Bird Of Prey

A RANGER RAPTOR IS COMING TO AUSTRALIA! WE CAN ONLY HOPE IT IS HALF AS MUCH FUN AS THE F-150 THAT SPAWNED IT.

- Matt Raudonikis

WITH a Raptor version of the Ford Ranger coming our way in 2018, we thought we’d take a look at the vehicle from which it takes its nameplate. It was at the SEMA Show in 2008 that Ford SVT unveiled the first F-150 Raptor as a 2010 model, and it was on our annual visit to SEMA that gave us the opportunity to drive the 2017 model.

Very little is confirmed as to what shape and form the Ranger Raptor will take when it lobs here, but the original F-150 Raptor was built as a desert racer for the streets in the same mould as the pre-runner trucks that racers use to reconnoitre tracks such as the Baja 1000. That original Raptor was powered by a 230kW 5.4-litre petrol V8 engine, with a 302kW 6.2-litre engine taking on the role from 2011 to 2016.

The 13th gen of F-150 landed in 2015 with a new aluminium body, and the second-gen Raptor adopted this platform in 2016. Controversially, the traditional V8 engine was swapped for a twin-turbo 3.5L EcoBoost V6 which made more power and torque than the old-tech V8; and it’s what powers the vehicle we have here.

One thing we can be certain of with the Ranger Raptor is that, unfortunately, it won’t have this stonking 335kW/691Nm EcoBoost V6 engine. The F-150 Raptor’s mill mightn’t have the brutality and sound of a V8, but it doesn’t hold back on performance. Floor the throttle on the Effie and the speedometer needle swings clockwise rapidly and you’re soon exceeding freeway speed limits. US tests have found the 2700-odd-kilogram Raptor launches to 100km/h in around 6.2 seconds, so it’s no slouch, even if the acceleration is deceptive.