34 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 28 AUGUST 2019
Naturally, the Ranger Raptor
uses electronic driving modes to
help realise the potential of the car’s
formidable chassis engineering.
There are six modes within the
Terrain Management System,
including settings for grass/gravel/
snow and rock climbing. Perhaps the
mo s t i nt r i g u i n g i s Baja mo de , w h ic h
loosens chassis interventions for
maximum attack over rough terrain.
INTERIOR
AAABC
When you climb into a performance
car based on a regular family vehicle,
you know what you’ll get: piano black
plastics or fake carbonfibre in place
of s ome mor e d a i nt y t r i m s , m ay b e
some Alcantara, and aluminium
inserts on pedals, maybe with a bit of
red stitching here and there. For the
Raptor, kinda think the same, onlyrather more subtly, and with Ford’s
trademark blue writ through it.
So the Alcantara is there, on the
seat pads, in seats that are Raptor
branded and more figure hugging
than those of most pick-ups but,
thankfully, not full-on buckets. The
steering wheel is large and round
and marked with a red stripe at top
dead centre, which, given 3.5 turns
between locks and the nature of this
c a r, i s w ay mor e s e n si ble t h a n it i s
on a hot hatch. Gearchange paddles
are magnesium, and blue stitching
abounds, extending even to the dash
t op, w h ic h , i n a n e f for t t o r a i s e a
budget pick-up’s interior to £50,000
levels, features a leather finish.
All in, these changes work well
enough: throw in a comprehensivetouchscreen and media system
(see ‘Mu lt i med ia’, r ight) a nd t he
Raptor – spacious front and back,
although the rear is better for two
than three – does a passable enough
impression of a ‘proper’ car rather
t h a n a c om me r c i a l v e h ic le , pr ov ide d
y ou’r e pr e pa r e d t o ov e rlo ok s ome of
the cheaper, more brittle plastics.
Behind the passenger space is a
load bay the same size as the regular
Raptor’s, at 1560mm by 1575mm, on
top of which you can stack various
c ov e r op t ion s. T he t a i lgat e i s e a sie r
t o l i f t t h a n it lo ok s , but t h r ow i n t he
v a s t g r ou nd c le a r a nc e t he R ap t or h a s
and you’re looking at a vehicle whose
‘ b o ot ’ i s on t he i n a c c e s si ble side
u n le s s y ou’r e on a s t o ol.
The big chassis changes that
make the Raptor so impressivedynamically also mean the payload
takes a hit. The towing limit reduces
from 3500kg to 2500kg, which might
not be a huge issue, but the load
b e d c apa c it y w i l l mor e l i k e l y b e. It ’s
reduced from over a tonne, which
makes VAT reclaimable in the UK,
t o ju s t 75 8k g, me a n i n g y ou c a n’t ge t
the VAT back because the Raptor’s
no lon ge r a c om me r c i a l v e h ic le. S o it
ne e d s t o r e a l l y do w h at it t a k e s a s a
performance car. ◊
Chunky pedals are spaced
well for comfortable use.
That said, a lack of reach
adjustability in the steering
column is a disappointment.
HEADLIGHTS
Ranger Raptor comes fitted
with automatic bi-xenon
headlights as standard, as
well as LED front foglights.
Our testers did not have
the opportunity to test
these out at night.
PARKING
DIMENSIONS
z Front seats stop short of being full buckets but are generously bolstered and very
supportive. Steering wheel is also usefully large and comes with a centre marking.z Bench in the cab’s rear is reasonably spacious but it’s better suited to two people
rather than three. Ignore the cheaper plastics and it feels decently car-like.
Typical leg room
700mm
Height 470mm
Width 1120-1510mm
Length 1540mm
z Load bay dimensions are identical to the standard Ranger’s, although access will
be more difficult for shorter owners due to the Raptor’s raised ride height.
908mm 3220mm 1235mm758kg payloadKerb weight: 2510kg5363mm(^18)
7
(^3) m
m
10
50
mm
m
ax
70
0 m
m
9
40
m
m
10
00
m
m
m
ax
2180mm (with mirrors)
3640mm
Typical parking space width (2400mm)
T
y
p
ic
a
l
g
a
ra
g
e
h
e
ig
h
t
1
8
7
3
m
m
180mm
40mm
10mm
Centre
WHEEL AND PEDAL
ALIGNMENT
Weights and measures