Here it is, at long last – Ford has just officially unveiled the second-generation Ranger Raptor, and compared to its predecessor, the Blue Oval has given the new the King of the Jungle performance pick-up truck a massive list of upgrades across the board.
First of all is, of course, the new beating heart of the Ranger Raptor. Just as we’ve guessed, the all-new Raptor is now powered by a 3.0-litre EcoBoost twin-turbocharged petrol V6 engine, with 288 hp and 491 Nm of torque on tap – although several outlets reported that the US version will actually come with 397 hp and 583 Nm. Either way, it’s still a healthy increase over the outgoing turbodiesel mill’s 213 hp.
Ford will still offer the all-new Ranger Raptor with the existing 2.0-litre turbodiesel in certain markets, but did not mention if there’ll be any updates to its performance. Fingers crossed that we actually get the V6 Raptor here in Malaysia!
Power is sent to all four wheels via a new full-time AWD system and a 10-speed automatic gearbox. And just as before, there’s also the variant-exclusive Baja drive mode, which now even comes with an active exhaust system selector – Baja, of course, being the loudest and naughtiest (Ford says it’s almost like a straight pipe set-up) of them all.
New to the Baja drive mode is also an anti-lag system for the turbochargers, which keeps the turbochargers spinning for up to three seconds after the driver lifts off the throttle, allowing for faster resumption of acceleration out of corners when the driver steps back on the accelerator.
Additionally, the engine is also programmed with an individual turbocharging boost profile for each of the transmissions’ 10 gears, which further optimises performance across the entire speed range.
To handle the extra firepower and stress load while you jump through the sand dunes, Ford says it has also significantly toughened up the chassis with several structural reinforcements, including beefier shock towers and rear shock brackets.
The suspension on the all-new Ford Ranger Raptor has also been completely redesigned with lightweight aluminium upper and lower control arms. Fox adaptive shocks are again standard here, and features the brand’s latest 2.5-inch Live Valve dampers filled with Teflon-infused oil.
Ford says that the suspension set-up here is the most sophisticated ever to be fitted onto a Ranger, with all of its characteristics specifically fine-tuned to provide the “perfect balance” between on-road and off-road performance.
And with that much performance, the truck of course has to look its part. To that end, Ford has given the Ranger Raptor here extra flared wheel arches, unique bumpers both front and back, cast aluminium side steps, and the signature F-O-R-D lettering on the grille to give it some more visual muscle.
As for standard features, the all-new Ford Ranger Raptor comes equipped from the factory with 17-inch alloys wrapped in “Raptor-exclusive performance all-terrain tyres”, actual functional aero vents, and matrix LED headlights with LED daytime-running lights.
Inside, upgrades specific to the Ranger Raptor include a 12-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen infotainment display, a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster with Raptor-specific displays, cast-magnesium gearshift paddles, unique jet fighter-inspired sports seats, Code Orange accents (to match the new ‘hero’ external colour), the Raptor-specific drive mode selector, as well as a 10-speaker B&O sound system.
No pricing details have been announced just yet, but we’ll say it here first – it’s all going to be worth it. Give us one right now.
GALLERY
