I drove the new Ford Ranger Raptor – there’s two problems but you’ll want one anyway
IT is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives, it is the one that is most adaptable to change.
The words of Charles Darwin.
But they reflect Ford today.
I cannot think of any other car brand that is changing so much in front of our eyes.
Ford single-handedly invented the idea of every man and woman having their own car and they would sell you one in every size from an £8k Ka upwards. They also made a van.
Now Ford is fast becoming a commercial vehicle company that will also sell you a car.
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Soon Ford will have SEVEN different types of Ranger pick-up truck – more than its entire model range of cars.
They know where their profit margins are and it comes down to Transit and Ranger.
Of course Ford will do electric cars in future, Mustang, Explorer, Capri and Puma, but propped up by the mammoth-selling Transit and Ranger.
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It’s a bit like the moment Porsche went SUV.
Porsche is now an SUV maker that will also sell you a sports car.
With change come tough decisions and most of us still mourn the loss of Fiesta this summer after 47 years, Britain’s all-time favourite car.
Focus will be axed in 2025.
So it’s a good job we really like the new Ranger.
On a budget, you can get an entry-level Ranger XL from £28k.
But you can go right up to £60k-plus for the mega, in-yer-face Ranger Raptor we’ve just tested.
First off, you feel super-safe in a Raptor. SUVs will bounce off you, rather than the other way round.
Second, it’s 100 per cent “Storm Betty” proof, or whatever we’re calling the next one.
You won’t get stranded when you’ve got full-time 4WD, long-travel Fox rally suspension and seven drive modes combined with locking differentials front and rear.
Third, it actually works as a family car.
A humongous Tango orange family car but loaded with all the creature comforts you’d expect in a Merc.
Plus, there’s loads of space in the back for bikes, buggies, prams, two weeks of suitcases, or whatever.
The only downside is you’ll need to park at the bottom of Tesco car park in order to get in and out of it.
But you’d probably do that anyway with a £60k car.
Now you may remember the old Ranger Raptor was let down by its weedy 2-litre diesel engine.
It was a sheep in wolf’s clothing. But this new one has proper bite.
It is blessed with a 292hp 3-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol with the same anti-lag system as a Ford GT supercar.
Which means exactly?
The anti-lag system keeps the turbochargers spinning for three seconds after the driver backs off, allowing for faster acceleration when you get back on it.
It also sounds the nuts.
It goes without saying Raptor is truly epic off-road. It can jump, swim, rock crawl and charge over sand and gravel at silly speed.
It’ll also donut like an excited puppy chasing its tail.
But much like a Land Rover Defender, it is unlikely to do any of that. Ever.
But it’s nice to know that it could.
So perhaps the most impressive things about this truck are its on-road manners.
For all its bulk and power, and chunky tyres, Raptor is an absolute pussycat to control behind the wheel.
The trick independent suspension smooths out our cheese-grater roads and the ten-speed auto makes life calm and easy.
You don’t need arms like Popeye to steer it, either.
Final observations. Raptor cannot hold a tonne in the load bed, so it has to be sold with VAT. Which makes it expensive.
It is also expensive to run.
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But you’ll want one anyway.
Until you see a Bronco Raptor.
Key facts: Ford Ranger Raptor
Price: £58,900
Engine: 3-litre V6 petrol
Power: 292hp, 583Nm
0-62mph: 7.9 secs
Top speed: 111mph
Economy: 20mpg
CO2: 315g/km
Out: Now