As far as unfair truck races go, it rarely gets more unfair than a brand-new Ranger Raptor being pitted against a diesel-powered Hilux and Amarok. As you'll find out from the video below, the Blue Oval's go-anywhere pickup is a different animal from the 'Yota and VW, both from a dig and from a rolling start.
carwow's one and only Mat Watson clocked 17.1 seconds in the Amarok in the quarter mile, down a whopping 1.1 seconds from the Ranger Raptor. The oldest pickup of the bunch understandably came in last, recording 17.7 seconds. Racing from a rolling start to the half mile was a breeze for the American from South Africa as well, with the Amarok – which is also produced in South Africa – finishing right behind it.
Obviously enough, the Ranger Raptor didn't stand a chance in the braking test from 100 miles per hour (nearly 160 kilometers per hour). Part of the reason for its poor braking performance is the sheer weight. Ford quotes 2,454 kilograms (5,410 pounds) for the UK-spec model, whereas the Amarok PanAmericana and Hilux GR Sport are listed with 2,296 and 2,125 kilograms (5,062 and 4,685 pounds) to their names.
Similarly important, Ford equips the most off-road-capable Ranger entitled to wear a license plate with off-road tires. Like the US version, which is hitting dealers for the 2024 model year, this fellow here is rocking 33-inch BFGoodrich KO3 rubber boots at every corner.
But as opposed to the US version, the Ranger Raptor is a bit disappointing under the hood in the United Kingdom. And the European Union, for that matter, due to emission regulations. The addition of two gasoline particulate filters and a more vanilla tune for the 3.0L twin-turbo V6 results in 292 ps and 491 Nm at full chatter, which is 288 ponies and 362 pound-feet.
Over in Australia, but also in South Africa, more lax emission regulations allow the Ford Motor Company to crank things up to 392 horsepower and 430 pound-feet (583 Nm) of torque. Its most aggressive tune is available in the US, where the Raptor nets 405 ponies.
Since March 2023, the Ranger Raptor for Europe can also be had with a 2.0-liter diesel. A bi-turbo diesel, that is, with 210 ps and 500 Nm (207 hp and 369 lb-ft) on deck. This engine isn't new, though, for the first-gen Raptor Raptor came exclusively with the bi-turbo I4.
The UK-specific truck in the clip below isn't as torquey as the Amarok PanAmericana, though. The technically similar Volkswagen hides a 3.0-liter turbo diesel V6 under the hood, namely the Power Stroke sixer that used to be available in the F-150. With 600 Nm (443 pound-feet) available at 1,750 revolutions per minute, this lump certainly makes plenty of sense in a midsizer.
By comparison, the Hilux GR Sport makes do with 204 ps and 500 Nm (201 hp and 369 lb-ft) from a 2.8-liter turbo diesel I4 that is likely to carry over to the next-generation Hilux. Given that Toyota unleashed the all-new Tacoma as a 2024 model, the redesigned Hilux is expected next year as a 2025 model.
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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