Righto, mate, lift your elbows ... NOW!” So comes the shouted command from the driver’s seat as the new Ford Ranger Raptor rushes at the base of the jump. There’s a jolt, a momentary pause as the suspension compresses and then … silence.
We fly through the air at 130km/h, like a house brick jettisoned into low orbit, the Raptor soaring flat and true before the ground rushes up. I wince and lift my arms clear of the bucket seat – we’re in an early Raptor prototype fitted with a roll-cage and race seats and smashing funny bones is a real risk – but then … nothing. The Raptor lands with the grace and poise of a jungle cat.
“Nice, huh?” shouts my driver with what I assume is a grin behind his helmet. “It’s like a rally car!” He emphasises the last point by hurling Ford’s all-new performance ute at another jump. I nod and lift my elbows.
Welcome to Loveday 4x4 Park, a sprawling off-road adventure park in outback South Australia where Ford is giving the new Raptor its final engineering sign-off. By the time you read this the new Raptor will be on sale, for the princely sum of $85,490 (we’ll get to why this is actually a positive thing later) but right now Ford’s Australian engineering team is busy making some last-minute tweaks before it enters full-scale production. And today, we’re tagging along for the ride.
This story is from the September 2022 edition of Wheels Australia Magazine.
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This story is from the September 2022 edition of Wheels Australia Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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