Top 5 Things We “HATE” About the Bronco Raptor

2. Luxurious Adjacent

We live in a world where F-150s and other Fords have gotten pretty fancy. It’s not uncommon to find trucks costing $80,000 to $100,000. But along with these soaring prices, we get some pretty nice stuff. Heated and ventilated and massaging leather seats. Sound systems with a couple dozen speakers. Radar cruise control and/or semi-autonomous driving modes. The end result, even in the louder F-150 Raptor, is an overall feeling of refinement.

Yes, there’s a “for a truck” caveat. But if you grew up on trucks in the 1980s or 1990s, modern trucks are wonderful.

The Bronco Raptor Ford lent to us for review stickered at just-under $81,000. It features almost-identical versions of the Recaro sport seats from the Raptor 37. Same blue and orange colors. Same supportive-but-not-constraining bolstering. But that’s where the similarities end.

The Bronco Raptor’s seats lack ventilation, for starters. Even though the pricing and the seating is very similar. Furthermore, while B’Raptor’s 10-Speaker B&O sound system is pretty good for a Bronco, it pales in comparison to the F-150’s B&O Unleashed system. The Bronco — in every trim — is also a much louder experience. Even with the insulated hardtop, wind noise becomes a distraction at highway speeds thanks to the Bronco’s brick-like aerodynamics.

In short, if you want a more refined, more luxurious Raptor, go with the F-150 version.

As for the Bronco, most of these limitations come down to chassis design and vehicle packaging — it would be very hard to make a Bronco as quiet and smooth as an F-150. In short, when you buy a Bronco Raptor, you’re buying performance and capability first… with a small sidedish of fancy sauce.

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.