Photo: Mircea Panait
In the earliest days of 2020, a report from Australia suggested that the higher-ups gave the green light to a special edition of the Ranger Raptor. Coming as standard with a 2.0-liter turbo diesel (a bi-turbo engine to be more precise), the off-road ute was supposed to get a V8 option in very limited numbers. Emphasis on “was.”
Four months since the rumor mill got our hopes up for eight cylinders in a mid-size pickup truck, Wheels.com.au says the project has been “put on ice.” The Aussie motoring publication understands the muscly workhorse is “on indefinite hold.”
Care to guess what made the Blue Oval change its mind? Well, let’s say that the ongoing crisis has wreaked havoc in the finances of pretty much every automaker out there. It should be noted, however, that the Ford Motor Company commissioned Premcar for the Mustang GT Coyote V8-engined Ranger Raptor special edition.
Australian tuner Tickford has even expressed the intention to supercharger the now-defunct model, strapping a 2.65-liter Roush TVS blower onto the Five-Oh mill. In this configuration, the Ranger Raptor V8 would’ve produced 529 kW and 828 Nm of torque. Make that 719 PS or 709 horsepower and 611 pound-feet of torque.
In other words, the Blue Oval has missed the scene to outperform the F-150 Raptor as well as the Ram 1500 Rebel TRX and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZRX off-road sports trucks. As it is, the Ranger Raptor with the EcoBlue oil burner develops 213 PS (210 horsepower) and 500 Nm (369 pound-feet).
Having tested this truck on a hard enduro rally course last year, I can assure you the mid-sizer is pretty potent the way it is. The aggressiveness of a V8, however, beats a four-pot turbo diesel.
The Raptor starts at 76,220 Australian dollars plus on-road costs in The Oz while Germany gets the European model from 67,395.65 euros. North America, meanwhile, has to settle for regular Ranger variants with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine.
Care to guess what made the Blue Oval change its mind? Well, let’s say that the ongoing crisis has wreaked havoc in the finances of pretty much every automaker out there. It should be noted, however, that the Ford Motor Company commissioned Premcar for the Mustang GT Coyote V8-engined Ranger Raptor special edition.
Australian tuner Tickford has even expressed the intention to supercharger the now-defunct model, strapping a 2.65-liter Roush TVS blower onto the Five-Oh mill. In this configuration, the Ranger Raptor V8 would’ve produced 529 kW and 828 Nm of torque. Make that 719 PS or 709 horsepower and 611 pound-feet of torque.
In other words, the Blue Oval has missed the scene to outperform the F-150 Raptor as well as the Ram 1500 Rebel TRX and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZRX off-road sports trucks. As it is, the Ranger Raptor with the EcoBlue oil burner develops 213 PS (210 horsepower) and 500 Nm (369 pound-feet).
Having tested this truck on a hard enduro rally course last year, I can assure you the mid-sizer is pretty potent the way it is. The aggressiveness of a V8, however, beats a four-pot turbo diesel.
The Raptor starts at 76,220 Australian dollars plus on-road costs in The Oz while Germany gets the European model from 67,395.65 euros. North America, meanwhile, has to settle for regular Ranger variants with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine.
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