By Steve & Tamami Laser
Ford says the new Ranger is “Europe’s best-selling pickup,” retailing some 13,600 units during the first quarter of this year. To help maintain momentum, Ford has unleashed the new Ranger Raptor in Europe, where it’s billed as the “Ultimate Off-Road” performance pickup.
Shown above and below at last week’s Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, UK, Ranger Raptor was developed by Ford Performance for “thrill-seeking outdoor lifestyles.” Raptor is built on a reinforced chassis with high-strength, low-alloy steel. It features a wider track, taller ride height, Fox shocks with Position Sensitive Damping, increased suspension travel, and aluminum control arms.
The rear suspension, a bespoke coilover design fitted with integrated Watt’s linkage, is said to assist up-and-down axle movement while limiting lateral shifting. An upgraded braking system includes twin-piston calipers up front, and ventilated discs front and rear.
Under the hood, Ranger Raptor is powered by a 2.0-liter Bi-turbo EcoBlue diesel engine rated at 213 PS and 500 Nm of torque. It’s teamed with a 10-speed automatic transmission shared with the F-150 Raptor. (If the Ranger Raptor joined the lineup in the states as a smaller sibling to the F-150 Raptor, it would likely use a gas-powered turbo engine.)
To help protect vital components while travelling off-road, Ranger Raptor is fitted with a new, larger high-strength-steel front skid plate, along with separate shields for the engine and transfer case.
Raptor is dressed with unique wheels and rides on 33-inch by 11-inch BF Goodrich tires with beefed-up sidewalls and an aggressive tread pattern. Even though it’s not coming to the states, Ford says Ranger Raptor was “torture-tested in the challenging desert landscapes around Borrego Springs in the U.S.”
The Ranger Raptor certainly looks tough, with big fender flares and a front grille inspired by the F-150 Raptor. The grille is flanked with xenon HID headlights, and LED foglights are also included. So are front and rear recovery hooks, a modified rear bumper with integrated tow hitch, and a Lift Assist Tailgate with a torsion rod for easier access to the cargo bed.
Inside, Ranger Raptor’s bolstered front bucket seats are trimmed with premium leather and suede. The bespoke steering wheel has an on-center marker and includes racing-style magnesium paddle shifters.
With the Raptor’s Terrain Management System, the driver can select six different modes: Normal, Sport, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Sand, Rock, and Baja. The latter is said to tune response for high-speed off-road performance, “just like drivers need in the famous Baja desert rally.”
In the safety department, Ford has fitted the Ranger Raptor with an array of driver assist features including Stability Control with Roll Mitigation Function, Trailer Sway Control, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, and Load Adaptive Control.
Ranger Raptors for Europe are built by Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa at Ford’s Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria. The first shipment, shown above, recently departed from Port Elizabeth to European markets.
News source and photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company Ltd. Additional photos courtesy of Newspress
Features and specifications for European market models is subject to change without notice
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