There’s no denying it – the current generation Ford Ranger Raptor was a hit with punters, despite having what many described as too small an incentive to begin with.
When Ford sat down to brainstorm ideas for the 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor, the brief revolved around ‘moving the pointer’, not standing still. And that’s where the idea for the V6 twin-turbo petrol engine came from.
Speak privately with CarExpertFord’s director of performance programs, Justin Capicchiano, says diesel won’t cut it – especially for the US market.
“Big one [in terms of program changes] are taking a step forward in powertrain innovation for some markets like the US market, for example, that’s something they’re very interested in. The Australian market, I would categorize them, is happy with the current Raptor, like, yes, we’ve sold a lot of current Raptors, right,” Capicchiano said.
“So [it] clearly ticked a lot of boxes for a lot of people. But just recreate and do the same thing with another body. Yep, don’t actually move the needle, correct.
“And [with] Ford Performance, all about enhancing power, not maintaining the status quo. Because if someone comes into the market, they’re going to look at, you know, the current 375 Raptor [the codename for the current generation] and said, well, that’s what it is.
“But we don’t want to stand still, yes, Ford Performance has always been about, well, this is the next generation suspension engine, this is where we want to go with the powertrain. And that’s where we’re moving the needle to. “
Capicchiano of course means the big step forward in powertrain for the Ranger Raptor. It has switched from a 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel that produces 157kW of power and 500Nm of torque, to a 3.0-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol engine that produces almost 300kW of power and torque. Torque is about 600Nm.
Incorporating permanent all-wheel drive also means customers have access to power and torque – not to mention the inclusion of turbocharger technology and state-of-the-art suspension.
THAN: Everything Ford Ranger
