Autocar UK – 28 August 2019

36 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 28 AUGUST 2019

PERFORMANCE

AAABC

B e c au s e t he R a n ge r R ap t or i s a

b on a f ide Ford Pe r for m a nc e v e h ic le ,

the temptation to single out and

criticise the underwhelming nature

of its 2.0-litre diesel four-pot can be

tricky to resist. If US-spec versions

of the Ranger Raptor are reportedly

getting a petrol V6, and the F-150

Raptor already has one, then what’s

s t oppi n g Ford f r om br i n g i n g it ov e r

here? Inevitably, it’ll all boil down to

a question of economics. But really,

to criticise the Ranger Raptor’s

engine for its shortage of on-paper

performance after examining the

extensive changes that have been

made to its chassis does feel like

missing the point a bit.

That said, there’s no avoiding the

f a c t t h at – for w h at i s s upp o s e d t o b e

a performance vehicle – the Ranger

R ap t or i s pr e t t y slow. A ga i n s t t he

stopwatch, the 2.5-tonne pick-up

truck clocked an average 0-60mph

time of 10.5sec on Millbrook’s mile

straight in damp conditions. While

t h at do e s m a k e Ford’s c l a i me d

0-62mph time of 10.5sec believable, it

also means the Raptor is only 0.3sec

quicker to 60mph than the 197bhp

five-cylinder Ranger Wildtrak we

tested in 2012.

We observed a similar difference in

30-70mph times, too – our measure

of how effectively a car accelerates in

the real world. Where the standard

Ranger managed 10.7sec, the Raptor

completed the run in 10.5sec. That

said, the Raptor outpaced the

Mercedes X250d we road tested last

year, which hit 60mph from rest

in 11.2sec. Its run from 30mph to

70mph, meanwhile, took 11.6sec.

At a cruise, the Raptor’s engine

is unobtrusive and fairly refined.

Accelerate hard and its deep, boomy

diesel grumble becomes much louder,

but it’s the fake synthetic engine

sound played through the cabin

speakers that most irked our testers.

Stretch your imagination and its

timbre isn’t too dissimilar to that of

an old Subaru Impreza WRX STI –

only far more contrived.

The 10-speed automatic gearbox,

meanwhile, can at times feel like it

has been given a few too many ratios

to juggle. Part-throttle acceleration

can prompt it to shift down once, then

shift down again when it realises

it still doesn’t quite have the crank

spinning at peak speeds for timely

acceleration. That said, hook-up from

a standstill is smooth, making for

useful precision when navigating

tricky off-road terrain.

HANDLING AND STABILITY

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With 3.5 turns lock to lock, the

steering rack that lends the Ranger

Raptor such impressive accuracy

w he n c l a mb e r i n g ov e r r o c k s a nd

boulders also makes for rather slow

responses out on the road.

Geared as such, directional

changes require a bit more effort

from the driver and this extra

exertion serves as one of the starker

reminders that you’re driving a

jacked-up pick-up truck as opposed

to a conventional SUV. That said,

the process of actually getting the

Ranger Raptor to change direction

isn’t a particularly exhausting one.

The steering itself is reasonably light

and its response is linear enough so

as not to sap confidence. There’s a

half-decent sense of feel there, too,

and body roll is sufficiently smartly

checked that handling feels quite

precise at a brisk pace.

T he c ombi ne d e f fe c t of a l l t h i s i s

that, despite its size, the big Ford is

reasonably easy to place on the road

and doesn’t feel overly intimidating

to drive. Granted, you’re still aware

of it s v a s t si z e on n a r r ow e r r oa d s , but

the knowledge that you can mount

almost any kerb or verge to make way

for oncoming traffic is reassuring.

z Ranger Raptor is in its natural element here, where the Ford Performance mods really pay dividends. You can make the rear step out on the road, too, especially in the wet

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It comes into its own

given space, speed and

very challenging terrain

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