Most of us figured out long ago that, if we complain enough, it’s possible to get what we want. Off-road gearheads on this side of the pond (including this author) whined expressed an interest in the last-gen Ranger Raptor but that truck stayed on the other side of the pond. Now, we have a date for the ’24 model in America: The first quarter of 2024.
A goodly amount of the information sent to us by Ford under embargo last night was already public knowledge: 3.0L twin-turbo V6 making 405 horses, almost 80 inches of manspread, and lockers both front and rear. Still, details about the Fox live valve shocks are always welcome, and we learn these internal bypass units will be coilovers on ahead of the driver but have piggyback reservoirs astern. Combined with upper and lower control arms plus long-travel rear suspenders with a Watts linkage, the Ranger Raptor should be able to bust dunes with the best of them.
Other specs? Torque checks in at 430 lb-ft, which isn’t that far removed from the 2.7L EcoBoost that’s now available in workaday Rangers. However, the extra hundred ponies are sure to be felt and will likely contribute to a wired personality that seems to inhabit all Raptor-branded vehicles from the Blue Oval. Approach, departure, and breakover angles are 33.0, 26.4, and 24.2 degrees, respectively. That compares well with even the F-150 Raptor shod with 37-inch tires, which posts 33.1/24.9 approach and departure measures.
Speaking of tires, the 2024 Ranger Raptor will ride on BFGoodrich KO3 rubber, sized 33 inches in off-road speak or 285/70 for everyone else. Its 17-inch wheels will be available with or without beadlock-style gear; the latter is an option. Total width is 79.8 inches sans mirrors and its track dimension is 67.3 inches. For comparison, a Ranger of any other trim is 75.5 inches wide and has a 63.8-inch track. We look forward to seeing it in person.
Exterior styling, interior trappings, and the like have already been covered to death in what is the worst kept secret to come out of Detroit in ages, so we won’t bore you with those details once again. The truck will be built at the Michigan Assembly Plant and is scheduled to be available at dealers in the first quarter of the 2024 calendar year.
[Images: Ford]
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