Ford’s Ranger pickup truck has been cranked up to 11 for an angry new high-performance version due here next year.
Revealed at the Gamescom trade fair in Cologne, Germany (yes, a video games event, not some stuffy auto show), the Ranger Raptor will be the toughest and most potent variant of Europe’s best-selling pickup yet when it goes on sale in mid-2019.
The pickup, developed by Ford Performance, sits on an ultra-strong chassis. With bespoke suspension, it uses its two-litre EcoBlue diesel engine to pump out 210bhp and 500Nm of torque via a ten-speed automatic gearbox.
It has been designed to tackle virtually any road surface. Backed up by a six-mode terrain management system,you can tweak the engine to cope with grass, gravel, snow, mud, sand and rock.
There’s even a ‘Baja mode’ that pushes the engine to the very limit for high-speed off-road performance – y’know, just in case you somehow end up competing in the famous Baja Desert Rally.
‘Forget everything you know about pickups’
Ford hasn’t confirmed numbers like 0-62mph acceleration or top speed so far but you can count on it beating a Nissan Navara in a drag race.
“Forget everything you think you know about pickups,” said Leo Roeks, director of Ford Performance in Europe.
“Our new Ranger Raptor is a different breed – a thoroughbred desert racer and extreme lifestyle off-roader that can toil with the best of them in the harshest of working conditions.”
“[It] delivers all the tools a thrill-seeker could ask for. Like a motocross bike, snowmobile and an ATV in one – it’s the ultimate adventure pickup.”
‘Exceptionally special’
Damien Ross, chief program engineer behind the Ranger Raptor, added that the pickup’s finely tuned suspension means drivers can go off-road and still ride like a millionaire on-road.
“Everything about the Ranger Raptor builds on the already outstanding sophisticated feel and functional capability of the Ranger, and then goes further,” he commented.
“From a driving dynamic fun standpoint, it is really an exceptionally special vehicle.”
Prices are yet to be confirmed. However with the current range-topping double-cab 4×4 Wildtrak ringing in at more than £37k, the Ranger Raptor won’t be especially cheap.
You could always experience this pickup virtually by playing the new Forza Horizon 4 video racing game.
It will be one of over 450 licensed cars available in the game when it is released on Xbox and PC in October. Other drivable models include the McLaren Senna and the Land Rover Defender 90 – that’d be an interesting race!
What do you think of the Ranger Raptor? Let us know down in the comments.
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