The “flight attendant” backed off with a final warning: “There will be no pedals while the Ranger Raptor is in flight.”
As instructed, I put the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor in second gear, the raspy exhaust murmured its discontent as the revs dropped, then sank between two cones at Ford’s Raptor Assault School in a nowhere valley, an hour from Salt Lake City . We launched ourselves into the mountain air.
The strange thing about flying the Ranger Raptor is how normal it felt on takeoff and landing. With no point of reference except watching other people go before me, I expected a shot in the back or some dental talk. Instead, the compression and rebound of the remote reservoir’s 2.5-inch Fox Live Valve shocks allowed the earth to squeeze the 33-inch BFGoodrich KO2 off-roader like grandkids’ cheeks at Christmas time. The crew cabin was stable, the landing containers were cold. The problem is that it ended too soon.
To be fair, it was a modest table with a steep ramp, but only a few feet of drop, and I didn’t have enough track to send it more than ten feet, perhaps. Launching it in second gear ensured that I wouldn’t be in mid-gear at the launch point, causing the weight to tip forward and land, but it also meant not taking full advantage of the turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 adopted from the Bronco. Raptor. This would be for the Baja section of Assault School.
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
What makes the Ford Ranger Raptor different?
The addition of the Raptor for the first time to Redesigned 2024 Ford Ranger family marks an expansion of the off-road performance arm launched in 2009, from Raptor F-150 for the Braptor (Bronco Raptor, of course) and now, happily, for the Ranger. He’s king of the Ranger hill, with Lariat, XLT and XL below him. The simple finish complements a simplified configuration for all models: double cab with 1.5 meter bucket.
Ford says almost everything is new about the Ranger, but the redesigned body sits on a familiar structure. Some cross members and materials have changed, but the biggest difference is that Ford has extended the track and wheelbase by a few inches compared to its predecessor. In the Raptor, it’s even more pronounced; The track is 3.5 inches wider than other Rangers and features 17-inch aluminum wheels (beadlocks are optional) wrapped around the KO2s. The fenders bulge out and the body narrows toward the cabin, so the Raptor’s panoramic view would look like a dumbbell with a meaty handle.
Ford moved the front axle forward, but the longer wheelbase didn’t affect the crew cab’s size. The wider rail allowed designers to expand bed space. It’s now 48.2 inches wide and can accommodate 4×8 sheets of plywood between the wheel wells. There are six clamps on the bed, and the available LED lighting illuminates the bed and its 120-volt socket, to better power the accessories at night. There’s no rocking trick for the tailgate, but it does have a built-in ruler on top, bottle openers on both sides, tie-down slots, and deep fender steps. The Ranger Raptor doesn’t get the fender steps.
Raptors add two tow hooks on the inside rear of the dual exhaust pipes to match the front hooks. Steel protective plates also cover the engine, transfer case and gas tank, and all the openings are open in the grille, including the giant Ford letters emblazoned like a 3D facial tattoo.
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
Ford Ranger Raptor performance on the pavement
While Ford offers three turbocharged engine options across the Ranger lineup, a hybrid isn’t part of the plethora of engines. The larger F-150 and smaller Maverick have hybrid options that have proven popular, but Ford U.S. chief engineer for the Raptor, Juan De Pena, said it wasn’t what Ranger buyers wanted.
“A hybrid has electricity and ICE (internal combustion), so you’re paying for two systems, and that has to influence the price,” he told Motor Authority on the media show. He referred to data that suggested Ranger customers wanted more power for performance than efficiency, even though Ford representatives touted that the brand sells more hybrid trucks than anyone else.
That’s obviously the case with the Raptor, which uses the Braptor’s 3.0-liter turbo V-6 tuned to 405 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. It’s difficult to pin down a 0-60 mph time, but with the standard 10-speed automatic across the lineup and the Raptor’s standard all-wheel-drive system, I’d estimate a low six-second time. The 10-speed can respond sensitively if you hesitate with the accelerator; Decisive contributions result in decisive changes. So if you are part of a family with an on/off pedal, don’t ride while they drive. Otherwise, the 10-speed shift is smooth and predictable, and the aluminum paddle shifters give the driver more immediate control than the manual mode on the shifter console in other Rangers. Both the Lariat and Raptor get an electronic shifter, a stubby square knob compared to the traditional, beefy mechanical shifter in the XL and XLT models. The shift-by-wire selector allows for more driver assistance features on higher-end models.
Track and wheelbase changes, as well as frame tweaks, make the Ranger more road-friendly than its predecessor, and that extends to the Raptor. Even with its all-terrain tires on the road to the middle of nowhere to Assault School, three adults fit comfortably and the ride was sorted. The empty bed wasn’t swaying like a dog’s wagging tail. I’d welcome the Raptor as a daily driver more than the Braptor, and exhaust modes range from parental to punk.
The bed doesn’t bounce as much on the Ranger
The Raptor adds Off-Road, Baja and Rock Crawl modes to the Normal, Sport, Slippery and Tow Haul modes on other Rangers (the Raptor tows up to 5,510 pounds and its payload is 1,711 pounds). The modes change the thresholds of anti-lock braking and traction control, as well as steering weight, and software adjustments in the Raptor are most pronounced on the drive mode dial.
The console dial takes some getting used to: Turn it to activate the drive mode menu on the Raptor’s 12.4-inch instrument panel, then turn it again to reset to the desired mode. The dial also functions as a controller for Ford’s excellent Pro Trailer Backup Assist, which allows you to turn the dial in the desired direction for the trailer, rather than turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction; It’s a must-have for occasional, if not unsafe, towing, especially with a small trailer.
All of this results in a Raptor that is more comfortable than the Braptor and a more manageable off-roader than the F-150 Raptor. And Baja mode is amazing.
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
Impressive off-road performance of the Ford Ranger Raptor
The Raptor comes with electronic front and rear differential locks. I followed an F-150 Raptor up and down rock-strewn, rut-plagued hills, and while it didn’t come close to the rugged off-road of the Braptor’s test course, the Ranger Raptor has all the tricks to handle grueling off-road conditions. -roads. road tests. It lacks the Braptor’s Trail Control system that brakes the inside rear wheel for tighter turns, but Rock Crawl mode has a trail control system like uphill or downhill cruise control that works up to 10 mph, changeable in increments of 0.5mph. In Off-Road mode, it extends the limit to 20 mph and can be changed in 1 mph increments. In either scenario, pressing the accelerator will override the system momentarily before you release it and it returns to the setting; pressing the brake cancels it.
The rain started on our way from the off-road to the Baja course, and a flick of the windshield wiper spray simultaneously cleared the front camera because we were in Off-Road mode. There’s no way to clean it yourself, other than the old thumb wipe, but the front camera is key to the Raptor’s standard surround camera system that connects to side mirror cameras and a rearview camera for 360 views. degrees around the truck as well as panoramic views on the Raptor’s standard 12.0-inch touchscreen.
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
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Ford Ranger Raptor 2024
We continued to the Baja route as the humidity clouded the earth, as if on cue. Baja mode harnesses the full power of the 3.0-liter V-6, opens the exhaust system and illuminates the dashboard and ambient lighting. It can be activated in 2H or 4H, with the rear differential lock activated or deactivated, so owners can enjoy their comfort levels in terms of rotational control. I had it in 4H with the lockers off and the stability control set less intrusively. I dumped some dirt and made it through the opening section before finally getting enough speed to brake hard on a banked cut. It took a second run around the course to get it right, but feeling the rear end spin as the bulging hood reoriented itself forward, the rear end returning to the line in a mud rooster’s tail was extremely fun.
The braking hardware is the same as other Rangers, but the software is calibrated differently so I could put the nose down just before the turn without anti-lock brake vibration interrupting my flow. The paddle shifters helped get the gear right, and the suspension sorted the truck well enough to eclipse 50 mph on the final narrow, with a little launch of its own in the braking area. The only problem was wanting to do it over and over again, but that joy is reserved for Ranger Raptor owners.
A day of off-roading at Ford’s Ranger Raptor Assault School in Tooele Valley, Utah, starting in June, is included with the purchase of a Ranger Raptor. The course demonstrates the Raptor’s potential in someone else’s truck rather than the one you just bought.
Priced at $56,960, the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor is the most affordable Raptor yet. The F-150 Raptor costs at least $20,000 more than the base Ranger, but the midsize Raptor is a more fun Baja package. The Ranger Raptor’s starting point is about $15,000 less than when the Braptor launched in 2022, and its subsequent popularity now has Ford charging about $92,000. The market has spoken.
Ford paid for travel and lodging for Motor Authority to launch the Ranger Raptor on a muddy off-road course.