The Ford Ranger Raptor will go on-sale in Australia from $74,990+ORC although Ford Australia hasn’t listed an on-sale date.
THE FORD RANGER RAPTOR will go on-sale later this year with a list price of $74,990+ORC. Our Robert Pepper has already placed a deposit for one…stay tuned for that story.
In a statement to the media, Ford Australia boss, Graeme Whickman, said, “We’re unbelievably excited and delighted to be able to confirm that the Ranger Raptor is coming to Australia in 2018.
“The response to our announcement in September, and the interest from the global reveal back in February to bring it to market at such a sharp price only adds to the anticipation ahead of its arrival in local showrooms.”
Ford Australia confirmed the Ranger Raptor would be offered in markets beyond Australia, but just what those markets will be remains to be seen.
“Aussies have a passion for performance cars, and an appetite for pick-ups, and the Ranger is a direct response to that,” said Ford Australia President and CEO, Graeme Whickman. “Our local design and engineering team has worked incredibly hard with Ford Performance on this truly unique program to deliver a product that brings Raptor DNA and meets the needs of Australians who’ve called for such a vehicle.”
The Ranger Raptor gets a 2.0-litre four-cylinder Bi-Turbo diesel producing 157kW/500Nm through a 10-speed automatic – this on-paper engine has been heavily panned by keyboard warriors but defended by our Robert Pepper HERE.
The Ranger Raptor comes with the same tweaked version of Ford’s Terrain Management System as the F-150 Raptor. This includes, six modes for various driving experiences, which can be selected via a dedicated five-button switch located on the steering wheel. It is 2WD with 4WD High- and Lo-range which is selected via a dial next to the gear selector.
The driving modes are:
- Normal mode – Emphasising comfort, fuel economy and driveability
- Sport mode – Responsive for spirited on-road driving. This means fast, crisp gear shifts at higher engine speeds to aid throttle response. The mapping reacts to increased demand inputs from the driver by holding gears longer and downshifting more aggressively.
- Grass/Gravel/Snow mode – Designed to inspire safe and confident driving on off-road slippery and uneven surfaces. This is done through smoother gear shifts and second-gear starts, minimizing the probability of wheel slip.
- Mud/Sand mode – Vehicle responsiveness is tuned for optimum traction and momentum in deep, deformable surfaces like loose sand and mud. This is achieved by maintaining lower gears with high torque.
- Rock mode – Used specifically for low-speed rocky terrain where smooth controllability is key.
- Baja mode – Vehicle responsiveness is tuned for high-speed off-road performance; vehicle systems like Traction Control are pared back in terms of intervention to allow spirited off-road driving without fighting the vehicle’s on-board systems. Gear selection is optimized for maximum performance, and the mapping will hold gears longer and downshift more aggressively.
The Ranger Raptor is bigger than a garden variety Ranger, measuring 1873mm tall, 2180mm wide and 5398mm long, with wider front and rear tracks at 1710mm. Ground clearance is increased to 283mm (although this is a figure we believe to be wrong), while the approach angle of 32.5°, ramp over angle of 24°, and departure angle of 24° put it at the top of the production vehicle pick-up segment.
At the rear, a modified rear bumper comes with an integrated tow bar and two recovery hooks rated at 3800kg, the front hooks are rated to 4500kg. The tray measures 1560mm x 1743mm tray while the maximum braked towing capacity is 2500kg.
In terms of safety, the Ranger Raptor gets rollover mitigation, stability and traction controls, as well as trailer sway control, hill start assist, hill descent control and load adaptive control. There are also airbags and a reversing camera with rear parking sensors, the image is projected onto the 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen which offers Sync3 and Apple and Android connectivity.
Maybe Isaac you could explain how this could be possibly worth 50% more than a Focus RS say. It’s a very basic ute that is just large and that would be poor value at $45K.
Unfortunately, I can’t explain that 🙂
It can carry a whole lot more than a focus, and go offroad. That is what people pay for. If you don’t want to go offroad, then you’d just be buying it for posing value.
So how does that justify the cost, it’s got a different set of bilities, but that doesn’t imply anything about price. It’s ute and a lot less high tech than the Focus RS.
Not sure about the less tech, Twin turbo diesel is a bit of tech, the 10 speed is also new tech. 6 mode terrain management system, low range and locking rear diff, and the boosted ground clearance, and tuned suspension for high speed offroad driving. It’s probably a lot bigger step forward in offroad handling performance than the RS is in track handling over its competitors.
The RS is also about 1500kg, the Raptor weighs about 50% more, more stuff is put into it, you have to pay for it.
The tray measures 1560mm x 1743mm…. surely that can’t be right, the standard rabger dual cab tray is 1549mm long by 1485mm wide.
Will be a ‘halo’ model for Ford in the absence of the F150 Raptor in RHD, Panther 2.0ltr I4 technically impressive but output looking low compared with the competition from VW and Mercedes. Time will tell but this is going to be one of those more demand than supply so price rises to manage the equation with good profits going to all involved…