“Ultimate performance off-road truck” is how the Ford Motor Company describes the Ranger Raptor, which will take on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and Holden Colorado SportsCat by HSV once it makes its world premiere at the Bangkok Motor Show in March 2018. Prior to the live reveal, the Ranger Raptor will be presented online on February 7, 2018.
The date, coming courtesy of Australian publication Motoring, isn’t joined by technical information of the mid-sized alternative to the F-150 Raptor. Be that as it may, Motoring understands that “the hottest ever Ranger will be powered by a potent new four-cylinder turbo diesel.” While that may be the case for the AU-spec Ranger Raptor thanks to the 2.0-liter EcoBlue diesel engine, Ford is cooking something else for the U.S.-spec model.
As yours truly explained when Ford published the teaser video of the Ranger Raptor in September 2017, the induction noise and exhaust sound of the pre-production prototype resembles that of an EcoBoost-type V6 powerplant. Of course, there are modern diesel engines that sound a lot like they’re fueled by gasoline, though everyone can agree that there's close to no demand for a diesel-powered Ranger Raptor in the United States of America.
The report published by Motoring further suggests the U.S. version is anticipated to use a detuned version of the F-150 Raptor’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, though there’s no official confirmation to support this tittle-tattle. One of the reasons why the 3.5-liter isn’t likely for the Ranger Raptor is the engine bay, which up to this point, fits engines as large as the 3.2-liter inline-five Duratorq TDCi turbo diesel, which is also known as the PUMA P5AT.
Considering the size and weight of the T6 Ranger when compared to the F-150, the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 seems like a better fit. With 325 horsepower and 400 pound-feet (540 Nm) of torque on tap, it’s also sufficiently potent for the upcoming Raptor model. As for shifting, the 10-speed automatic transmission co-developed with GM is not a matter of “if” but of “definitely.”
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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