2023 Ford Ranger Raptor-like appearance pack ruled out for standard Ranger
Buyers clamouring for the exact look of the Ford Ranger Raptor with the engine and suspension of the standard model will be out of luck, Ford says, as it creates a gap to its halo off-road product.
Ford will not offer a 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor ‘-Line’ version of its super ute – grafting the Ranger Raptor’s tough-truck looks onto a standard Ranger, without its on-road and off-road performance – the company has confirmed.
In recent years, Hyundai, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and other car makers have found success in offering vehicles blending the extroverted styling of their flagship performance cars, with the more sedate engine and dynamics of their standard models – but Ford and its off-road Raptor line won’t follow suit.
When asked at the virtual reveal of the new Ford Ranger Raptor V6 ute if there are any plans to offer a Raptor-like exterior styling package for the standard Ranger Wildtrak, chief engineer for the Ford Ranger and Everest’s T6 platform, Ian Foston, replied: “No [we will not].”
“This [styling] is part of the DNA of what Raptor means to our customers … the ‘F-O-R-D’ grille, the flared arches, the haunches. This is what we call our unique differentiation, of what Raptor means [to buyers] … when customers see [this appearance], they know they’re getting a Ford Performance product.”
While the Raptor brand may escape this ‘watering down’ strategy, elsewhere in its line-up Ford offers ST-Line models, which to the untrained eye look very similar to the full Ford Performance-designed ST models above them, but without the added engine performance, or a selection of curated design touches.
The closest Ford has ever tracked to a Ranger ‘Raptor Line’ – as such a model could be called – is the Ranger FX4 Max, a special-edition version of the outgoing Ranger launched in 2020 to bridge the gap between the full-bore Raptor and tamer Wildtrak.
While the FX4 Max featured an ‘F-O-R-D’ grille, BFGoodrich K02 all-terrain tyres, and Fox shock absorbers inspired by – though not shared exactly with – the Ranger Raptor, it lacked the flagship’s wider arches, coil-spring rear suspension, and many of its other upgrades.
In contrast, the vehicle Foston has ruled out would theoretically pair the new Ranger Raptor’s exterior styling – unique grille, bonnet, bumpers, wider wheel arches and more – with the same diesel engine, suspension and brakes as the regular Ranger.
It remains to be seen if a new FX4 Max is in development – though it does not appear such a variant will be available at the launch of the new Ford Ranger in Australia, due in mid-2022.
The new Ford Ranger Raptor will be available in overseas markets with the 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine set to feature in the standard 2022 Ranger – though this is joined by the rest of the petrol V6 Raptor’s chassis, brakes, visual and interior upgrades.
For more details on the 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor – and its 292kW/583Nm twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine – click here to read the full story.
The post 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor-like appearance pack ruled out for standard Ranger appeared first on Drive.