Photo: Ranger6G forum member Garemlin
Based on the Ford T6 vehicle architecture, the outgoing Ranger is no longer available in Europe or Australia. The Dearborn-based automaker still makes it stateside, though, at the Michigan Assembly Plant. Sharing the production line with the Bronco, the U.S.-spec truck will be refreshed in a matter of months along the same lines as the global-spec Ranger.
To be launched stateside for the 2024 model year, the redesigned pickup has already been spotted at MAP in the form of a Cactus Gray-painted Raptor. Let that sink in for a minute. Cactus Gray isn’t available for the global version, but on the other hand, it’s a 2023 Ford Bronco color.
Amber marker lights on the black plastic flares up front also stand out, and there appears to be something different about the headlights as well. This Raptor does not feature namesake decals on the sides of the bed, and the tailgate is also devoid of the 4WD badge on the driver’s side and namesake badge on the passenger side. Intriguing? Um, maybe not.
Coming courtesy of Ranger6G forum member Garemlin, the pictures also reveal a slightly misaligned tailgate on the left-hand side. It’s easy to bash Ford’s quality control in this case, but remember that production test runs are test runs because Ford wants to iron out stuff before the start of series production. Fewer quality issues would mean fewer headaches for 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor customers as the Ford Motor Company is already hurting a lot from the sheer number of recalls it carried out last year.
The interior of this pre-production truck isn’t anything to write home about. It’s business as usual for a Raptor-spec dune basher, starting with the flat-bottom steering wheel that flaunts a top center marker and reads Raptor at 6 o’clock. The portrait-mounted touchscreen infotainment system is pretty wicked as opposed to what you’re getting in the Bronco, especially if you have a navigation app turned on because portrait offers more details on the road ahead as opposed to a landscape display.
The 12-inch touchscreen is joined by a similarly-sized digital instrument cluster. The gear shifter may not be as chunky and manly as that of the previous-generation Ranger Raptor and lesser variants of the Ranger, but it’s the right design for the newcomer’s more sophisticated cabin.
Care to guess what may be hiding under the hood? Garemlin couldn’t provide a photograph of the engine bay, though, but you shouldn’t expect anything other than a twin-turbo sixer. The 3.0-liter EcoBoost of the Bronco Raptor is the culprit, a force-fed mill that packs 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet (597 Nm) of torque on premium gas. In other words, it’s more powerful and torquier than the Australia-spec Raptor. Don’t even ask about the Euro-spec Raptor because that one’s a bit of a shame.
Downtuned as a result of the EU’s emissions regulations, the 3.0-liter EcoBoost makes 284 horsepower and 362 pound-feet (491 Nm) in that part of the world. By comparison, the Aussies enjoy 392 ponies at 5,650 rpm and 430 pound-feet (583 Nm) at 3,500 spinnies.
Amber marker lights on the black plastic flares up front also stand out, and there appears to be something different about the headlights as well. This Raptor does not feature namesake decals on the sides of the bed, and the tailgate is also devoid of the 4WD badge on the driver’s side and namesake badge on the passenger side. Intriguing? Um, maybe not.
Coming courtesy of Ranger6G forum member Garemlin, the pictures also reveal a slightly misaligned tailgate on the left-hand side. It’s easy to bash Ford’s quality control in this case, but remember that production test runs are test runs because Ford wants to iron out stuff before the start of series production. Fewer quality issues would mean fewer headaches for 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor customers as the Ford Motor Company is already hurting a lot from the sheer number of recalls it carried out last year.
The interior of this pre-production truck isn’t anything to write home about. It’s business as usual for a Raptor-spec dune basher, starting with the flat-bottom steering wheel that flaunts a top center marker and reads Raptor at 6 o’clock. The portrait-mounted touchscreen infotainment system is pretty wicked as opposed to what you’re getting in the Bronco, especially if you have a navigation app turned on because portrait offers more details on the road ahead as opposed to a landscape display.
The 12-inch touchscreen is joined by a similarly-sized digital instrument cluster. The gear shifter may not be as chunky and manly as that of the previous-generation Ranger Raptor and lesser variants of the Ranger, but it’s the right design for the newcomer’s more sophisticated cabin.
Care to guess what may be hiding under the hood? Garemlin couldn’t provide a photograph of the engine bay, though, but you shouldn’t expect anything other than a twin-turbo sixer. The 3.0-liter EcoBoost of the Bronco Raptor is the culprit, a force-fed mill that packs 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet (597 Nm) of torque on premium gas. In other words, it’s more powerful and torquier than the Australia-spec Raptor. Don’t even ask about the Euro-spec Raptor because that one’s a bit of a shame.
Downtuned as a result of the EU’s emissions regulations, the 3.0-liter EcoBoost makes 284 horsepower and 362 pound-feet (491 Nm) in that part of the world. By comparison, the Aussies enjoy 392 ponies at 5,650 rpm and 430 pound-feet (583 Nm) at 3,500 spinnies.
Google News