Autocar UK – 28 August 2019

0 10s 20s 30s

30mph 40mph 50mph 60mph 70mph 80mph 90mph 100mph

3.6s 5.4s 7. 6 s 10.5s 14.1s 19.1s 25.9s 37.7s

30mph-0 50mph-0 70mph-0

9.6 m 26.6m 53.1m

0 10m 20m 30m 40m 50m

0 10s 20s

30mph 40mph 50mph 60mph 70mph 80mph 90mph 100mph

2.9s 4.5s 6.5s 9.0 s 12.0s 16.0s 20.9s 29.9s

Off-road notes

30mph-0 50mph-0 70mph-0

10.5m 29.6m 57.7m

0 10m 20m 30m 40m 50m

ROAD TEST

28 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 37

For all the traction those chunky

BF Goodrich tyres provide when

you’re plugging through mud or

up a rutted track, they have their

limitations on the road. This is

pa r t ic u l a rl y t r ue i f t h at r oa d h app e n s

t o b e w e t. He r e , a n o v e rl y e nt hu s i a s t ic

appl ic at ion of t h r ot t le on t he e x it

of a corner can cause the rear axle

to step out in quite dramatic, albeit

progressive and controlled, fashion.

L e s s e nt e r t a i n i n g i s t he Ford’s a bi l it y

to understeer. The momentum

generated by its 2.5-tonne mass can

quite easily overwhelm the front

tyres during sharper directional

changes and make its nose wash wide

when driving in damp conditions –

when the car’s electronic handling

a id s a r e v e r y muc h b e s t le f t on.

COMFORT AND ISOLATION

AAAAC

The extreme lengths to which Ford

Performance has gone to make

the Ranger Raptor so impressively

capable off the road have also paid

dividends when you’re still on it.

Admittedly, its massive suspension

overhaul hasn’t totally erased the

skittish secondary restlessness that

so often blights unladen pick-up

trucks, but in the Ranger Raptor, this

has been reduced to comparatively

trace amounts. Its rear axle in

pa r t ic u l a r i s mor e s e t t le d t h a n e v e r,

with only the most scarred sections

of broken Tarmac being capable of

provoking the Ford into a heightened

sense of agitation. Even under such

conditions, though, it would be a

stretch to accuse the Ranger Raptor

of suffering from a dramatic shortage

of sophistication or comfort.

T he f lue nt m a n ne r i n w h ic h

this hardcore Ford controls its

vertical body movements makes it a

surprisingly comfortable companion

on faster A-roads and motorways,

too. It seems an almost unnatural

thing to write about a car capable of

operating in such extreme conditions

as the Ranger Raptor is, but there’s

little here that would deter you from

using it as a long-distance cruiser.

The cabin is reasonably hushed as

well. At a 70mph cruise, our sound

ge a r show e d a r e a d i n g of 66 d B.

Admittedly, this is 1dB louder than

the X250d we road tested last year,

but the difference is likely to be down

to the Raptor’s knobbly BF Goodrich

All-Terrain tyres. Under the same

conditions, the Wrangler – another

supremely capable 4x4 – produced a

less favourable 70dB reading.

BUYING AND OWNING

AAACC

Costing nearly £50,000 and with

only four diesel-fuelled cylinders

to show for it, the Ranger Raptor is

perhaps more likely to attract those

wanting to make a statement than

it will any recreational off-road

drivers who would use this chassis to

anything like its true potential.

Ne it he r i s it a n e nt i r e l y r at ion a l

c hoic e of w ork hor s e i n t h i s c l a s s a nd

u nde rl i n i n g t h at f a c t i s t h at it i s no

longer classified as a commercial

v e h ic le , s o ow ne r s c a n not c l a i m

ba c k VAT. I n a dd it ion t o t he

Raptor’s smaller-capacity payload,

the standard Ranger’s 3.5-tonne

towing limit is reduced by almost a

third. Those with largely practical

ownership intentions might therefore

b e b e t t e r s e r v e d b y a R a n ge r f r om t he

mainstream portion of the range.

But if the Raptor is the only pick-up

for you, ownership should at least

prove reasonably affordable once the

initial cost is accounted for. Official

forecasts for residual value were non-

existent at the time this magazine

went to print but the Raptor ought

t o hold it s v a lue w e l l e nou g h i f t he

six-month waiting list for a new one

is any indication. For comparison, the

Wrangler Rubicon also performs well

in this regard, retaining almost half

its original value after three years

and 36,000 miles. ◊

Pick-ups by their nature have

long wheelbases and lengthy rear

overhangs and that doesn’t make

for good breakover and departure

angles. Thanks to a pretty mammoth

283mm ground clearance, though,

the Raptor’s are better than most.

At 24deg, neither is as good as, say,

the Mercedes G-Class that graced

these pages a few weeks ago, but it’s

fiercely good for a truck. The 32.5deg

approach angle is great in any class,

ditto an 850mm wade depth.

That ground clearance, wade depth

and an under-body bash plate made

of 2.3mm high-strength steel give

clues to what the Raptor really likes

doing off road. This is a long car with

a large turning circle so is not built for

delicate turns through tight woodland

tracks – although it’ll put up a better

fist of things than you might imagine.

But the Raptor comes into its own

given a bit more breathing space,

a lot more speed, and some very

challenging terrain underfoot.

ACCELERATION

Jeep Wrangler 2.2 MultiJet-II Overland (9deg C, dry)

Ford Ranger Raptor (24deg C, damp)

BRAKING 60-0mph: 3.46sec

Jeep Wrangler 2.2 MultiJet-II Overland (9deg C, dry)

Standing quarter mile 16.9sec at 82.0mph, standing km 31.2sec at 101.4mph, 30-70mph 9.1sec, 30-70mph in fourth 9.8sec

Ford Ranger Raptor (24deg C, damp)

Standing quarter mile 17.9sec at 77.8mph, standing km 32.9sec at 97.1mph, 30-70mph 10.5sec, 30-70mph in fourth na

32.5° 24.0°

27.0°

Wade depth: 850mm Ground clearance: 283mm