So, the Ford Ranger Raptor is nearly here. Truck fans in Australia are in raptures awaiting its arrival somewhat baffled and disappointed, now its spec (and subsequently price) have been revealed. Frankly, I can see why...
The original Ford Raptor was one of those rare vehicles, that kind of came out of nowhere and had a much bigger impact than I think anyone expected. US based fans are always whinging about the unobtanium they can’t get in other markets, and for years there wasn’t really much of that going the other way, apart from maybe price. The Raptor was one of the vehicles that changed that, and showed the rest of the world that ‘Merica domestic stuff could be, and was cool.
Even guys I knew who didn’t ‘truck’ in the slightest wanted one. Why wouldn’t you? Motorsport V8, mad suspension, mad looks, built to do one thing well - go fast off road - and it could do it. It can’t really be used to its full extent many places outside the US, didn’t mean we didn’t want one.
So to the Ranger Raptor. Everyone just assumed it would be the same formula in a Ranger body. Even when the US Raptor mk 2 lost the NA V8 for a boosted six, it still did the numbers and then some. The Ranger Raptor gets the same 2.0L turbo diesel as the standard Ranger, cue first disappointment, not to mention first stumbling block in the showroom compared to the competition. However, wonders can be done tuning common rail diesels, just not in this case, headline figures are only marginally up on the standard car.
In fact Ford own official Australian tuning arm, Tickford, will happily tune the standard Ranger well past these headline figures. Factory warranty intact.
The other big issue in that spec sheet is a lack of a centre differential, and therefore part time four wheel drive. 4x4 must be engaged when on the dirt, and then back to RWD when back in the bitumen. A lack of centre differential also tends to lean towards understeering handling characteristics on the gravel, I knew a rally guy who used to run his centre diff locked, which if you could get the car to rotate hard enough worked well. I saw him plough on, on a regular basis too mind...
Even one of the big changes being crowed about the ‘serious engineering’ of the rear suspension. The change to coils and a watts linkage will be an improvement, although hardly revolutionary.
Hmmm, so far not great.
However, I think the actual Ranger Raptor experience will more impressive than its spec sheet suggests. The 10 speed gearbox will make a big difference. Modern transmissions are the unsung heroes of modern automotive performance specifications, in my opinion. Remember when the Nissan R35 GT-R was released and no one could marry the performance it had with its relatively modest headline power figure? I think that was the first time we really saw if you can keep an engine delivering in its peak performance area, it will out perform a more powerful engine joined to a gearbox that drops it out of that peak range when it changes gear.
This theory certainly appears to be the case with this gearbox being used in the bigger F150. [as an aside, I was talking to a guy with a modified Golf R. He said once he had the engine tuned he was impressed, but once he had the gearbox tuned, the performance just went to another level]
Especially once you see the graph for the engine outputs vs the standard motor.
Yes the peaks are not that much different, but you have a good 2000rpm of solid performance there, from about 1750rpm, and from about 2750-3750rpm it should punch pretty hard. If the gearbox can keep pumping ratios into that area I think this will go much better than the headline figures suggest. Hopefully this is a more characterful version of this engine too, as the standard lugger sounds like a laboured sowing machine.
Those Fox Shocks will no doubt be awesome. I think the styling is pretty much spot on. I’m hoping for nice details such as the reported cast and forged suspension components (?).
I like Robert Pepper’s optimistic take on it.
However will it be enough? Of that, I’m not so sure...
The Competition? Yeah, that’s where it gets prickly.
Already here and ready to take your money is the V6 diesel VW Amarok. Not as shouty as the Raptor and definitely appealing to a more urban and urbane market. It already had the Raptor comprehensively outgunned in the engine department, before they got wind of the incoming X-Class V6, then did a bit more fiddling and got 190kW (255bhp) and 580Nm (425lbft) out of it. Compare that to the Raptors fire breathing 157kW/500Nm, or maybe don’t.
However, despite the Amarok having an 8 speed transmission. It has no seperate low range, so it gives up two of those gears for its off road work. So it really only has 6 to fight the Raptor’s 10, but I think headline power figures are going to count for more to the average new car buyer.
Worth mentioning VW and diesel here, are not the naughty words they are in some other places.
So yes, the Mercedes X-Class is (just) here. Considering the relatively muted sales of the Amarok (across all models), it will be interesting to see how this works. I don’t think it does a particularly good job of hiding it’s Nissan Navara roots. Especially as when the V6 gets here, it is rumoured to be in the region of $85k. That V6 just loses out to the VW engine in this round of Top Trumps with 190kW/550Nm.
So in terms of sales, the blue collar brands still rule in Oz. With Ford and Toyota leading the sales charts. So what about the King? What’s the Hilux’s response to this mega truck supremacy battle? Well, it’s all very Toyota.
Toyota has never chased big power (WRC shenanigans aside), especially in their off-road vehicles. So not even a different state of tune is offered for Toyota’s modest 2.8L turbo 4, which gets to lug around everything from a lower range Hilux to a top Spec Prado 130kW/450Nm means its not even in the game. So it plays a different game...
For the same money as the top premium spec Hilux Rogue, you can now have the Hilux Rugged X (and slightly cheaper Rugged) with factory snorkel, steel bull bar, rock rails and bash plates. The argument for that being more of a 4x4 you can actually use in Australia to its full potential is strong. Factor in Toyota’s rock solid brand perception and an unrivalled countrywide dealer network, don’t expect the Hilux to be giving up its number 1 spot anytime soon.
Plus, the best commercials. These ones courtesy of our Kiwi friends over the water.
So will the Ranger Raptor create a new segment of off road super sports trucks like it did in the US? I think this is more like it - that man Pepper again.
The truck I think would really carve a niche here is the one we don’t get. So, for once we Aussies can look to the US, and wonder why we can’t have nice things...
