We don’t get many vehicles in on test that people stop us to ask about. But even before the Raptor arrived at our office, we knew it was going to attract attention.
There are quite a few Ranger drivers based on our business park. Every single one of them who saw one of us climb out of it came over to ask what it was like, as did a few others too. The petrol heads from around the place who know what we do for a living had all asked when we were going to have one on test, too.
Safe to say, the Ford Ranger Raptor has caught people’s imagination, with its race-bred image and new, range-topping engine. Yet with 210bhp, it’s well short of being the most powerful truck on the market – by something like 20%, in fact, thanks to the Merc X-Class and Volkswagen Tiguan.
It’s about more than just raw power, though. The Raptor’s styling is sensational – you don’t realise how much bigger and more imposing it is than a standard Ranger until you see them together, but it really is a whole different truck to look at.
This comes from a bigger wheels and tyres, a wider track and taller springs. Much has been made of the Raptor’s Fox suspension, and we’ll get on to this later, but for now we’ll just comment on the kerbside appeal it gives the vehicle – which is lots.
‘Lots’ is also the word for the amount of money the Raptor costs. At £48,785 OTR including the VAT, it’s not the most expensive truck you can buy – however the top-spec versions of the Isuzu D-Max, Volkswagen Amarok and Mercedes X-Class that hover around the same price point all have one thing in common that the Raptor doesn’t – namely that you can get your VAT back on them. The problem is that the Raptor’s payload is less than 1000kg, which means that being a five-seater, it’s not classed as a commercial vehicle.
Esta historia es de la edición April 2020 de 4x4.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 2020 de 4x4.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Land Rover Confirms Prices For New Defender 90 As Order Book Opens
On sale now from £40,290 • Commercial models coming this year from £35,000 plus VAT
STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE
There’s nothing very middle-of-the-road about Dave Yates’ Mitsubishi L200. But with modified double-cabs tending to divide themselves into big-money builds and bargain-bucket weld-ups, with not a lot in between, the company that helped him build it hopes to become the go-to supplier for people wanting to plough a new furrow down the centre ground
FORD RANGER RAPTOR
Ultimate version of Ford’s market-leading double-cab has more power and highly specialised suspension but isn’t classed as a commercial vehicle.
DEMOGRAPHICS
With more and more modified Ford Rangers and Jeep Wranglers appearing at the top end of the off-road scene, you might be forgiven for thinking no-one is doing it with Land Rover Defenders any more. But while 90s and 110s have indeed been redefined by their galloping values, they’re still right at the heart of the UK off-road scene – as very ably demonstrated by this slick new demo truck from Terrafirma, and of course its cool Union Jack artwork
A Lifetime's Achievement
After a life spent in the Land Rover business, David Bowyer thought he’d put his expertise to use and finally get round to doing a project he’d always promised himself. It’s been well worth the wait…
Border Hopping
Earthquakes, volcanoes and penguins galore in an Andean adventure on both sides of one of the world's longest land borders
Outback Challenge
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Masters Of Traction
Mudmaster is one of the very best clubman level off-road events in the UK, and an ordinary driving licence does just fine, as does a standard SUV. You’ll be up against some big opposition…
Ssangyong Lifts Lid On New Rexton
Ladder chassis, low box, live rear axle • Priced from £27,500.
Something Dodgy This Way Comes
It’s more than a decade since Dodge’s UK importer decided to bring a batch of Ram pickups to Britain. So was our fi rst offi cial American truck as good idea as it looked – or just a cute publicity stunt for less exciting cars to come? And what was rhe legacy of these fi fty doublecabs for the grey market – and for buyers still to come?