(By Tom Lohnes) – Since it came out in 2018, the Ford Ranger Raptor has been the truck America said they wanted, but probably wouldn’t buy. Although extremely capable on a trail, the 210-hp turbo diesel that Raptor came with was lethargic, and the last-generation 10-speed auto definitely needed some improvements. Well, the new Ranger Raptor came out this morning, and we are happy to report that it is being shipped overseas.
Essentially a toned-down Bronco Raptor, the truck comes in two vastly different flavors depending on which side of the Atlantic ocean you live on. In Europe, the new Ranger Raptor gets a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged gas V6 that makes a whopping 288 horsepower and 362 lb-ft of torque. This of course goes through a 10-speed auto to all four wheels. For once, the Europeans got the short end of the stick on this one. Why, do you ask? Well, America, Australia, and South Africa’s less strict emissions laws allow the 3.0 in the new Ranger Raptor to make a strong 392 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. That’s right, the non-EU-spec truck will make 105 more horsepower and 68 lb-ft more than the Euro version. Of course, they are both better suited to their respective markets, but that is quite a large gap. For reference, a base model US-spec Nissan Frontier makes around 25 more horsepower than the Euro Raptor (310).
On the outside, the Ranger receives the standard Raptor treatment: Bright orange paint, a massive grille that looks like it wants to eat you, and some large tires with 2.5-inch FOX shocks behind them. Inside, the Raptor builds upon the top-spec Ranger, with a vertical SYNC 4 screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a digital gauge cluster, and a Raptor-exclusive set of sport seats and a new steering wheel.
Rumors say the US-spec Ranger will enter production in May 2023, so don’t expect to see a Ranger raptor with an American license plate on it anytime too soon. But, until then, we have the Ranger Tremor which is more or less a toned down previous-gen Raptor with a stronger engine. Stay tuned though, because the new Ranger still has a long way to go before it comes stateside.
