New Ford Ranger Raptor Drag Races Tuned Mercedes X-Class and VW Amarok, Loses Every Time

GPFs were developed in response to the Euro 6 emission standard, and given their design, gasoline particulate filters undermine both power and torque. Ford waxes lyrical about 292 ps for the Euro-spec Ranger Raptor, which is nothing compared to the 292 kW for Australia.

Converted to mechanical horsepower, make that 288 and 392 ponies, respectively. Peak torque is another problem, with customers in the Old Continent enjoying 491 Nm (362 pound-feet) instead of 583 Nm (430 pound-feet) in the Land Down Under. Given these circumstances, the UK-spec Ranger Raptor in the featured clip simply doesn't stand a chance against its V6 turbo diesel-powered rivals, not even with Jodie Kidd brake torquing the engine for a better start off the line.

Tipping the scales at 2,454 kilograms (5,410 pounds), the bunch's heaviest pickup also features the most off-roady tires and suspension. The only gasoline truck is lined up alongside a tuned Mercedes-Benz X-Class and Volkswagen Amarok, both previous-gen models tuned to 300 and 340 ps (296 and 335 hp).

Peak torque also improved to 700 Nm (516 pound-feet) for the Merc and 775 Nm (572 pound-feet) for the VeeDub. The X-Class is the only truck of the three to feature road-going tires, which should help it both in the quarter mile and in the emergency braking test. On the other hand, the German pickup's seven-speed automatic is the most disappointing of the lot.

Equipped with a snorkel and red brake calipers, the Amarok clocks 15.2 seconds in the quarter mile, up one tenth from the X-Class. The Ranger Raptor finishes dead last in 16.4 seconds, which still is mighty impressive for a truck designed primarily to wow off the beaten path.

The Amarok is the victor in both rolling start races over the half mile. As for the braking test from 70 miles per hour (113 kilometers per hour), the Michelin Pilot Sport-equipped Merc brakes harder than the Amarok and much harder than the BFG All-Terrain T/A KO2-tired Raptor.

On that note, it's worth remembering that Mercedes discontinued the X-Class over abysmally poor sales. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine any other outcome for a Nissan Navara-based truck with subpar plastics throughout its cabin. The Amarok, on the other hand, no longer features the 3.0-liter TDI of the first gen because it's merely a badge-engineered Ford Ranger since 2022.

Based on the T6.2 platform that Ford rolled out for the Bronco, the new Ranger and Ranger Raptor will both enter production stateside on August 7. The order banks will open on May 26, as per the latest fleet distribution news bulletin issued by the Dearborn-based automaker.