2023 RANGER RAPTOR REVEALED

FORD REVEALS HOW IT TURNED A CAPABLE OFF-ROADER IN TO A PERFORMANCE HEAVY HITTER

- ALEX INWOOD

FASTER, more powerful, more capable and bristling with hightech systems and hardware. Even if this is roughly what you were expecting from Ford’s all-new super ute, the second-generation Ranger Raptor, the man in charge of creating it reckons a further recalibration is in order.

“It’s a quantum shift, I’ll tell you that,” says Justin Capicchiano, Ford Performance program manager. “The step change is huge; it’s a different thing altogether. You guys aren’t ready for it.”

The biggest change, and the one that will most obviously alter the Raptor’s personality and performance, is its engine. Gone is the controversial (and arguably underpowered) 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel of the first-gen Raptor. In its place slots the same 3.0-litre EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 petrol as found in the recently released Bronco Raptor, with which the new Ranger shares its T6 architecture.

Power and torque have both increased sharply to 292kW at 5500rpm and 583Nm at 3000rpm. Need some context to understand just what a performance leap the new engine delivers?

“It’s like night and day,” says Capicchiano. “The current car used to be 0-100km/h in 10.6 seconds. Now it’s close to 4.0sec faster. It’s about as fast as a Focus ST to 100km/h and it’ll do it on dirt.”

Customer feedback drove the switch from diesel to petrol power, with Ford insiders acknowledging Australia is a ‘power hungry’ market. A bored and stroked version of Ford’s EcoBoost V6, the Raptor’s new engine is built around a graphite-iron block – around 75 per cent stronger and up to 75 per cent stiffer than the iron used in traditional casting – and includes an anti-lag system which can hold the throttle open for up to 3.0 seconds after the driver has backed off, to reduce lag and improve response.