The Ford
Ranger Raptor has now made its public debut in Thailand at the ongoing 2018
Bangkok International Motor Show. The pricing for the pick-up in the
Kingdom has been announced – the Ranger Raptor 4WD goes for 1.699 million baht.
The Ford
Performance-badged variant isn’t just a Ranger T6 with some dress-up bits
slapped on. The changes carried out on Raptor are notably led by a new mill and
transmission. It’s equipped with the Blue Oval’s new 2.0 litre EcoBlue
twin-turbo diesel, which offers 213 PS and 500 Nm of torque – those numbers
from the Panther unit are higher than that coming off the 3.2 litre Duratorq
straight-five, which has 200 PS and 470 Nm.
It’s paired with a Getrag 10R80 10-speed automatic
transmission, which takes over from the 6R80 six-speeder in this application.
With a wider ratio-span, pluses offered by the new ‘box are improved
acceleration, responsiveness and quicker gearshifts.
Other mechanical changes include uprated brakes –
the Raptor gets twin-piston front calipers that are 9.5 mm larger than a
regular Ranger’s, and these clamp on to 332 mm ventilated rotors. At the back,
a single-piston 54 mm caliper can be found.
The Raptor which sits on 17-inch model-specific
alloys and 285/70 profile BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres, is also equipped with
a set of 46.6 mm Fox Racing Shox dampers. The Position Sensitive Damping (PSD)
units offer high damping forces on off-road excursions and comfort-oriented
lower forces in the mid-travel zone when running on tarmac.
Styling has also been addressed, exterior kit in
the Raptor styling pack includes a new frame-mounted front bumper and a
dedicated blacked-out grille complete with large Ford lettering. There are also
revised fender flares, which are made of composites to better resist physical
damage like dents and dings. At the back, the rear bumper comes with an
integrated tow bar and two recovery hooks rated at 3.8 tonnes.
Inside, the cabin includes sports seats complete
with blue stitching, leather accents and a Raptor logo. There’s also a
sportier-looking steering wheel and magnesium paddle shifters, among other
things.