Ford Ranger Raptor 2023 review

We’re the clever ones, isn’t that right? We prize the use of intelligent weight saving, of function creating form; we see through all the nonsense and understand why an Alpine A110 is so special, why an estate car beats an SUV every single time and why physical size and mass is The Enemy. We even use our collective sense to rail against grossly overpowered and absurdly heavy EVs. If only everyone was as enlightened as evo readers. And yet…

Oh dear. I am powerless to fight it. I know on a molecular level that the Ford Ranger Raptor is bloated (2454kg), vastly oversized for most UK roads and wildly inefficient. I’m also painfully aware that there are no Baja-style playgrounds in Northamptonshire or Oxfordshire or even in the depths of Wales and Scotland. However, something about a pickup with a strengthened chassis and suspension built to withstand Dukes of Hazzard-style jumps is basically irresistible. Baja, the Dakar, Hazzard County… whatever your particular imaginary off-road racing scenario involves, the Ranger Raptor seems built for the job. Authentic. Yes, that’s the word we can use. An authentic performance vehicle. 

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The specification certainly seems that way, with one slightly deflating exception… This truck is available in Australia and the US with around 400bhp, which seems about right. Sadly, the European tune for the 3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 is a tame 288bhp at 5500rpm and 362lb ft at 2300rpm. My assumption is that 400bhp is just a little bit of electronic tweakery away. As it is, the Raptor’s 289bhp pushing nearly 2.5 tons makes for 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 111mph. It’s fitted with a ten-speed automatic ’box with a two-speed transfer case for serious off-roading and locking diffs on both axles. Performance isn’t exactly of the big-block Dodge Charger fantasy then, but there’s plenty of good stuff on the chassis side of things. As you’d hope for a list price of £58,900. Incidentally, it’s possible to save £2400 by opting for the 2-litre diesel version. Don’t do that. 

The main thrust of the transformation from tough workhorse to super-sized Group N rally car concerns strengthening and the fitment of some very trick Fox dampers. Remember, this is a body-on-frame vehicle so there’s plenty of scope for some serious reinforcements. The Raptor’s frame rails are strengthened from ahead of the front axle running back to around level with the B-pillar, the front turrets are revised and the rear damper brackets are much tougher too. There’s also a unique spare-tyre mount just behind the rear bumper that increases rigidity, plus the body itself receives strengthening around the C-pillar and the load bed. The front features a 2.3mm steel ‘bash plate’, while there are skid plates to protect the engine and transfer case. 

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The suspension itself features new upper and lower control arms, increasing suspension travel, and the aforementioned Fox 2.5-inch Live Valve shocks. These are electronically adjustable and monitor and adapt compression damping 500 times per second. They also feature an internal bypass valve to improve ride quality and utilise Teflon-infused oil to reduce friction. Ford knows its audience and that owners are likely to seek out yumps and jumps wherever possible, so the Fox units are tuned to give maximum damping force in the last 25 per cent of their travel to prevent smashing into the bump-stops. In combination with the switchable four-wheel-drive system, low-range capability, locking front and rear differentials, and seven drive modes that start at ‘Normal’ and end at ‘Baja’, having taken in ‘Sport’, ‘Slippery’, ‘Rock’, ‘Mud and Ruts’ and ‘Sand’, the Raptor seems as overendowed as a 992 GT3 RS parked in a supermarket car park. 

Surprisingly, all this hardware adds up to an on-road experience that’s impressively quiet and controlled. Despite knobbly BF Goodrich tyres and suspension that’s very much developed to cope with extreme off-road loads, be it crawling slowly over rocks (there’s even a ‘Trail Control’ system that works like a slow cruise control for tackling obstacles and allows the driver to pick their line rather than worry about throttle openings) or skimming across dry lake beds and dunes, the Raptor doesn’t lurch around, rattle occupants to bits or squeal its tyres like a ’70s land yacht. Even the interior is a nice place to be. In fact, I’d say it’s of better quality and more luxury in feel than, say, a Mustang Mach E’s. The giant iPad-style screen looks vaguely ridiculous but works pretty well for the most part and the Raptor hides its wild side remarkably well. 

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Even so, it’s hard to resist selecting ‘Baja’ and rear-wheel-drive mode for full noise, the most aggressive shift pattern for the ’box and, of course, the chance of some Hazzard County antics. The V6 is not a firecracker, it’s true, but the Raptor doesn’t feel as flat as I’d feared and the engine makes an amusing deepfake V8 noise, which I can only assume is enhanced by the speaker system. This is a big vehicle and so you tend not to hurtle through the countryside at maximum acceleration anyway. Instead full throttle is reserved to make the rear squirm through a roundabout or out of a junction. 

Slow-in, medium-out is very much the mantra here. Try to carry speed and the Raptor will push its nose wide and make some very ugly noises, but a well-timed prod of throttle will create a little flare of wheelspin and some suitably dramatic angles. It’s all low-speed stuff, as the thought of getting two and a half tons moving around on off-road tyres at higher velocities is slightly terrifying and should be reserved for somewhere off the beaten path. It should be said that the steering is smooth and accurate enough to feel well on top of the Raptor, and the brake feel is actually really rather good. Better yet, the ten-speed ’box isn’t nearly as confusing as it sounds should you use the lovely paddles. Think of it as a normal six- or seven-speed auto fitted with additional ratios for fuel efficiency. A term I used advisedly! 

Away from the public highway the Raptor is predictably brilliant. So much so that the mud-plugging off-road course laid on by Ford feels as taxing as mounting a kerb. Low-speed trails are not something I enjoy at all (driving up a sheer rock face at 6mph is still driving at 6mph) but the Raptor is clearly extremely adept, and whilst it can’t match the approach, departure and breakover angles of a Defender at maximum ride height, this thing has all the tools to traverse some very rugged terrain. 

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On a faster, wickedly rutted ‘Baja’ course things are much more exciting. The suspension soaks up punishment and while it’s not magical in the way of one of those incredible Trophy Trucks that float across the desert, there’s still sorcery in these dampers. Big ruts elicit little more than a light jostling in the cabin and nothing ever upsets it so much that you feel inclined to back off. It feels impervious to the outside world and yet in tune with every ripple. With a bit more space to play you can also provoke the Raptor into big slides and use the weight transfer to flick between direction changes. It’s fantastic fun and, most importantly, doesn’t feel abusive. The Raptor is as at home doing this as a GT3 RS would be knocking out half a dozen laps of the Ring on a Sunday afternoon. 

The rational case for the Ranger Raptor is tough. It’s a near-£60,000 pickup truck with fairly woeful fuel economy, and because it doesn’t have a big enough payload capacity it can’t be used as a commercial vehicle for tax purposes. It’s also a pretty chunky unit to park at your local multi-storey. Then again… when was being rational a fun way to live your life? The Raptor manages to be plausibly practical, rarely does the separate chassis-shimmy on-road, sounds good, looks pleasingly pumped-up and has masses of capability. I’m not sure many people could or would realistically use its full repertoire of skills on a regular basis, but the appeal remains strong. The Ranger Raptor really is an authentic performance vehicle. The challenge is for owners to seek out the places to enjoy it.

Ford Ranger Raptor specs

This story was first featured in evo issue 309.