The Ford Ranger Raptor will come to America in roughly two years' time, and it can surely tow despite the coil-sprung rear axle. How much it’s capable of towing is anybody’s guess, but this video does offer a clue.
Filmed by managing editor Andre Smirnov of The Fast Lane while filling up with gasoline in Colorado, the camouflaged prototype features BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 rubber shoes wrapped around double-spoke wheels, more ground clearance than a regular mid-sized truck, and the SuperCrew body style. The generic-looking cargo trailer with tandem axles appears to be a 3,500-pound unit, which translates to 1,588 kilograms.
This clue brings us to the Ranger Raptor for Australia, which features a braked towing capacity of 2,500 kilograms (5,512 pounds) while the leaf-sprung Ranger Wildtrak levels up to 3,500 kilograms (7,716 pounds). As for the U.S. model with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost, make that 7,500 pounds (3,402 kilograms). There’s no denying that Ford isn’t pushing this prototype to the limit, but then again, we’re comparing this mule to the wrong trucks.
More to the point, the all-new Ranger and Ranger Raptor are joined at the hip with the all-new Bronco and Bronco Warthog. In the case of the Bronco with the Class II Trailer Tow Package, you can drag 3,500 pounds at most, according to the specifications sheet. The most obvious rivals for the off-road truck, namely the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, are rated at up to 4,500 and 5,000 pounds (2,041 and 2,268 kilograms), respectively.
Because the Ranger shares its ladder frame with the Bronco, you can also look forward to the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 twin-turbo engine as the alternative to the base 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo. Higher up, the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 from the Explorer ST is expected in the Raptor and Warthog, and there’s a case to be made for a plug-in hybrid EcoBoost too.
Before the Blue Oval took the veils off the 300-mile (483-kilometer) F-150 Lightning, chief executive officer Jim Farley also let it slip that a Bronco EV is under consideration. Therefore, a purely electric Ranger isn’t out of the question, especially if you remember that FoMoCo rolled out the Ranger EV for the 1998 model year when EVs still were in their infancy.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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