Ford Ranger Raptor
By Ian Strachan.
Pick-ups used to be workhorses, so that’s what you got. A tough, uncompromising package with little thought given to design, comfort and specification. It did a job, didn’t cost too much, and that would be it.
No more. A 21st century pick-up is a fashion statement. That means it has to look cool, be at least as comfortable as a car, and come with all the goodies you’d expect on an upmarket saloon.
And in the case of the new Ford Ranger Raptor, you also get great off-road capability and turbocharged performance from its 3.0 litre V6 petrol engine.
This latest Ford Ranger has a stylish double cab body, chunky, aggressively-moulded black front end, long travel suspension and huge off-road tyres wrapped around 17-inch alloys. My test car came in startling metallic Code Orange – no danger of losing it in a car park.
Ironic that its stand-out orange paintwork shares the same colour as the Just Stop Oil protesters – because this beast certainly has no eco-pretensions. You’ll get 20 miles to the gallon if you’re lucky, and it pumps out 315 g/km of CO2. But this impressive vehicle costs £60,000 on the road so don’t expect buyers to be guilt-ridden.
It has a huge load-space with roller cover, roof rails and side-steps. Its spacious interior is extremely comfortable and well-specified – a far cry from pick-ups of the past.
The Ranger Raptor that I tested was powered by a strong, gutsy, 3.0 litre V6 petrol unit. It sounds tough and is tough – a growling 292 bhp engine with plenty of grunt if you need it for towing or off-roading. My test car married the engine to a ten-speed automatic gearbox, resulting in a smooth and effortless ride. There are seven selectable drive modes including Sport, Slippery and Rock Crawl, with front and rear locking diffs.
It handles well, too. Suspension is softish, which means you’ll roll around corners a little, but straight-line handling is comfortable and steering is precise. It’s well able to cope with the rough stuff, when the electronic traction control comes into its own.
There’s plenty of room for five people in this vehicle, with good headroom. The high specification also gives you satellite navigation via a 12-inch multi-function touchscreen which also controls the DAB radio and 10-speaker sound system which includes wireless Apple CarPlay and full connectivity.
You also get high quality leather upholstery with leather-wrapped steering wheel, 360 degree camera with front and rear parking sensors, park assist, active cruise control with lane centring, dual-zone automatic climate control, privacy glass, heated electric door mirrors, heated and 10-way powered front seats and all round electric windows – all for £59,530 on the road.
In addition you get hill descent control, blind-spot monitoring which includes trailer coverage, heated windscreen, rain sensitive wipers and tyre pressure monitoring. My test car came with that orange premium paint (£720), Raptor decals (£600) and a Raptor exterior pack which included powered roll-top tonneau cover and black cab roll-bars (£1860).
You get all the safety features you’d expect on a vehicle like this, plus the advantage of a high driving position.
Ford pick-ups have been around for a long time, but this is undoubtedly a step forward in terms of performance, versatility, comfort and specification.
Public utilities, farmers and construction workers will find this a powerful working vehicle, but it will also appeal to those who recognise the pick-up as the new cool vehicle to be seen in.
