New Ford Raptor grows a bigger pair

Ford says it had three prerequisites for the new-generation Ranger Raptor: more power, better handling and improved brakes.

It has ticked all three boxes and added a hearty roar to the equation too, creating a rally-inspired high-performance bakkie with peerless abilities.

Starting with the underbonnet fettling, the second-generation Raptor has nearly double the power of its predecessor, replacing the previous 157kW/500Nm 2.0 turbo diesel engine with a 3.0 V6 twin turbo petrol wielding 292kW and 583Nm.

It has anti-lag technology and is paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission with steering-mounted paddle shifters.

To demonstrate the newfound muscle, Ford SA held the Raptor’s media launch in the dunes of the Namib desert outside Walvis Bay. Climbing steep, soft dunes is all about momentum and the ballsy new Raptor is able to generate plenty of it.

The blue-oval bakkie accelerates like a sports car, pressing you firmly into jet fighter-inspired front bucket seats as it hightails towards the horizon with a vocal war cry that sounds more like a Mustang than a work mule. From the seat-of-the-pants meter this double cab feels like it could achieve 0-100km/h in around six seconds, and we will be putting this to the test with our Vbox in due course.

Over two days of desert driving the Raptor displayed high-performance prowess in extreme off-roading, with the power, braking and chassis to comfortably tackle everything it was pointed at. In terms of performance there is no other one-tonner that comes close, and the Raptor hasn’t just moved the goalposts in its market segment; it has kicked them out of the stadium.

All this extra power has come with a newfound ability to fully disable the stability control; in the previous, less-powerful Raptor it could only be minimised. This allows for some entertaining power slides on slippery surfaces, and it is one of numerous settings that can adapt the burly bakkie to varying surface and driving conditions. A twist dial between the front seats offers the selectable drive modes On-Road, Normal, Sport, Slippery, Rock Crawl, Sand, Mud/Ruts, and a Baja mode (named after the iconic Baja 1000 off road race in Mexico) for high-speed off-roading — the latter also cranks up the volume coming from the exhaust.

A new “R” button on the steering wheel allows the driver to pre-programme their favourite vehicle settings and select them with one touch. There are also buttons on the steering to select the suspension firmness, steering response and exhaust note.

Compared to the regular Ranger bakkie, the Raptor’s chassis is reinforced to handle punishing off-road conditions and the suspension has 32% more travel in front and 18% more at the Watt's link rear. This, together with its tall 272mm ground clearance, makes the Raptor capable of safely tackling bumps at speed, allowing all-important momentum to be built up for scaling steep dunes.

As before the vehicle rides on Fox dampers but they are now more hi-tech with position-sensitive damping that adapts to driving conditions. Combined with its high-profile 285/70 R17 BF Goodrich all-terrain KO2 tyres, the Raptor delivers an impressively cushy ride but the suspension can be stiffened when more handling prowess is called for. Three driver-selectable damper settings are available: Normal, Sport and Off Road.

The latest Raptor replaces its predecessor’s part-time four-wheel drive system with permanent four-wheel drive which can be used on and off-road and automatically adjusts the flow of drive between the front and rear axles.  The driver can manually select 2H, 4H and 4L modes.

It is combined with locking rear and front differentials, which proved their effectiveness when we detoured off the dunes and took the Raptor for a slow crawl through a steep and rocky trail. Here, another feature came in handy: the Trail Control, a cruise control for slow-speed off-roading in difficult terrain. A 360° camera system with split-view display provides the driver with a live top-down view of everything around the vehicle, as well as cross-traffic views in front of and behind the vehicle.

There was little that could stop the previous Raptor in its tracks when off-roading but the new version gets the ballsy power that customers have clamoured for, and sets the bar higher in terms of adventure-driving capability and driver-pleasing entertainment value.

The alpha Ranger has a powerful presence with its tall stance, muscular wheel arches and bold black Ford lettering on the grille. Matrix LED headlights with LED daytime running lights make their debut, featuring dynamic bending lights, glare-free high beam and auto dynamic levelling.

Inside, decorative orange accents and ambient lighting identify the Raptor as the top-of-the-range model. The highly digitised cabin has a high resolution 12.4-inch digital cluster and a 12-inch centre touchscreen with Apple and Android wireless smartphone connectivity, wireless charging, and a premium 10-speaker 660W Bang & Olufsen sound system.

Front and rear passengers have charging ports, complemented by a built-in 400W inverter that provides 240V power to the load box in conjunction with a 12V socket.

Imported from Thailand, the Raptor is available in SA as a single model retailing for R1,094,900 which includes a four-year/120,000km warranty and four-year/unlimited distance Roadside Assistance. A service or maintenance plan up to eight years or 165,000km can be purchased at additional cost while the warranty can be extended up to seven years or 200,000km.