Ford’s flagship now even more of a performance demon with adoption of US-sourced powerplant.

WHEN the incoming second-generation Ranger Raptor raced its predecessor around a 10 kilometre dirt track and won by a whole minute – that’s when Ford knew for sure they’d chosen the ‘right’ engine.

This from Justin Capicchiano, the engineer in charge of the new flagship’s powertrain development, in outlining the aptitude of the twin turbo petrol 3.0-litre V6 Kiwis will meet in the second half of this year – so, logically, perhaps within a month or so of the mainstream models’ arrival in June.

The full strength of what is being called a ‘race-bred’ unit, on strength of it having been used by Ford in various off-road motorsport applications, was proven in the last phase of trials, in Australia’s desert, when old and new faced off.

While new Ranger has an improved chassis and this second-gen Raptor has a wider track and delivers even beefier suspension than the original, with latest Fox adaptive dampers chosen to better handle powering over sand dunes and jumps, the way Ford’s guy tells it, the V6 made the biggest difference in that showdown.

Said Capicchiano: “In motorsport when you find seconds, you’ve made progress.

“When you find a full minute? It’s a revelation.

“The next-gen Raptor isn’t just fast compared with other mid-sized pick-ups. It’s fast, period. In fact, it’s hot hatch fast – on dirt. The amount of performance is incredible.”

No performance times have been shared but, with cited outputs of 292kW and 583Nm, Ford is saying an engine plucked from a US-specific Ford Bronco Raptor (which bases on the same underpinning) will spit dirt into the grilles of all class competitors.

Horsepower delivered with a snarly exhaust note that can be driver-adjusted is basically double that from the 157kW biturbo diesel that has run in the current Raptor for four years and seems set to continue in the new range, but no longer in the flagship locally.

It also makes 83Nm more torque than the diesel, but nonetheless might still put out a little less of that than another new engine coming to Ranger, a 3.0-litre twin turbodiesel that’s possibly just for the new Wildtrak.

One special Raptor element is the anti-lag system, available in the most overt off-road mode, called Baja (the name of a famous desert race).

This keeps the turbochargers spinning for up to three seconds after the driver backs off the throttle, allowing for faster resumption of acceleration out of corners or between gears when the driver gets back on the accelerator.

As well as standing out as the most powerful option in the one-tonne ute sector, Raptor’s engine also achieves unique status as a petrol choice in the otherwise totally diesel-driven scene.

Economy and emissions have yet to be provisioned for any gen two Ranger, and Bronco Raptor data isn’t yet out, either.

But Capicchiano’s ready admission that the petrol delivers a “step down in range” for Raptor appears abetted by market data from the US, which indicates an average of 11.8 litres per 100km might well be expected from the V6 in around this tune – so almost 4L/100km above the diesel Raptor.

Claimed exhaust counts associated with the US market suggests it will be no more successful in steering clear of the ute tax hitting from April 1 than any other one-tonner or, potentially, any fully fossil fuel-reliant Ranger incoming.

In addition to standing in defiance to Government’s Green hope for utes, it will also seek support from a genre of buyers who don’t mind spending up to $3 a litre on petrol - because it requires 98 octane to be at full blast. Something smaller to sit beside that RAM or Chevrolet Silverado, perhaps?

As much as the model will present different opportunity for the distributor and its agents, it’s worth bearing in mind that Raptor expectation starts off a low base.

There’s no argument that the current Ranger is hugely popular – and has become hugely crucial.

Ford’s traydeck has often found not only just sector but sometimes whole-of-market dominance, including in 2021. Ranger accounted for 69 percent of the local effort’s volume last year.

Yet the $85,490 diesel Raptor that introduced in 2018 has been a diminishing contributor to that – of the 12579 Rangers sold last year, just 441 were Raptors.

Ford high-ups in an on-line briefing about the replacement dismissed thought there had been consumer disappointment in the diesel Raptor’s performance.

Says Capicchiano “I never found anyone who drove that car who felt like they weren’t having fun … the biturbo gave plenty of shove.”

The original model had redefined its sub-genre and still held its own, he added. “In four years nothing’s come close.”

However, in looking to maintain a reputation for crushing ability, particularly off-road, priority during the type’s three-year development programme was to raise the performance bar and elevate the emotive experience.

“What we learned is that customers loved every ounce of that (current) car, and we sold thousands of them, but they wanted a little bit more – not just from the powertrain. They also wanted a little more capability.

“It wasn’t so much of a matter of saying ‘let’s pick the biggest weapon we have got, and put it under the bonnet’. It was a matter of making sure the package works together as a holistic opportunity.”

The diesel will be retained in the same form it has now in Raptor in some markets in Asia because it attracts in those places for tax break reasons and as a strong cost-of-ownership proposition.

Capicchiano and the boss of the Raptor programme, David Burn, said the V6 petrol was among ingredients chosen to send a message about Raptor being a genuine performance truck.

That status is also abetted by it continuing with raised, specialist suspension from Fox, a tuner favoured by dirt racers, seven (so, one more than previously) driving modes including off-road tunings denied the regular models topping off with a new Baja race setting in which the engine employs anti-lag to enhances it oomph. It also has an advanced permanent four-wheel drive system with an all-new electronically controlled on-demand two-speed transfer case, combined with front and rear locking differentials

Introducing, too, are a multitude of performance styling enhancements, inside and out, right down to individual chairs front and rear shaped to be something like the pilot’s seat in a F-22 Raptor fighter jet. Code Orange trim details also mark the Raptor out, while the large 12-inch central touchscreen and 12.4-inch digital dials lend a hi-tech boost.

That active exhaust is surely also set to be a magnet for attention. AS per the Mustang, it can be dialled right back to a Quiet set-up to avoid annoying the neighbours, while Normal and Sport modes add some more sound, but keep it in reasonable check. Baja mode cranks up the volume to full 11. Ford says it is more like a straight-through exhaust system, intended for off-road use only, but you just know it’s going to be mis-used.

All this to keep its cred and to establish stronger synergies with Ford US’s own Raptors, the Bronco in particular.

There’s no talk about whether it has beefed up on practicality – a sore point with the current model, which has much lower deck load and towing ratings than the regular Ranger.

Ford’s Melbourne-based team doubt their vehicle has any direct competition, despite emergence of some other products that have been called Raptor rivals (the Hilux Mako and Nissan Navara Pro-X Warrior being examples).

Capicchiano put it this way. “Is there a genuine Raptor competitor? I’m not really sure that there is.

“We’re not looking back at what Toyota and Nissan are doing … we’re not interested. We believe we have a very strong product on its own that meets and exceeds the DNA in many different categories.”

Talk about the 3.0-litre petrol V6 being the hot choice emerged from North America more than a year ago. As well as going into the Bronco, the unit is used by Ford and Lincoln sports utility models in 300kW/563Nm and 272kW/515Nm forms.

It did not give thought to retuning the biturbo diesel V6 Ford will share with the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok. That unit is plucked from the North America-restricted F-150 truck, in which it generates 186kW and 596Nm.

“One of the things we wanted to look at was having a step up powertrain from the balance of the range,” Capicchiano explained.

“Using that (petrol) V6 made sense … it is the same engine that’s in the Bronco Raptor, so there are a lot of synergies we were able to drive out of that platform family similarity. That was a good rationale for us.

Fundamentally, too, customers in Australia in particular were asking for more performance than could be achieved from other vehicles “and that’s what we delivered.”

In respect to the fuel consumption, he said, “with any kind of significant step up in performance there is, obviously, a degradation in range.” That would be obvious in a like-for-like comparison.

“When driven responsibly – and we expect some customers will use it just to drive around – you’ll still get quite respectable range out of it.

“We think the expectation is that, when you have that much performance on tap, there is an expectation that range will be offset in its place.”

Burn attests the model’s strong character and personality will see it shrug off any criticisms. “It is seriously fun to drive.”

For him, a week-long sign-off drive culminating with an ascent of a 1700 metre-plus mountain in Victoria, Australia, sealed the deal. The model had run in all considerations, from high heat to snow, and the mountain had some Australia’s best four-wheel-drive tracks.

“I knew we’d done a good job … but I absolutely fell in love with the way the vehicle responded. This truck has character. This truck has personality.”

That starts with the styling, with exterior designer David De Witt – who also worked on the original – saying intent to was to ensure the look instantly communicated the performance intent.

“Raptor is about capability with velocity.” Though raised, the type is also been made to look wider, to enhance sense of it appearing planted. “Because the proportions are so overt, and the stance is so taut and muscular, a glance is all you need.”