Top 5 Things We “HATE” About the Bronco Raptor

4. Needs More Power (Or a Better Sounding Engine)

To be perfectly fair, once at speed, or while crawling at low speeds, the Bronco Raptor’s 3.0L twin-turbo EcoBoost engine delivers the goods. Its wide torque band — especially in Baja mode where the revs are kept high — propel the B’Raptor over obstacles and up to speak for highway overtaking.

But, for a Ford Performance vehicle, it’s pretty slow off the line.

Weight, turbo lag, and rotational mass appear to be the truck’s main enemies. According to Car and Driver, the B’Raptor hits 60 in 5.6-seconds, about three-tenths of a second slower than its engine-sharing Explorer ST. And it’s almost a half-second slower to 60 than the F-150 Raptor 37. On the butt-dyno-reaction side of things, the Bronco Raptor lacks the excitement of launching a typical Ford Performance vehicle, with several F-150 trims hitting harder and faster.

To that end, we wish Ford had gone in one of two theoretical directions:

5.0L Coyote V8 — Yes, we know the 3.0L EcoBoost offers a better torque range and, therefore, the Coyote would actually be SLOWER. But it would SOUND glorious. And revving the RPMs up to/toward 7-grand is auto enthusiast heaven. The perfect Bronco, in my humblest opinion, would be one that blends all the new capabilities with the classic American roar of a V8. Ford did it for the Bronco DR. Why not Bronco Raptor?

3.5L EcoBoost (S.O. or H.O.) — Conversely, why not let the B’Raptor hang out with its F’Raptor cousins? In both the standard and high output iterations, the twin-turbo 3.5L EcoBoost V6 dumps over 500 ft.-lbs. of torque into the drivetrain, shoving drivers and occupants into the back of their seats. In an SUV that’s smaller than an F-150, that power would create a rocket on and off the street.

Michael S. Palmer

Michael S. Palmer began his career assisting and developing content for Academy Award-winning and studio-based film and television producers. He has been a professional writer since 2008, when he joined the Writers Guild of America West (WGAw). As a journalist and Content Editor/Manager, he has covered numerous emerging imaging, theatrical exhibition, home entertainment, and automotive technologies. He currently spends his days creating original content at the Internet Brands Automotive Group for some of the world's largest online automotive communities, including Ford Truck Enthusiasts, CorvetteForum, ClubLexus, AudiWorld, and LS1Tech. He recently teamed with Chevrolet Performance, Holley, Magnaflow, Eaton, Wilwood, Michelin, Chemical Guys, and Summit Racing to build his first project car. Installing an LS3 E-ROD Connect & Cruise system into a 1992 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon made his eight-passenger wagon faster than a C5 Corvette to 60mph and 50 state emissions legal. His wife and daughter are very patient.