Pick up

Seemingly unconnected worlds collide in a car from which one would least expect it. At the pick-up truck. Ford introduced the new Ranger and initially offers it in the most extreme version. The Raptor is everything Dog and Cat could dream up if instead of baking a cake, they were inventing a car.

Worker? Sure, that’s its basic DNA, it pulls a 2.5 ton trailer and hauls a euro pallet on the bed. Careful processing and equipment that will satisfy pampered Europe? That’s no problem either, LED Matrix headlights, top audio and quality leather, everything you could wish for.

Supersport performance? Sure, you should have them. The three-liter six-cylinder engine with two turbos produces 215 kilowatts and 491 Newton meters, so even the almost 2.5-tonne car drives like a stunner. The comfort of a family car? All in all, despite its construction, it is unexpectedly comfortable and handles long journeys on the highway without difficulty.

He has perfect control over it all. The ultimate Ranger is certainly the furthest thing from anything you could think of in connection with the idea of ​​a “truck”. Of course, he loves it when you get off the asphalt with him and go on dirt roads, hills, through mud, sand, in short, they don’t travel on the road, and that’s pretty wild. So it’s not a car that everyone could fully use.

Ready to fly over the hill

The Raptor differs from the regular versions of the Ranger by several special modifications to the chassis. It has different wishbones and specific Fox dampers with more travel that Ford uses to adapt them to jumps: When the wheel position sensors pick up a full bounce, the dampers respond by stiffening to absorb the energy as the car bounces. The car also has Watt’s direct drive and coil springs instead of the standard leaf springs seen on regular Rangers.

There is also an anti-lag system that reduces the delay typical of turbocharged engines. For three seconds after releasing the gas pedal, the control unit keeps both turbochargers spinning, and when the gas is stepped on again, full power is immediately available again.

Everything that has been changed on the car is simply aimed at improving the behavior when driving fast off-road. That’s also why it has a covered engine with gearbox and reinforced bow protection in case the driver overdoes it a bit.

Anyone who is a rebel at heart will be pleased that you can also set how loud the Raptor will be. It can roar from the exhausts to the whole bike, or on the contrary, it can quietly drive out of the sleeping street unnoticed. There are four versions of the sound for the driver to choose according to his mood.

In addition, there is a choice of seven driving modes. These adjust the behavior of the engine and transmission, the ESP function, the steering resistance and the response of the gas pedal. In the eyes of the Raptor, terrain is not the same as terrain, so you can set the most suitable one for driving between stones, sand, mud covered tracks. There is also a Baja mode for a fast pace in off-road conditions.

The classic reduction gearbox controlled by a separate lever is missing here, but the electronics of the all-wheel drive with a two-stage transmission and front and rear differential locks are so advanced in Ford that it is difficult to catch anything on the plums. On the road, the best choice is the 4A mode, when the torque between the rear and front axles is smoothly distributed as needed. The Trail Control system, which can be described as off-road cruise control, ensures that the car climbs up and down hills by itself, just turn the steering wheel.

But what impresses the Raptor the most is how civil it is during normal trips to work or shopping. It doesn’t behave like a “skeleton”, it doesn’t jump on bumps, it can iron them out unexpectedly, even though the body is empty.

However, the consumption of a three-liter six-cylinder gasoline engine seems to ignore the current mood in Europe, you need to prepare for values ​​of at least 13 to 15 liters. At least the car has an 80 liter tank. Those who would like to save a little can have a weaker two-liter diesel under the hood with a price of just over 1.8 million. Which is exactly 70,000 less than the price of a Raptor with a V6 engine.

Ranger Raptor is such a brute in gloves, savages who can be tamed when it’s convenient. He has talent to spare, he excels off-road, he can go insanely fast no matter what his wheels are touching. It is impossible to use all abilities in normal operation, on the contrary, there is a risk that its owner will occasionally encounter certain sneers from the surroundings. Anyone who hasn’t had a good ride in this car has no chance to fully understand it.