We certainly are impatient. When we see something impressive offered to us one of the first questions we ask is when something new and improved will come along. The Ford Ranger hasn’t been in the North American automotive market for several years, and as this truck showed up at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, one of the questions asked is when the new Ranger Raptor will make its way to the market. While we know the Ranger will be part of the 2019 lineup, the Raptor model hasn’t been confirmed for a specific date, but a new video has been released for our viewing.
The new Ranger Raptor has already been announced for a launch in Thailand and is planned for sales around the world, but that doesn’t mean we’ll see it in the US at all. The expectation if we see this model is it will look completely different. The regular Ranger that’s going to be offered in the US is completely different from the world model with none of the body panels shared between the two. Even so, it’s interesting to see what the new Ranger Raptor could be as it makes its way to the US market.
What We See
As you look at the video below, you’re going to see a Ranger Raptor that sports beefy tires that offer a significant amount of wheel travel with the suspension being perfect for the truck you want to drive. This version is certainly one that has a muscular body and could be the right truck to compete against the off-road offerings that we see from GM. While this truck is expected to arrive later this year around the world, we have no word yet about whether or not this truck will make its way to the US.
One interesting tidbit about this global truck is the fact it was brought to the US for the testing that was completed. While the new base model of the Ford Ranger makes use of a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine that makes 280 horsepower for the drive, the engine that could be used in a Raptor model might be the same one that’s found in the Focus RS. This engine offers you 350 horsepower and is tuned for racing to make the Ranger Raptor a high-speed running model that could tear up the desert sand and the off-road trails you want to gravel.
The new Ranger FX4 package will give you a screen to monitor the pitch and roll during your off-road fun along with skid plates to protect the underside of the truck. This is a great place to start when building the new Raptor version that will become what we want for the exciting drive we can have out on the roads and trails in our area. I would expect that we’ll see the new Ranger Raptor by the 2020 model year, if not sooner, to give us the off-road fun and active driving we want for the experience in the wilderness.
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