With the lengthy build-up to the arrival of the all-new Ford Ranger, it came as no surprise the company made the most of the outgoing version by refreshing and devising new variants.
The offer of a Raptor Special Edition and the chance to get down and dirty was not one to be missed. I recently took delivery of one done out in Agate Black and fitted with 285/70 R17 offroad tyres that looked capable of clawing up the Hillbrow Tower.
The vehicle has an imposing presence.
Embellished with red contrast lines
In addition to this impression is the twin matte black racing stripes – edged with red contrast lines – on the bonnet, roof, lower body sides, rear wings and tailgate.
Taken from the Ranger Thunder, it also has the lockable Mountain Top black roller shutter, keeping the luggage safe in the load bin.
The red theme continues inside with the stitching on the steering wheel, seats and door cards and the instrument panel – called Raceway Grey – is unique to this variant. The sports seats are trimmed in suede to provide a better grip for the occupants. The steering wheel gains a red marker to give a precise indicator of where they are pointing.
Known for its offroad performance capabilities
Given the Raptor’s offroad performance ability, this addition becomes increasingly important when the vehicle is pushed to its limits on fast, curving dirt roads or low speed while negotiating challenging obstacles.
The Raptor is designed precisely for playing host to Fox Position Sensitive Damping (PSD) shock absorbers that provide higher damping forces at extremes and lower ones in more moderate conditions.
Front-wheel travel is increased by 32%, rear travel by 22% compared to the standard Ranger and the high-performance 63,5 mm diameter dampers are supported by aluminium control arms, with protruding shock absorber towers at the front.
The coil-over rear suspension arrangement features an integrated Watt linkage that allows the axle to move up and down with little lateral movement. The Raptor has a 51 mm more ride height than the standard Ranger with 283 mm ground clearance, 150 mm wider front and rear track and 850 mm wading depth.
No terrain too tough for the Raptor
Put that together with the trick suspension - the vehicle moves indecently quick on dirt roads – and, if you have ever wondered how the Neil Woolridge Motorsport racing Rangers achieved such incredible speeds in offroad races, this is your clue.
The Special Edition drives through a 2,0-litre Bi-Turbo diesel engine that delivers a maximum power of 157 kW and 500 Nm torque. It utilises a small high-pressure turbo and a big low-pressure turbo to optimise performance throughout the engine speed range, together with Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission.
Do not be fooled by its bulk or the fact it weighs in at 3 000 kilograms – two-wheel drive mode gets to 100 km/h in around 10,8 seconds, and four-wheel drive records 7,0 seconds with maximum speed around the 170 km/h mark.
Digital access to convenience features and multifunction steering wheel
While slower than the Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6 double cab 4x4 Legend RS auto and the bigger-engine Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 V6 TDI double cab Highline 4Motion, Ford has always maintained the Raptor is less about the speed and all about the suspension and offroad ability.
That claim gains credence from the 32,5-degree approach angle with ramp-over and departure angles of 24 degrees.
The LT 285/70 R17 General Grabber AT3 tyres are, perhaps, not the best for daily use on tarmac roads, with the vehicle suffering some ‘bounce’ on roads with a few ripples but not enough to get the suspension to optimal working status.
In that daily use situation and on my test route, the Raptor returned an overall consumption of 8,5 l/100 km, giving it a tank range of around 900 kilometres.
Roads don't get rocky for the Raptor
Offroad, it is great fun to drive, especially with the Terrain Management System (TMS) that includes a Baja mode, inspired by Mexico’s famous Baja Desert Rally. In this mode, vehicle systems such as Traction Control are pared back to allow spirited off-road driving without intervention from the vehicle’s onboard systems. Gear selection is optimised for maximum performance, and the mapping will hold gears longer and downshift more aggressively.
The power steering is also linked to the TMS, providing varying levels of assistance and responsiveness according to the selected drive mode. The function is derived from the Ford Everest 4x4 and features a full range of other drive modes, including Normal, Sport, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Sand and Rock.
A complete offroad champion
Stopping power on the Raptor comes from 51 mm twin-piston front callipers, with 332x32 mm ventilated discs. Rear braking performance is also enhanced with 54 mm diameter rear callipers and 332x24 mm ventilated discs in place of the drum brakes used on the standard Ranger.
It might be the last ‘hurrah’ for this generation of Raptor – but it leaves plenty of happy memories.
