Ford Reveals Its 2 Litre Turbo Diesel Ranger Raptor For Australia

Ford Reveals Its 2 Litre Turbo Diesel Ranger Raptor For Australia

The first ever Ranger Raptor was revealed overnight in Bangkok, confirming suspicions that the new model ute would use a 2 litre diesel engine over the V6 petrol engine in its namesake, the US F-150 raptor. Here are all the details on the Ranger Raptor.

The new truck combines the popular Ford Ranger – Australia’s second-highest selling car in 2017 – with the F-150 Raptor available in the US for a Ranger that’s bigger, more aggressive-looking and designed for performance.

The powertrain combines Ford’s new 2 liter Bi-Turbo diesel engine with the 10-speed transmission from the F-150 Raptor to deliver a maximum 157kw of power and 500Nm torque.

The suspension on the new Ranger Raptor has been designed for speed offroad but also for greater comfort. The dampers are from Fox Racing Shox, exclusively manufactured for Ford. Many of the parts in this truck, Ford stressed at a number of points, cannot be found on the aftermarket.

The Raptor is bigger and more aggressive than previous Rangers – standing at 1873mm tall, 2180mm wide and 5398mm long. Ground clearance has been lifted to 283mm, with a 2.3mm thick bash plate protecting the undercarriage.

The Raptor style has been more strongly defined in the Ranger, taking notes from the F-150 like the standout “FORD” grille. Even the interior borrows from previous Raptors, with elements like the red centre marker on the steering wheel for guidance at high speeds.

On the tech side, the Ranger Raptor boasts a Terrain Management System with six different modes – two onroad and four offroad. The former includes your standard Normal and Sports modes for onroad driving, while the latter has modes for Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud and Sand, Rock and a special high-performance “Baja Mode”, named for the famous Baja Desert Rally.

On the back of this Baja Mode, when asked about racing the Ranger Raptor Ford Performance Chief Engineer, Jamal Hameedi said “if you don’t want to race a vehicle, you can’t work it for performance.”

The question of the night, however, was all about the engine. Ford spokespeople for the night were adamant that the Bi-Turbo diesel engine was the way to go with this vehicle, and it didn’t sound like there were any plans for a V6 petrol engine in the Ranger Raptor – except, perhaps, for the US market.

Hameedi’s response to those asking about petrol is simple: “You don’t get what a Raptor is all about.”

“If you focus on the engine, you’re missing the whole point”, he continued. “The Raptor is about the suspension and the chassis, and breaking the bank on the chassis… Those four shocks cost as much as small engine.”

“The combination of the Bi-Turbo engine and the 10-speed gearbox and the final drive ratio delivers everything that a performance truck customer wants, but delivers it in a way that customers are used to,” added Trevor Worthington, VP of product development in Asia Pacific.

“A lot of pickup truck buyers around the rest of the world are diesel buyers. This isn’t just about straight-line performance, it’s about overall capability.”

The Raptor is tipped to cost over $70,000 when it reaches Australia.


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