One of the most exciting
Double C
ab bakkies (
pickups) of this year, is the
Ford Ranger Raptor. This is the first time a
Ranger has been given the respected
Raptor badge, and this means it has to be quite exceptional in the bigger scheme of things. Not every
Ford gets to wear that coveted title. With the
Ranger Raptor finally landing in
South Africa and offering us the opportunity to test it out, it makes sense for us to try and understand if it has actually earned the
Raptor badge or not.
It would be amiss for us to talk
Ranger Raptor without mentioning that already the country was awash with fake
Raptor “conversions”, which were mainly nothing more than cosmetic upgrades to existing
Ford platforms. Therefore when the real
Raptor was officially launched here, it did not make the expected splash in the market. The wave was swallowed up by these existing conversions.
As such, what then makes the
Ranger Raptor stand out in a forest of fakes? From an external point of view, the
Raptor gets serious
muscular looks, including the large, bold
3D FORD badge on the
front grille, a ride that is
51mm taller, with
283mm ground clearance, a
150mm wider front track and a
32.5-degree approach angle, for better access to
off-road obstacles.
LED fog lamps on the
front bumper and
flared wheel arches give it a solid stance, while the
long-travel suspension and
BF Goodrich 285/70 R17 all-terrain tyres are produced specifically for this vehicle. The
Ranger Raptor features several colours, including our favourite
Ford Performance Blue, as well as
Absolute Black,
Colorado Red,
Frozen White and
Conquer Grey.
Our test vehicle came in the
Ford Performance Blue, with
black cladding on the
front grille, all
fenders,
side gills,
side steps, and
rear bumper. The
alloy wheels are also black, and so is the
rear load box. The contrast with the blue is quite attractive to the eye. On the interior,
Ford has done more special work. For one, the
sports seats are partially covered in
Technical Suede and are
adjustable electrically for pretty much every size body that can drive.
Blue stitching gives the seats a
sportier look.
The
multi-function steering wheel is highlighted by a red 12 o’clock marker, which not only looks good, but also serves to indicate where the wheels might be pointing. Useful for
off-road instances. Behind the wheel are two
shifting paddles. The
gear lever is perforated, with
blue stitching as well, whereas the
foot pedals are framed in a
metal alloy. Of course the
SYNC 3 infotainment system is part of the package here, with its
touch screen and extensive features list, including
voice control,
satellite navigation and access to apps like
Android Auto and
Apple Carplay.
One of the highlights brought with the
Ranger Raptor is the
powertrain. It consists of the new
2.0-litre Biturbo diesel engine producing
157kW of power and
500Nm of torque. Paired with it is the silky smooth new
10-speed automatic transmission. Expectedly the
Raptor is an
off-road capable car and comes with switchable
4x4, activated via a knob at the
centre console. Whilst the engine is strong and sounds
sporty at full flight, it does lack that extra push given by competitor
V6 engines. Where it excels is in
fuel consumption, of which we
averaged 11 litres per 100km over seven days of mixed driving conditions.
The new
Ford Ranger Raptor is a very good-looking (in an aggressive kind of manner) and quite accomplished piece of kit, especially when it comes to the fun bits of
off-road driving, technological advances, as well as daily comfortable driving.
