2024 Ford Ranger Raptor: FINALLY, America Gets the Blue Oval’s Beastliest Midsize Truck

Enthusiasts can be forgiven for having never paid the Ford Ranger much attention. From 1983 to 2011 it soldiered on with minimal updating and no performance variants (sadly, the company passed on the prototype Cobra-powered SVT Ranger V-8 we tested in the mid-1990s). And when Ford brought the global T6 Ranger here in 2019 (halfway through its life cycle globally), it resumed its predecessors faithful-farm-dog persona. Well, the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor is your wake-up call to start paying Ford’s mid-sizer some attention.

Ford Australia led development of the T6 platform this new global Ranger shares with the Bronco and some SUVs built in Brazil, Africa, and Asia. Oz is a natural place to develop a trophy-truck desert-racier like the off-road Raptor variant, as that continent features the highest percentage of desert coverage. (The newest Ranger Raptor already debuted across the pond—though this is the first time the model will be sold in America; we’re focusing on the U.S.-spec truck here.) A great deal of the Ranger Raptor’s initial development occurred in the Alice Springs area, known as the capital of Australia’s “Red Center.” But the Ford Performance engineers from Dearborn most familiar with the F-150 Raptor’s awesome Fox Live Valve shocks braved COVID travel challenges to spend time dodging ‘roos in the Outback.

As was widely expected, our Ranger Raptor gets a version of the Bronco Raptor’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6. Because the exhaust is about 14 inches longer and the charge-air cooler is packaged lower (increasing the amount of plumbing incurs greater losses), the power and torque are down slightly, from the Bronco Raptor’s 418 hp and 440 lb-ft to 405 hp and 430 lb-ft. But don’t fret. Pickup boxes are way lighter than glassed-in SUV bodies, so Ford’s claim for the Ranger Raptor’s curb weight comes in about 400 pounds less than the last two Bronco Raptors we weighed, giving Ranger a superior weight-to-power ratio (it might even best that of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost F-150 Raptor 37). And as in the Bronco Raptor, this engine is tuned to “reward the revs,” making 90 percent of peak power at redline.

Naturally like all its North American kin, the Ranger routes that torque through a 10-speed automatic and thence through an electronically controlled transfer case out to front and rear locking differentials. These are closely related to the ones in the Bronco Raptor, but with revisions to the clutches in the T-case and front diff tailored to the trucks’ different missions (e.g., the desert-racing Ranger shouldn’t ever need to pull itself up over an obstacle when only one front tire has traction).

As with all other Raptors, the suspension travel is greatly increased from the mainstream 2024 Ford Ranger’s 5.2 inches of jounce and 3.9 inches of rebound in front and 5.0/3.8 rear to the Raptor’s 5.2/4.8 front and 6.5/5.0 rear—or 1.4 inch more front and 2.7 inch more rear total travel. That’s on the stock 33-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A K03s (subtract a half-inch if you upsize to 35s as Aussies modifiers have been known to do). These 17-inch tires can be fitted to bead-lock capable wheels for the serious sand-runners or rock crawlers.

Note that at 10.7 inches, ground clearance is up 1.4 inches relative to base Rangers, but still falls 3.8 inches shy of the Bronco Raptor, and approach/departure angles are also much better suited to desert racing than boulder parkour. For this reason, there’s also no stabilizer-bar disconnect.

To achieve the suspension travel increase, new upper and lower aluminum front control arms add 3.5 inches to the front track and the upper shock mount is revised. The rear suspension gets the F-150 Raptor treatment, ditching the leaf springs for radius arms and coil-over shock units mounted outboard of the frame.

The 2.5-inch Fox Live Valve Internal Bypass shocks (explained here) are programmed by Ford Performance with varying damping maps—with position-sensitive damping that changes rates mid-stroke on a given jounce or rebound event. These are tailored to suit seven different drive modes: Normal, Tow/Haul, Sport, Slippery, Off-Road, Rock Crawl, and Baja. An R mode allows tailoring of the various parameters to the driver’s preference, and the system continuously monitors driving style to provide appropriate damping if, for example, you suddenly start ripping across the desert without switching to Baja mode. And the system senses when the wheels leave the ground and preps the shocks for a safe landing regardless of mode. The shocks also feature new Teflon-infused oil to reduce friction and heat buildup within the shocks (this technology had a soft-launch on F-150 Raptor midway through the 2021 model year).

One more big departure from its American-grown Raptor sibs: use of a Watts linkage to locate the live rear axle laterally, as borrowed from its Everest/Endeavour T6 SUV cousins. The F-150 and Bronco Raptors make do with a Panhard rod, which is less optimal in cornering because it behaves slightly differently turning left versus right.

For protection when coming down from a big jump or off a boulder, extensive cladding includes a steel bash plate, plus covers for the engine, transmission, transfer case, and fuel tank. The high-strength steel bash plate is coated to look like aluminum and coordinate with the less rugged silver section of the lower bumper. Speaking of, North America gets a steel front bumper, where many global markets get foam with a plastic covering for pedestrian protection.

We’ve had a good look at the global Ranger Raptor’s bodywork for a little while now (the Euro/Aussie version was unveiled in February 2022) and we generally like the way stretching the bodywork to cover the wider track added 4.3 inches to the width. Sadly, this puts the structure necessary for the base Ranger’s useful rear body-side steps too far inboard, so that feature is not available on Raptor. Every other vent, scoop, and design element is functional and necessary. Well, the Raptor graphics are less than vital, but then they’re optional. Our photo vehicle features a new Raptor color called Shelter Green, which incorporates gold metal flakes and will eventually replace the Code Orange paint option on other Raptors.

The Raptor interior’s signature accent color (also Code Orange) isn’t going anywhere, and it features heavily in stitching, seat bolster accents, vent surrounds, and the center-mark on the steering wheel (which also features magnesium paddle shifters). Six overhead upfitter switches mounted in the overhead console are provided to power auxiliary lighting and other off-road gear. Naturally the rest of the interior starts out with nearly all Ranger bells and whistles, including the biggest available screens, which feature similar graphics and animations found in other Raptors when switching between drive modes.

We’re saving the best for last. The order books will open by the end of May for deliveries in the later summer, at an opening price of $56,900—that’s $28,475 less than the current price of a Bronco Raptor, and this one can haul mulch and ATVs! (It’s also right in line with GMC’s new Canyon AT4X and slightly more than Chevy’s mechanically identical Colorado ZR2.) And a pre-production 2023 Ranger Raptor has already demonstrated its desert-racing chops by winning the stock midclass category of the Baja 1000, clocking in at 26 hours and 21 minutes before heading north for the 200-mile drive back to California. We’re paying attention now.

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