Ford Ranger Raptor is the top of the Ranger line and for a very good reason, but not every reason you would expect. It’s custom-built parts and fine-tuned mechanics make it a beast off-road, but it’s not more powerful or stronger than a regular Ranger. It also won the South African Lifestyle Car of the Year award, let’s find out why.
Still, the Ford Ranger Raptor is a great looking car.
Not every top of the range model stands out the same way the Raptor does to the regular Ford Ranger. It’s bigger, taller and has more style. In fact, it’s 50 mm higher and 150 mm wider than the regular Ranger. The bumpers have been redesigned to improve approach and departure angles and there’s a unique aggressive grille. Ford also teamed up with Goodrich to develop all-terrain tyres that are Ranger Raptor exclusives.
You can also opt for Raptor branding stickers that look great if you went for the grey paint scheme. They stand out a little too much for me on the blue, I wish they made the stickers match it better.
Comfortable and a whole lot of Raptor inside this Ford Ranger.
Opening the Raptor’s doors and you are reminded that you paid the extra money to get a Raptor everywhere. From the steering wheel to the seats, there are Raptor logos all over this interior. Speaking of the steering wheel, it has a red direction line like a racing car for some reason. The seats are high quality and very comfortable and there are some more high-quality materials throughout the cabin. That doesn’t extent everywhere though and unfortunately, there are a lot of cheap plastics. A little disappointing for a bakkie this price.
There is an 8-inch infotainment system that while is not the best, does the job just fine. It comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a built-in sat-nav. The driver’s display also has a small screen in it to display additional information and change driving modes. Fortunately, being the top of the range, this Raptor gets front and rear parking sensors with a rear-view camera. You will really need those since the view behind the bakkie is not great.
The back seats are great for taking friends around with you on your off-road adventures with plenty of room for two and enough room to fit three. 
While the engine never changes, it’s still a beast off-road.
With only one engine option for all Rangers, the Raptor was no exception which is disappointing but not a bit problem. Thanks to a lot of tuning and the custom-developed parts, the 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engine manages to outshine a regular Ranger off-road and on-road too. The engine gives 157 kW and 500 Nm of torque controlled by a new 10-speed automatic gearbox. It’s much better than the previous Raptor and fun fact, this one is borrowed by the Ford Mustang.
Thanks to a coil-spring suspension and improved noise dampening, the ride in the Ford Ranger Raptor is smooth and surprisingly quiet. You still get sound coming from the big tyres but it won’t make a long journey a nightmare. A bit let-down for those journeys though is the reduced load and tow weight. For some reason, a range-topping Raptor does not beat a regular Ford Ranger. 
The price of the Ford Ranger Raptor.
You can make one of these your own for R849 900. A steep price to pay but for the amount of fun you can have, it can be worth your while. We will definitely recommend this car as a consideration if you want extra vanity point on-road and the ability to jump dunes and glide over dirt off-road.