Ford Ranger Raptor - long-term review

So. Many. Modes. Every car has them and the mighty Raptor is no exception. Normal, Sport, Slippery, Mud and Ruts, Sand and Baja. Then there’s a damper button on the steering wheel should you like the suspension of Sport mode but a calm gearbox, for example. Plus a button marked with a steering wheel to toggle between three levels of assistance. You can even change where the power is being sent. So perhaps you want the full noise and general anger of Baja but don’t need the default ‘4H’ (four-wheel drive, high ratios)? The rotary dial on the centre console allows you to go for 2H instead. God only knows the number of possible permutations.

Delve into this stuff and it gets super geeky. But it’s worth it as there’s also a MyMode, set and accessed via the ‘R’ button on the steering wheel. This allows you to mix and match all the various settings, plus select the ESC mode and you can even lock the front or rear diffs and add that data to the MyMode setting. My current favourite started with Baja mode, but from that base setting I’ve dialled in Sport dampers, Comfort steering, quiet exhaust, and rear-drive. If it’s wet I then lock the rear diff for a bit of fun. Let’s call it party mode.

The Raptor really is a party, too. There are things that make it tricky to live with day-to-day. Notably, the sheer scale of the thing and the vaguely appalling economy. But all is forgiven simply because it’s one of those rare vehicles that has a sense of humour and genuinely - here comes the cliché - makes every drive feel like an event. Whether its slip-sliding around at 20mph in the wet or selecting Baja mode for maximum noise just for a few minutes for the sheer hooliganism of it, the Raptor doesn’t feel like anything else. A Porsche Cayenne (or nearly any other SUV) has vastly superior body control and agility, but you’re not going to ditch-hook your way through corners in it, are you? The Raptor encourages such behaviour.

It also works pretty well as just a car. I recently took it to Heathrow with the whole family, the load bay full to bursting with suitcases (covered by the electrically-operated metal cover) and the cabin overflowing with all the things kids think you need on a flight. Those neck cushions, for example. Enough snacks to live on for a calendar month. At least two pairs of headphones each. You know the stuff. They complained the rear seats are a bit too upright, but otherwise it met their approval. And the ride calmed down beautifully when fully loaded.

So, life is good. The Raptor feels a little underpowered and I get sad when reading reviews of the US-spec car with a fulsome 405bhp to my car’s punier 288bhp. Sometimes I crave a little more precision. Once or twice I’ve felt slightly self-conscious in my narrow little village road when trying to park or escape from the school run traffic. But mostly I’m enjoying the theatre, appreciating the clear, easy touchscreen and its extremely reliable wireless interface with my phone, and thumping over kerbs and cutting corners wherever possible. As supersized family machines go, the Raptor has deep appeal.