Ford Ranger Raptor review

If you’re looking for outright speed, then the Raptor isn’t really in the game. Zero to 62mph takes 7.9 seconds, top speed is a pickup-appropriate 111mph. And the 3.0-litre V6 only chucks out 288bhp (and 362lb ft), so not exactly a hugely impressive power-to-weight situation. But there’s some fun stuff on offer, and the engine is willing.

First up, ‘performance’ is a broad church and takes into account more than just the drag strip. With several off-road modes - everything from the usual Sport, to rock-crawl, mud, sand and fast-attack ‘Baja’ - the Raptor is more than capable of performing without ever breaking the motorway speed limit.

There’s also anti-lag. Now before you get excited thinking that the Raptor has fire-spitting two-step, this particular anti-lag uses the overpressure from a decelerating engine to pump air into the inlet side of the turbos to keep them spinning for about three seconds, meaning that a lift into a corner followed by on-throttle action still has boost pressure in the pipes. It works - although this isn’t a hugely boosty engine, so the change is quite subtle. But get this thing in a big space with some rough ground, and it’ll perform quite handily. Tip: use the paddles. They help.

And when I’m not caning it?

The Raptor also impresses in the slower-speed stuff, because now it has some real off-road chops. We’ve not sampled it in mud yet, but rock-crawling and ascents/descents on slippery, dusty surfaces are a breeze. Diff locks front and back and a two-speed transfer case means it’s only really hampered by your own confidence.

Yes, you can clang the front or rear easily enough, but the appropriate bits are strong, and half the stuff the Raptor managed easily were features we’d never attempt on our own in the middle of nowhere. As mentioned, ‘performance’ can mean different things, and the Raptor definitely performs where it matters.

What’s the ride like?

The big news this time is some new damping based largely around a decent quality Fox Racing off-road system. Active ride control makes for surprisingly compliant on-road manners with decent (for a pickup) - body management, although you’ll still get that ladder-frame shudder on the wrong kind of lateral ridge. Miracle working, no, but better than anything else.

More than that, the dampers also feature ‘Live Valve’ tech that can alter the way each damper reacts according to what’s going on around it, pumping up or loosening the damping force depending on what’s required. And yep, it works. Rough ground at speed is very well suppressed, with the Raptor making progress with surprising grace.

If you happen to be going fast enough to leave the floor - ahem - then the dampers sense that all four wheels are unloaded and immediately switch to full-damp to enable graceful mini-Trophy Truck landings. The original version of the Raptor would land well, but then rebound back into the air a bit with a slap of the bumpstops, leading to a little wheel-flailing. This one sticks the hit.

It’s genuinely impressive and much easier on the vehicle and people inside. And you can do it again and again. And again.

How does it feel on our tiny back lanes?

Predictably enormous. At 5,363mm long and 2,208mm wide, it has a bigger footprint than an S-Class and the stature of a high-rise building. So much of your time on country roads is spent creeping around corners and wincing as stuff coming the other way squeezes past. Relaxing it is not.

Having said that, at least you get peace of mind from knowing that in the event of an accident, it’s highly unlikely to be you coming off second best.

We should talk fuel economy…

We should. The V6 Raptor claims 20.5mpg and the 2.0-litre diesel is good for 26.6mpg on paper. We’ve only tried the former but found that in mixed driving, 20mpg is indeed realistic. Whether you think it’s palatable is another matter entirely.