This is the new Ford Ranger Raptor, and it’s a serious bit of kit. It has been available to order since May but customers will have to wait a while longer as first deliveries don’t start until 2023.
The performance truck has been limited to a few UK public appearances, having made its debut at the 2022 CV Show before heading up the hill at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The standard version of the new Ranger Raptor is available to order now, priced from £58,900 including VAT. Goodwood also hosted an appearance from the latest ‘Very Gay Raptor’. This colourfully decorated version supports Ford’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community, and was designed to be used as a conversation starter for a series of ‘Tough Talks’ at the festival, hosted by Gareth Thomas, an openly gay rugby union player.
Watch the VGR – as it’s affectionately known – tackling some terrain with a standard next-gen Raptor in the teaser video below.
Ranger Raptor may be technically the flagship of Ford’s commercial vehicle line up, but it’s really a pet project by the brand’s Ford Performance division to make a pickup truck that, unencumbered by too much thought about payloads or fuel efficiency, can focus on absolute supremacy both on and off the road.
We lived with a previous-generation Ranger Raptor for over a year so consider ourselves fairly familiar with what Ford calls the ‘badass’ of the Ranger lineup, which is why this new model excites us so much. With borderline obsessive levels of re-engineering, the new Raptor promises to right the few wrongs of the current truck, most notably addressing a general lack of power with a new V6 petrol engine.
At the same time, what was already great about the current model has been kept, tweaked and improved. ‘When we launched Raptor in 2018,’ a Ford spokesperson pointed out, ‘we redefined midsize truck capability. In four years, nothing has come close, but we’ve still raised the benchmark even higher.’
Exciting stuff. The best part is that the Raptor strategy seems to be working out. Despite a high price and limited payload, almost 15% of Rangers sold are Ranger Raptors. Considering one in three pickups in the UK is a Ranger in the first place, that’s a significant number – so perhaps it’s not so surprising that the new Raptor is such an important part of the Ranger lineup this time around that it’s actually the first model to launch, with customer deliveries beginning in late 2022, ahead of the standard Ranger pickup, which arrives in early 2023. This represents a slight delay over the originally promised summer arrival date.
We’ll be driving the new Ranger Raptor in November so will bring you the full lowdown when we have got behind the wheel.
What’s new about the 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor?
The list of modifications from the standard Ford Ranger is extensive to put it mildly – but we’ll try and sum it up below.
> Front and rear Fox Racing 2.5-inch live-valve shock absorbers
> Rear coil spring suspension (instead of leaf springs) with a Watt’s linkage to limit horizontal movement
> Modified, strengthened chassis frame, particularly around shock absorber towers
> New aluminium upper and lower suspension arms
> All-round, larger disc brakes
> 33-inch BF Goodrich off-road tyres
> New front bash plate – almost twice as large as on standard Ranger
> New front and rear bumpers with towing hooks
> New FORD grille
> New sports seats
> Leather steering wheel with centre marker and magnesium paddle shifters
> Seven selectable driving modes
> Active exhaust system with four different modes to suit different driving scenarios
We’ve left out perhaps the most important part though, which is the engine. The previous Ranger Raptor used a twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel, which though acceptable isn’t what you’d call quick. Ford’s remedied that this time round, though, and equipped the Raptor with its own twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine.
Producing 288hp and 491Nm of torque, it’s around 30% more powerful than the outgoing diesel model and over a six mile off-road course Ford says it’s a whole minute quicker. Actual performance stats are yet to be revealed, but the brand promises ‘it’s not just quick for a truck – it’s quick, period.’
Paired to a uniquely mapped ten-speed automatic transmission, the engine should prove an interesting match for the Ranger Raptor. However, we’re expecting fuel economy that’s impressive for all the wrong reasons…
For the sensible among us, then, it’s good news that Ford will also offer diesel options, including the 3.0-litre V6 diesel of the standard truck. Though it’s slightly sad that US and Australian versions come with their own variant of the twin-turbo V6 – one with 398hp…
How capable is the 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor off-road?
We won’t know until we’ve driven it but it certainly has the appropriate tool kit. Those chassis modifications are aimed at fast, fluid off-roading, but with plenty of ground clearance, a capable four-wheel drive system, low-range gearbox and locking differentials it’ll no doubt prove impressive on slower rock crawls and the like.
The seven selectable driving modes should cover all bases, and they are as follows:
> Normal: Everyday driving, maximises fuel economy
> Sport: Higher shift points, maximises performance
> Slippery: Lower shift points, reduces wheelspin in slick conditions
> Rock crawl: Softens throttle, maximises control
> Mud and ruts: Maximises grip, allows for wheelspin to clear mud from tyres
> Sand: Maintains momentum
> Baja: Sets all systems to maximum attack for high-speed off-roading
Baja mode also activates the V6 engine’s Ford GT-inspired anti-lag system for better response at high speed. Even more fun comes in the form of the twin active exhausts, which have four modes ranging from Quiet in Normal mode to the off-road-only setting in Baja mode.
A further upgrade over the current Ranger Raptor is the four-wheel drive system, which now defaults to a full-time 4WD system. The current model is RWD in road conditions, and we’ve noted it can be a little tail-happy on slick surfaces…
What’s the interior of the 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor like?
As befits a flagship, Ford’s thrown every bit of equipment it can fit into the Ranger Raptor’s cabin. You get two enormous screens – a 12.4-inch one for the instrument cluster and a 12.0-inch portrait-oriented infotainment display – plus heated leather seats and a leather steering wheel.
There are still a few scant giveaways that this is a pickup truck, with a few materials that are hardwearing rather than luxurious. But it’s an impressively comfortable place to be.
When can I buy one, and how much will it be?
Unsurprisingly, it isn’t cheap – the starting price has been confirmed as £57,340, including VAT. Pickup trucks in the UK need a payload of more than 1,000kg to qualify as a commercial vehicle, which would allow business buyers to reclaim the VAT. Sadly this isn’t likely to be the case with the latest Raptor, as it wasn’t with the previous one.
Ford has also confirmed that you can add a ‘Raptor Pack’ to the outside, which will include a cab roll over bar and power roll top Tonneau cover. This will cost £1,860. A Splash Decal Pack is also offered, at £600, while the new orange paint will set you back £720.
The 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor will go on sale in Europe before the end of the year, and we’ll bring you a full review as soon as Ford lets us drive one. We’re really looking forward to it.
