July (^2019) caravansa.co.za| 21
By Francois Huysamen
[ Vehiclelaunch]Fordrangerraptor2.0Bit 10 at 4x4
Built to perform
“For our final session of the
day, we’re gonna go for some
air time... can you get all four
wheels off the road?”
These were the words of
the Ford team during our
briefing at the launch of the
Ranger Raptor.
Us caravanners are used
to having six wheels on the
ground, but you don’t pass up
the opportunity to properly
test drive a brand new
Raptor, especially if it means
launching it off the ground.
Sure, this was more for
fun than to test the vehicle’s
driving capability, but the
Ford guys also had a couple
of other courses that showed
us what this beast of a bakkie
really could do.
The location for our day
of driving was Goera Pan
outside Upington, and our
test sessions included a drift
course, some heavy sand
dunes, and an adrenalin-
pumping rally track.
We drove these vehicles
hard, no mercy in the blazing
hot sun, and the bottom line is
that the new Raptor handled
all the conditions with ease.
It’s one hell of a machine,
and it comes at the
surprisingly good price
of R786 400.
So, how does it differ from
the standard new Ranger?
While ground clearance
has increased by 51 mm, now
up to 283 mm, tow rating is
down to 2 500 kg. That’s a
ton less than the Ranger, but
caravanners will still be able
to tow anything their hearts
desire. The Raptor is a good
fit for serious off-road towers
who also like to head out of
the bush camp to explore
some rugged 4x4-routes.
The towbar has been
moved further upwards into
the chassis, increasing the
departure angle to 24 degrees
and the approach angle to 32.5
degrees. The Raptor’s body is
168 mm wider than a standard
Ranger, and the tracks some
150 mm wider.
Under the hood is Ford’s
new 2.0-litre bi-turbo
diesel engine (delivering
157kW/500Nm), coupled to
the latest 10-speed auto box.
A couple of upgrades
specifically designed for the
Raptor include the 285/70
R17 BF Goodrich KO2 all-
terrain tyres, and Fox Racing
Shox (which cost about
R25 000 each... but they
come standard).
There’s a host of upgrades
under, such as coilover rear
suspension (Watt’s link setup)
with solid rear axle.
Ford says this vehicle was
designed to travel at high
speeds off-road and “endure
the punishment that off-
road racing provides”. The
Terrain Management System
offers Normal, Sport, Grass/
Gravel/Snow, Mud/Sand
and Rock modes, plus a new
Baja Mode in which there
is less interference from the
traction control and sharper
transmission shift points.
As far as the look goes,
the exterior has been dialed
up with the Raptor vinyl, a
bolder grille, wider wheel
arches, blacked-out rims and
cast-aluminium side steps.
The interior has a few sporty
details too: the Raptor logos,
sports seats wrapped in
leather, and a sports steering
wheel with paddle-shifters.
The SYNC3 infotainment
system also received a bit of
an upgrade and now
incorporates integrated
navigation, as well as Apple
CarPlay and Android Auto.
launch
singke
(singke)
#1