GQ South Africa – September 2019

September 2019 / 53

The Ford ranger is one oF The besT-selling bakkies in The

world, having sold more than 51 000 vehicles in Europe alone. Time to

build an even tougher version: the eagerly awaited Ford Ranger Raptor.

Ford recently

introduced the first-

ever performance

bakkiewithlong-

travelsuspensionand

Foxracingdampers.

gQdrovethefastand

furiousraptoron

aflat,dusty

kalahariclaypan

FoRd

RangeR

RaptoR

engine

2.0-Lfour-cylinder.

Twin-turbodiesel,paired

witha10-speedautobox

topspeed

170 km/h

0-100km/h10.5seconds

poweR

157kWand500Nm

pRice

From

R786 400

FoRd.co.za

The first thing you notice when you approach

this performance pick-up is its bolder stance,

which has tons of street cred and presence.

The Raptor features new bumpers, aluminium

running boards and a mighty grille confidently

emblazoned with the word “Ford”.

The Raptor is 16.8cm wider, 5.2cm higher

and 4.4cm longer than a standard Ranger, which

means it’s further away from the ground – 28cm,

to be exact. The departure and approach angle

has also been improved. The chassis is based

on the Ranger Everest, only it’s significantly

stronger. The Raptor is proudly produced in

South Africa: Ford invested almost R3 billion

in its Silverton plant to meet the demand.

And Ford chose a fitting location to showcase

their top-of-the-range high-speed off-roader:

a flat claypan outside Upington, flanked by red

Kalahari sand dunes, was the ideal playground

for big boys and girls to indulge in activities

including drifting, high-speed rallying and

dune driving. Unlike other new car launches, at

this one journalists were encouraged to really

push the Raptor.

I’ve driven numerous bakkies from different

manufacturers. None of them would’ve survived

the relentless punishment the Raptor endured

during its launch

week – from long

jumps to high-speed

gravel racing and

wild drifting.

Th e R a p t o r ’s

Terrain Management

System (TMS) allows

you to choose from

six different driving

modes (Normal,

Sport, Grass/Gravel/

Snow, Mud/Sand,

Rock and Baja)

accessed electronically

via the dashboard.

My favourite

was the new Baja,

which is named after

the famous desert

race held in Baja

California, Mexico.

Shock-absorber guru

Fox gained a lot of

experience during

this off-road event,

from which the

Raptor benefitted,

big time. Baja mode

sharpens steering,

transmission and

throttle response

while reducing

stability and traction

control, allowing for

spirited, off-road fun,

especially during

controlleddriftsat

higherspeeds.

Intermsofthe

car’ssuspension,the

gq.co.za

automotive acronym

“PSD” stands for

position sensitive

damping. Raptor is a

tough off-roader but

drives comfortably

on tar. Specifically

designed, all-

terrain, chunky

285/7 043cm tyres

from BF Goodrich

deliver necessary

grip.

The Raptor feels

like a modified

ride in one of Ken

Block’s racecars. It’s

hard to believe that

it leaves showroom

floors just like this.

At first glance,

a four-cylinder

seems slightly under-

powered, but the

twin-turbo diesel

delivers lag-free

acceleration and

enough power on-

and off-road. (Of

course, a Mustang

V8 is too front-

heavy to jump.)

This Ranger is

powerful enough to

tempt even the most

hardcore fans of the

Hilux. One thing’s for

sure,it’llscarethe hell

outoftheirriders.

• dieTer
  losskarn

Photogra

Phy by Colin Mile

Man/Mile

Man Media