For mixed, extreme and fun use

In the city, docile and comfortable as an medium pickup, with its limitations for size. On the road, plenty of performance with the help of driving technologies. In the asphalt, it is amazing how speeds and is able to make curves like a sports without forgetting that if it goes to Earth, there will be no problem. This is a good summary of the new Ford Ranger Raptor.

Since becoming an importer, Ford has understood that the Brazilian market has space for some high -value -added niches. Ranger Raptor puts itself as an exclusive, really sporty product that has long been expected for our market – just see how many ranger have gained a visual package or, with more money, who matters the F -150 Raptor independently for years. And there is nothing to regret that decision.

To develop Ranger Raptor, Ford’s global engineering went far beyond some adjustments – so different, is produced only in Thailand to the world. It starts with the chassis, with reinforcements in the front and rear suspensions, the first with aluminum arms and the second with helical springs in place of the beams; Reinforcements on the sides of the stringers and protectors in components, such as steering, crankcase, transmission and fuel tank, made of 2.3 mm high strength steel twice the normal ranger.

The ranger raptor cabin is, in structural form, the same as other versions. The bucket receives wider fenders, as well as in the front, which are there for the longest suspension course, with 256 mm at the front and 290 mm at the rear. Since gauge is 90 mm wider, in addition to 17 “with 285/70 tires, the raptor is 193 mm wider than a normal ranger.

So modified, you can hardly recognize that it is a ranger. Headlights and lanterns are in LEDs, with exclusive look and, in the case of headlights, intelligent; And the traditional raptor grid closes an imposing package that is even more prominent with the raptor identification stickers – as if necessary something to demarcate this territory. Inside, sports seats and some details sets her apart from other ranger, but much more recognizable than outside.

The engine is the EcoBoost Nano V6 3.0 biturbo, another born to the raptor. It has noble materials to reduce friction and increase resistance, such as piston shirts, and electronic valves for turbos pressure, which reduces turbolag along with the work of the controls with phase variants. There are 397 hp at 5,650 rpm and 59.5 kgfm with peak at 3,500 rpm, respectable numbers even with 2,415 kg of the raptor.

Suspension and transmission are prominent points in the raptor, even more than the V6 Biturbo engine. In addition to the reinforced components, using plenty of aluminum, and the rear axle with helical springs, the raptor has received the intelligent shock absorbers signed by FOX, which act according to the selected driving mode and respond very fast to any change required in their rigidity and individually to control each wheel.

This also goes for transmission. Despite a 10 -speed automatic box, it is not the same as used by Ranger in V6 Turbodiesel versions, with electronic adjustment and its own ratio for the raptor, and a variable distribution box between the axles, each with its blocking differential, which can work on both asphalt and earth with fast corrections.

Sensors and accelerometers guide the electronic centers of the set. In normal mode, it is very clear that the pickup works at 4×2 and the suspension absorbs the impacts, leaving the body to float and do not pass on to the cabin anything. Right now, it’s almost a limited ranger, even a little more comfortable. Even so, enter a faster curve and it is noticeable that the tensile system, torque vectorization and the shock absorbers hold the body roll and do not allow, for example, a front output.

You may not notice, but the readings continue all the time. In stronger accelerations, rear shock absorbers get firmer to give more traction, just as braking are more controlled with the front change. In the account, the variable electric steering even has selectable modes by a button (normal, comfort and Sport), where its weight is changed independent of the driving mode chosen, as well as the adjustable shock absorbers.

When provoked in Sport mode, the raptor assumes a more aggressive profile and plays almost all its potential for the driver’s hands. The snoring changes – by the way, the valve system goes from an original silence to Baja Mode, which the brand says to only use on the out -of -road, but I totally ignored my hearing pleasure – and the pickup gets speed very fast. The already known 10 gearbox has a Mustang -like adjustment and makes the exchanges very fast and, in manual mode, it holds the limiter to a new command.

The 0 to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds shows how the raptor grows fast in this set, but is even more impressive how it gets speed above that, already on censurable levels. Faced with so many powerful trucks on the market, it goes beyond not only with the numbers, but with the complete set of sensations, really sporty completely. But the consumption goes in this play even in normal mode, with 5.4 km/liter in the city and 8.5 km/liter on the road. Standing underneath, you can expect something in the 1 km/liter track …

Between a sports and a sports pickup, the main difference comes in the out-of-road. Ranger Raptor has a lot of DNA Baja, visible by the suspension work when we leave the asphalt or even in it, we are looking for some obstacles. Between strong in the curves and she even threatens some rear reaction, but soon the suspension/traction set corrects the trajectory. On Earth, it absorbs more and knows what to do to maintain the trajectory, in this case depending more on traction distribution than direction, for example.

Ranger Raptor has specific modes for the out-of-Estrada: Rock Crawl, Sand, Mud/Earth and Baja, this as a Sport mode on Earth. It is even prepared to fly, but it is something that is not so simple to do. All the secrets I told from the raptor once again came into action – which resulted in this dirt of the photos – and even standing down, it is relatively quiet to control, as long as you understand how a car behaves away from the high speed asphalt.

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In Baja mode, until V6 biturbo keeps the pressure of turbos for up to 3 seconds after taking the accelerator foot so as not to have Turbolag and better answers where traction is even more important to several situations that depend less on suspension. Even the choice of tires was important in this performance package in a pickup truck that has almost nothing. You can ignore some bumps (and central beds …) in everyday life if you want.

The fact is that the Ranger Raptor buyer is not the guy in the traditional medium pickup. There are only 715 kg of load capacity, even if the bucket is the same as the normal ranger, as is the driving assistants package and embedded technologies. For R $ 448,600, it is also $ 98,610 more than the most complete ranger of the catalog that, in the background, has similar equipment.

But any ranger does not deliver what the raptor has. If the new generation of the pickup in its normal versions have placed a new level in the segment, the raptor sports goes beyond a new customer who often didn’t even think about having an average pickup. It’s not just stickers, a more powerful engine and decorations, but a set of winning the enthusiast with money in your pocket and ready for fun.

Photos: Mario Villaescusa (for or motor1.com)