Ford Ranger Raptor review

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Ford’s popular pick-up truck gets a Baja rally-style performance overhaul – and this time there's a petrol V6

You only need to cast a cursory glance at the Ford Ranger Raptor to know that this isn’t your common or garden pick-up truck.

It’s a far different beast to that of the Ranger Wildtrak that has dominated pick-up sales charts in the UK and Europe in recent years. 

The Raptor still doesn't have the one-tonne payload it would need for UK commercial vehicle tax classification (and if it did, there’s no way it would be so good to drive). But that’s probably as it should be: it emits more CO2 than a V8-powered BMW X5 M.
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

The Raptor is a performance-focused, dune-bashing double-cab vehicle that has the capability of a cross-country rally prerunner (what drivers use for a recce of a course instead of their race truck). 

This time around, the Raptor has been dialled up a notch and now makes a whole range of noises that are variously louder and distinctively richer than those of its diesel-only predecessor. 

Indeed, the Raptor package isn’t totally unfamiliar: the enormous F-150 Raptor has been sold in the US for some time and Ford rolled out the first Ranger Raptor in 2019, with the performance off-roader embellished by BG Goodrich tyres, chassis modifications and much more – but it was only available with the 2.0-litre diesel four.

Now it makes a more welcoming warble from a new turbo petrol V6, which gives the utilitarian pick-up a totally new and sporting personality that allows it to go very, very fast just about anywhere. 

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So is Ford’s now petrol-powered Raptor a sports car slayer, and where does it fit in the performance truck firmament? Let’s find out. 

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DESIGN & STYLING

ford ranger raptor 2023 02 rear action

Bold, isn’t it? Perhaps a consequence of our test car’s lairy orange paint and Raptor lively, but to us at least, the jacked-up Ranger looks muscular, mean and totally fit for purpose .

Ford’s latest fast pick-up wasn’t actually developed in North America but on the dirt and sand of Australia, and it's effectively an evolution of its predecessor in terms of set-up and looks. 

Measuring 5360mm long, 2208mm wide (with door mirrors) and 1926mm tall, the Raptor’s proportions are vast, which means you will want to find the biggest of spaces when it comes to parking. It's even longer than the Range Rover. 

Up front, there’s a more prominent grille design with a large ‘Ford’ letting across the front, identical to the F-150 that’s sold over in the US. It’s flanked by large LED headlights, which are similar in style to those of the standard car, but are a bit bigger and chunkier to align with the Raptor’s beefy looks.

But while the orange paint, stickers and plastic cladding ensure that the Raptor looks like it belongs out in the desert or barrelling up a muddy hillside, it's underneath where the clear differences shine through. 

The Raptor gets new ‘live valve’ adaptive dampers from Fox that were first used by Polaris for its range of off-road buggies. Here they respond to the throttle, the steering and what's going on underneath the truck to loosen or stiffen the dampers to help it retain good body control, keep the body flat and absorb all kinds of lumps, bumps, ruts and potholes. 

Beyond the dampers, the Raptor gets meaty BF Goodrich tyres, seven different drive modes, locking differentials and, of course, four-wheel drive – although in Normal mode, it's rear-driven only.

It rides on coil springs rather than air suspension, which means the ride height is set. Ground clearance, wade depth and approach angles are all excellent, but its long load bed reduces breakover and departure angles, limiting its hill-traversing capabilites.

INTERIOR

Climb into the cabin and a number of things will catch your eye, chiefly the various orange accents on the seats and dashboard, as well as the ‘Raptor’ moniker on the steering wheel, all of which have been added to give the go-anywhere Ranger a sporting ambience over the standard truck.

Beyond that point, however, the Raptor is identical to that of its Ranger stablemates in terms of layout, digital technology, fit and finish, which is no bad thing. 

It’s materially strong, with a soft-touch suede-like finish on the top of the dash and doors, albeit with plenty of harder plastics lower down to remind you that this is still a hardy and robust vehicle that's happy to take a bit of a battering. 

The seating position is high and commanding and, despite its girth and length, its size doesn’t intimidate as much as you might expect, thanks to its square corners, large wing mirrors and thin pillars. 

Rear accommodation is ample enough but perhaps a bit tight for three adults. Leg room is average at best but there's a generous amount of head room. 

Taking centre stage in the middle of the dashboard is a 12.0in portrait-orientated touchscreen, powered by Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment software. It sits pleasingly low down out the way out your line of vision, which means that you’re not distracted by it on the move. 

Usability is good, too, thanks to its logical and well-configured layout that ensures the most important features are only a touch of the finger away.

The tiered layout of the screen places the sat-nav at the top (or phone mirroring and media player), a selection of recently used functions for easy access in the middle and the climate controls at the bottom, which are permanently on display.

Thankfully, there are still some physical controls for the air con under the screen, which are handy when you're driving. 

The TFT/LCD digital dash is neat and graphically strong, although the ‘Built Tough’ animation that plays when you fire the Raptor up is a bit of a gimmick.

You get a proper rev counter, unlike in a standard Ranger, and it's easy to configure and adjust it to display different information. 

You will have no trouble connecting your smartphone wirelessly via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and there are plenty of USB ports dotted around the cabin.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

The Raptor has been made faster by the adoption of a twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine, which makes 288bhp and 362lf ft of torque, allowing for a 0-62mph time of a not-so-fast 7.9sec.

It could be quicker if it had the 400bhp that it’s allowed to develop in other territories, but it's limited to just under 300bhp in the UK, due to EU regulations and petrol particulate filters. 

This means that the more potent V6 Raptor doesn't feel like a fast road car, and it makes a suspicious amount of extra noise when you give it full power without really accelerating that hard.

Speaking of noise, you can choose between four different exhaust modes, including Baja (for off-road use), which gives the V6 the character of a sports saloon – and if you don’t want the drone on a motorway slog, you can simply switch it to Quiet. 

The 10-speed automatic gearbox doesn’t help when you leave it to its own devices, often preferring to downshift a couple of times before getting on with the job at hand.

Use manual mode instead via the paddles behind the wheel and it feels more responsive but, a bit disappointingly, the Raptor never really feels muscle-car fast. 

There's still a diesel this time, too, but it goes without the trick dampers and locking diffs, so it's both slower and less precise to drive. 

RIDE & HANDLING

Given its size, the absence of lightning pace might be less of an issue in the UK than in some territories with wider roads.

The Raptor's body is more than 2m wide, or 2.2m-plus if you include the mirrors. On your average British back road, then, given its height and girth, it very much feels like a truck, albeit an astonishingly capable one.   

It's remarkably well-damped. There’s none of the high-frequency fidget and fuss of your average live-axle pick-up. Those fancy dampers are super-progressive in their initial response and filter out the kind of inputs you might find on a B-road. 

It steers well for such a big car, too, and handles with decent feel and precision - although not with the balance, grip or immediacy to satisfy a sports car or even super-saloon regular. 

It has all of the straight-line stability of lower cars, though, and because noise levels are low, plus leggy gearing spins the engine over at under 2000rpm at cruising speeds, it's a surprisingly good motorway car - albeit not a particularly economical one. 

Off-road, you will be amazed by what this extra-special pick-up can do. Despite its long wheelbase, it climbs, descends, crawls and twists over rocks and articulates its rear axle like nothing else. 

The Raptor’s go-faster coil suspension has been left only moderately firm, fairly long travel and quite dexterous, expressly for that purpose; and its electronic traction control systems really do make extraordinary slopes and angles surprisingly easy to deal with.

When the Raptor lands back on wheels after a jump, its clever suspension copes with the car’s weight, inertia and all of the dissipating energy with extraordinary sophistication. 

There’s no squirm or pitch, very little rebound and no sense at all that the suspension is even near the limit of its travel.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

ford ranger raptor 2023 01 powerslide

It will come as little surprise that a 2.5 tonne pick-up with a twin-turbo V6 isn’t known for its fuel efficiency. 

That being said, we did achieve around 21mpg (sometimes 22mpg) on longer, which is bettter the Raptor’s claimed 20.4mpg. Overall, range is around 350-360 miles, however, so expect plenty of visits to the pumps. 

Because the Raptor has been reconfigured for off-road thrills as opposed to hauling hay or bricks, its payload is limited to 652kg, falling well short of the required 1000kg payload needed for it to qualify for light commercial vehicle status. 

That means buyers can’t reclaim the VAT on it and benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax rates are the same as a car, so running costs are high.

VERDICT

Like so many track-day specials when they’re driven on the road, the Raptor very much feels like it wants to be somewhere else. 

Ford Ranger news

New Ford Ranger MS-RT brings motorsport-inspired upgrades
New Ford Ranger MS-RT brings motorsport-inspired upgrades
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New Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid pick-up headed for UK in 2025
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Ford Ranger gains rugged Wildtrak X and Tremor off-road specials
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My Week In Cars: New Steve Cropley/Matt Prior podcast (ep. 27)

For UK drivers especially, it’s a niche proposition: it's amazing in its element, but when it’s not, it doesn’t entertain like a great driver’s car really ought to.

Right now, with cars like this and the Mustang Mach-E GT Rally, Ford Performance is busking things a bit, you sense – working with what it’s got and hoping, no doubt, that other strategic opportunities open up in the fullness of time.

The Raptor might seem like a left-field option, but it isn’t alone among modern performance vehicles in needing quite a specific environment and set of circumstances to really show its brilliance. While it might seem a bit lost on a British road, it certainly excels off it. 

Sam Phillips

Sam Phillips
Title: Staff Writer

Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and first drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website. 

He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in new car news, used cars, electric cars, microbility, classic cars and motorsport. 

Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.

Matt Saunders

Matt Saunders Autocar
Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.