 2.0-litre engine is a point of contention for a lot of people, it is more powerful than the 3.2-litre five-cylinder unit in the standard Ranger. But it is actually how it delivers that power and, more importantly, torque that is the biggest let-down of the Raptor.
Peak torque comes on at a narrower range in the Raptor (1750 to 2000rpm) and it lacks the mid-range punch of the big five-cylinder unit. This is particularly noticeable when passing, where it gathers pace rather than pouring it on, and the impression of lacking punch in the mid and upper-range is amplified by the superbly slick 10-speed transmission being quite so superbly slick and quietly slipping down through the gears under acceleration without any drama or shift shock.
It was fine around town however, with a slicker, smoother power delivery down low and a brilliantly growly burble, but you probably won't be winning any traffic light drag races in it.
Any time you head off the sealed stuff, however, there will be very little that can touch you. Or even keep up.
On gravel or sandy roads in either 2WD or 4WD Baja mode, the Raptor is superbly capable and insanely fun. The faster you go, the better the ride and composure gets, while its ability to simply go where you point it is staggering.
But it gets better, because pounding it over even rougher surfaces reveals its true off-road racer abilities.
Huge jumps are handled with a disdainful ease, while impacts that would disable a lesser vehicle were simply shaken off by the Raptor without even faltering in its impressive pace.
But what about that slow rock-crawling and mud-wading stuff? Well, that is utterly effortless too, with the clever electronic systems working beautifully with the pure mechanical off-road ability of the Ranger.
What stands out the most?
Oh, that would be that absolutely amazing off-road performance. But also, conversely, the superb on-road ride and handling.
The absolute worst way to approach the Ranger Raptor would be thinking of it as a powered-up, high-spec version of the Ranger Wildtrak that can do double duty as a family hauler and a workhorse when needed.
It actually does the family hauler thing way, way better than the standard Ranger thanks to the brilliant ride from the clever suspension and the 2.0-litre engine's smoother power delivery down low.
But that potential workhorse thing? Not so much; the Raptor is all about play time. With a lower towing capacity (2500kg) and load carrying capability (750kg) than the standard Ranger (3500kg and 950kg respectively), the Raptor isn't concerned with silly weekday responsibilities.
Nope, it is all about pounding across open ground very quickly and effortlessly or crawling over things slowly and equally effortlessly, all while keeping a massive grin firmly plastered on its drivers face.
Raptor lead engineer Simon Johnson describes the Raptor as a four-wheeled dirt bike and that is probably the best description possible for it. Put it this way; if I owned a farm, I would own a Raptor. And never get any work done on the farm…
Why would I buy it?
Because you want the ultimate Ranger and because you actually want to go off-road in it. That last one is quite important, as you will never fully appreciate just how good the Raptor is if you don't.
Also, in the complete opposite direction, because you want a ute that is superbly comfortable as a daily driver and has a remarkably high capability to be hustled along a winding country road at a high rate.
Why wouldn't I buy it?
Because you want a true workhorse. While Raptor could arguably do the majority of what most kiwis use their utes for, that ultimate lack of towing ability and load carrying will limit it for some.
Also, if you can't get your head around a four-cylinder Raptor or an $85k Ranger, then you probably won't even give the Raptor a chance, which is a shame, because you would truly be missing out.