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The full-size Raptor was born in North America, but thus far its little brother the Ranger Raptor isn’t available here yet. However, it is gradually taking the world by storm. After first being made available in the Asia-Pacific region, Ford used the Gamescom gaming convention in Cologne, Germany, to officially announce its availability in Europe.
The standout experience of the Ranger Raptor, hands down, is how far you can push it off-road and still ride like a millionaire on-road. — Damien Ross, Ford
“Forget everything you think you know about pick-ups,” Leo Roeks, Ford Performance Director, Europe, enthused. “Our new Ranger Raptor is a different breed – a thoroughbred desert racer and extreme lifestyle off-roader that can toil with the best of them in the harshest of working conditions.”
The Ranger Raptor will be available in Europe next year, but before then it broke cover at the Gamescom convention to highlight its availability in the Forza Horizon 4 racing game. (Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company)
The first vehicle ever revealed at the gaming convention, the Ranger Raptor is powered by a bi-turbo 2.0-liter diesel engine, which flies under the EcoBlue banner in Europe. It delivers 210 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque. The power is solid, but what sets the Raptor lineage apart is its off-road ready suspension, highlighted by an active suspension featuring position sensitive damping that adjusts based on the drive mode selected — Normal, Sport, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Sand, Rock or Baja.
“The standout experience of the Ranger Raptor, hands down, is how far you can push it off-road and still ride like a millionaire on-road,” Damien Ross, chief program engineer, Ranger Raptor, Ford Motor Company, said. “Everything about the Ranger Raptor builds on the already outstanding sophisticated feel and functional capability of the Ranger, and then goes further. From a driving dynamic fun standpoint, it is really an exceptionally special vehicle.”
The Ranger Raptor wears unique body cladding and wheels, which are wrapped in BFGoodrich tires designed for traction in wet, mud, sand, and snow conditions. Inside it features a unique leather steering wheel and seats emblazoned with the Raptor logo.
If you want to drive the Ranger Raptor, you can drive it in the Forza Horizon 4 racing game before it goes on sale in Europe next year.
“The new Ranger Raptor delivers all the tools a thrill-seeker could ask for,” Leo added. “Like a motocross bike, snowmobile and an ATV in one – it’s the ultimate adventure pickup.”
It definitely sounds like a fun truck, but North American Ranger Raptor fans will have to keep their fingers crossed that the latest performance truck with claw its way over here eventually.
