Raptor Ranger Gets Official for Europe While the US Remains Hazy

Forza Ford

It’s been what, 10,15 years since video game receipts began to regularly exceed movie box office totals? As such, new product launches at video game gatherings should surprise no one. When Ford announced, in early August, that they’d make an important announcement at a video game convention in Cologne, Germany, regarding a performance truck later in the month, experts predicted it would be concerning the Ranger Raptor. The experts were right on two fronts. First, the eagerly awaited Forza Horizon 4 video game will give gamers and Ford fans alike a chance to drive the 2020 Ranger Raptor starting on October 2 of this year. Second, Ford has announced the European-spec version of the midsize Raptor will go on sale in the EU circa the middle of 2019.  

Euro Spec

To match the Raptor’s bulked-up body, European-market examples will be powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine producing 210 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, coupled to the same 10-speed automatic transmission found in F-150 Raptors. Globally-savvy readers might identify those power and torque numbers as being identical to the numbers delivered by Australian Fords using the company’s EcoBlue engine, where the engine is also bolted to the 10-speed auto. 

>>Join the conversation about the Raptor Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.

Raptor Reinforcements

To cope with Raptor-levels of power and anticipated abuse, Ford is giving the Ranger Raptor a reinforced frame, featuring special high-strength steels. And the Raptor’s beefy body is no paper tiger, sheltering as it does an upgraded suspension utilizing Fox shock absorbers. The shocks feature Fox’s Position Sensitive Damping technology, a variable-rate system designed to increase damping near the limits of suspension travel—preventing jarring that usually results in not only a harsh ride but a loss of control when you need it most. 

>>Join the conversation about the Raptor Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.

Rolling Stock

No Raptor would be complete without special wheels and tires and the Raptor-ized Ranger doesn’t disappoint with 33-inch diameter all-terrain 285/70R17 BFGoodrich tires filling the Ford’s flared wheel wells. 

>>Join the conversation about the Raptor Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.

Truck Tech

The pickup’s all-terrain theme gets a shot in the arm from Ford’s Terrain Management System. The system offers drivers their choice of six driving modes, including Normal, Sport, Baja, Grass/Gravel/Snow (the loose stuff), Mud/Sand (the really loose stuff), and Rock. All modes can be selected on the fly via steering wheel-mounted control. 

>>Join the conversation about the Raptor Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.

Truckin’ U.S.A.

Though there’s no official word as the to whether a Raptor version of the Ranger will make it stateside, we’d be very surprised if it doesn’t. Pickups are Ford’s bread and butter, and the Blue Oval has historically had no qualms about offering a multitude of models from which to choose. The Raptor’s 10-speed auto is already slated for U.S.-spec Ranger models, though those Rangers will come standard with Ford’s 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder gasoline engine. It’s possible the twin-turbo 2.0-liter diesel could make it over on the Raptor, but a safer bet would be a heated-up gasoline EcoBoost 2.3, at least initially. Look to a video game convention near you for further announcements. 

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