ROBUST, RUGGED, MANLY AND STRONG. THE NEW FORD RAPTOR IS ALL THIS AND MORE – PLUS THERE’S STYLE, QUALITY AND GOOD PERFORMANCE. LIFE JUST GOT BETTER
How do you create the ultimate performance bakkie? You engineer it to thrive in the world’s most brutal environments. You build it to handle the most aggressive off-road driving. And you do what Ford has done: you create a whole new category of tough bakkie, one that is built locally in South Africa.
While the Ranger Raptor has been hugely-anticipated, and is most certainly a striking bakkie, South African motorists could be puzzled by the fact that it’s only available with a 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engine. However, the automaker is convinced the smaller engine is the best option for its new bakkie.
Also available in an off-road performance variant for the first time, the purpose-built, desert- racing inspired bakkie joins the Ford Performance family as the new Ranger Raptor.
Designed and engineered to deliver an adrenaline pumping experience, the Ford Ranger Raptor sports a head-turning exterior look that exudes toughness as well as a level of capability and off-road performance never before seen in the mid-size bakkie segment.
Sharing the same nomenclature as the F-150 Raptor – the world’s most extreme production bakkie – Ranger Raptor is in a class of its own among mid-size off-road performance vehicles.
So what makes the Ranger Raptor so very distinctive?
In terms of styling, the Raptor features a new, huge grille, bumper, bold wheel arches and fenders with grey accents. Ford says there are new sheet moulding compound (SMC) front fenders which wrap around the 150mm wider stance from the track.
It sports 2,3mm thick high-strength steel for underbody protection, and at the rear there’s a unique box side, redesigned bumper and tow-bar integration along with a functional aluminium die-cast side step.
Inside, the seats are beautifully sculpted, and upholstery has signature stitching in lightning blue. The cabin has been designed for comfort, with the Ford Performance DNA running throughout its styling. The steering wheel has a red stripe on top of the wheel as a centre marker. It also has unique spokes, debossed graphic and magnesium paddle shifters.
The other aspect of the Raptor’s speciality is its Terrain Management System (TMS) which has six various modes to choose from to suit any kind of driving surface. There’s even one called Baja mode, and despite the Baja Dessert Race being highly acclaimed internationally, perhaps this could have been better suited as the Dakar mode for local buyers.
According to Ford, each mode has been precisely calibrated to offer the best possible combination of technologies working in unison to tackle the chosen driving style with sangfroid. There are five options for on-road and off-road driving.
FOR MORE INFO
To find out more or to test drive the new Ford Raptor visit CMH Kempster Ford uMhlanga at 115 Flanders Drive, Mount Edgecombe; 031 538 6200; www.umhlangaford.co.za