The Ranger Raptor Is Here, and It’s Awesome
Ford’s latest hardcore off-road performance truck has diesel power, an innovative suspension design & killer looks. There’s just one problem…
The existence of a hardcore off-road Ranger Raptor has been one of the worst kept secrets in the automotive world over the last several months. Heck, Ford themselves released a pair of videos showing a heavily camouflaged test mule flying over desert dunes, saving our resident spy photographers the trouble. But now we’re getting our first official look at the production Ranger Raptor after Ford finally pulled the covers off of it in Thailand.
We never exactly expected to be disappointed by the little brother to the F-150 Raptor. And after seeing the beastly mid-size pickup, we can’t say that we are. It looks fantastic. Many have complained that the base Ranger looks too tame, too much like the competition. But you won’t mistake a Ranger Raptor for anything else. In fact, it almost looks like a shrunken version of its big brother. Which is by design, of course.
It may look tough, but the Ranger Raptor’s bodywork is quite functional as well. The LED fog lights sport functional air curtain ducts that help reduce air resistance. The front fenders are made from composite materials that resist dents and dings. Specially designed step boards keep rocks from hitting the rear of the truck and sport built-in drain holes. A two-stage powder coating process resists scratches, too. Out back, the rear bumper carries an integrated tow bar and a pair of recovery hooks.
