Ford’s new Ranger Raptor is getting to ready for its
European launch, with the first customer deliveries to start in mid-2019. The Raptor version of Europe’s
best-selling pickup truck comes with a reinforced chassis, a race-bred suspension
with wider tracks and increased ride height as well as a twin-turbo 2.0-liter
diesel four-cylinder engine paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Packing 210 hp and 500 Nm of torque, the new Ford Ranger Raptor is designed for
“high-speed off-road driving and go-anywhere capability”.
Compared to a standard Ranger XLT, the Ranger Raptor
comes with a 150 mm wider track and 51 mm more ground clearance, featuring Fox
shock absorbers with longer travel, special control arms and a bespoke coilover
rear suspension that features an integrated Watt’s linkage.
The brakes are bigger too while the all-terrain BF
Goodrich tires now measure 33 inches in diameter (285/70 R17). The reinforced
chassis also comes with optimized off-road geometry, offering a 32.5-degree
approach angle and ramp-over and departure angles of 24 degrees. Ground
clearance in total is 283 mm while wading depth is 850 mm.
The driver can choose between six Terrain Management
System modes, including Normal, Sport, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Sand, Rock and
Baja, the latter priming the chassis for the aforementioned high-speed off-road
driving.
What’s interesting in the case of the Ford Ranger
Raptor is that it doesn’t promise to be better just during off-road driving but
also on-road as well, benefiting from the new suspension setup to provide more
refinement than its non-Raptor siblings.
Ford claims that the Ranger Raptor offers a combined
fuel economy of 31.7 mpg UK (8.9lt/100km) and emits 233g/km of CO2. 0-100 km/h comes in 10.5 seconds while top speed is set at 170 km/h. The
Ranger Raptor tips the scales at 2,510 kg and can tow up to 2,5
tonnes.
