The Ford Ranger Raptor brings Baja blasting to the UK
Cars
With a null to 60 time of ten and a half seconds and a top speed of just 106 miles an hour, this must be one of the slowest new cars ever feature on Car Fection, and yet, it's also a car that I find really rather desirable.
This is the Ranger Raptor.
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Now you might be aware of the F-150 Raptor.
You can buy over in America when the world will be on the other side, but press me so you can have a raptor with a wheel on this side of the car that actually Vaguely at least fits on the roads and lanes of Europe, they produce this, its little brother, a sort of scale model of it and it does look absolutely brilliant.
I can see a lot of people, regardless if they ever go off-road on this buying one just because it looks really really cool, I mean I love the fact that You woke up to it the increased approach angle means you can see through to the front suspension is having minium lower arms.
And even if you get down off the fox racing suspension, glue shocks and the arches and it's that suspension that really makes this car so special.
It can cope with a huge your mind As I found today.
And to be honest the faster you can go the better it gets.
Compared to a standard Ford Ranger, the Rapotor is 168 milimeters wider.
Ground clearance is increased by 51 milimeters, and ther eis 31% more ride height.
The travel of the dampers has also increased along with the sophistication, with 32% more travel at the front and 18% more at rear.
The rear leaf springs have also been replaced with coils and what's [UNKNOWN].
You can switch the transmission between rear wheel drive and low and high ratio of four wheel drive There are also six driving modes, including sport, grass, mud and sand, and rock.
And the one you really wanna know about is the baja mode.
This is the one that adjusts the steering, differentials, gear shifts, ABS and stability systems to allow you to tackle, as fast as possible, terrain like that found in the famous Baja race on the California peninsula.
Of course, it's also helpful in the fields and woods of West Sussex.
Turned all the traction control off, put it into Baja Mode, and this is really good fun.
What it can soak up is pretty extraordinary.
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It's nicely rear-biased, you can put it into two-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive only.
And then as I read more fun, there's not a lot of steering feel so you got to have that confidence you need on gravel.
But if you like driving a gravel which I really do and so I owner, Mark Driscoll gravel sets out Ronnie car.
It's just really really fun.
Of course you need someone to be able to use it And that's perhaps the problem but it's just cool isn't it?
There is perhaps inevitably a downside to the Raptor and you can probably hear it or rather not hear, etc.
It's pretty quiet in here.
That's the two liter diesel engine under the bonnet.
It's perfectly effective.
It's got 210 brake horsepower 306 69 pounds [UNKNOWN] which is plenty when you're on the loose, and it actually feels reasonably nippy.
It does the job but when you're not off road, it doesn't give you a lesser entertain you really.
Our time on the road with the Raptor was quite brief but you figured it was more interesting given the opportunity and limited time to explore its abilities away from tarmac
But what's obvious is that even the most poorly surface British be road isn't an issue.
Riding on 17 inch wheels wearing BF Goodrich KO two tires, it's clearly not the last word in precision.
But thanks to those dampers, it's far from a wall we mess either.
Things that mark out the interiors being the Raptor rather than a normal Range of things like these ones.
Big titanium paddles behind here which feel really good.
I haven't used them cuz you've got a ten speed box and it's also easy to just get confused.
So it's actually easier to just let it do its own thing to be honest.
The cost of this is 50,000 pounds, which is an awful lot for a Ranger, although you do get nice things in here like these seats and all the toys.
There are no options other than decals, that's the only thing you can expect as extra.
But It's a lot more fun than just packing whatever Range Rover you can get for 50,000 pounds.
And probably a lot more capable too, certainly in speed.
Sadly is the load capacity has been reduced to 620 kilos and the towing ability to two and a half tons.
You can't claim the VAT back as it doesn't qualify as a commercial vehicle.
Although curiously, you do pay commercial rates for DVD.
So should you buy one?
Well, you've got to get a kick out of suspension, sophistication, and care less about engine sensations.
But there is something undeniably cool right in the Raptor.
It's not a rational purchase, as the chances to explore its full abilities will probably be few and far between.
But the same could be said of a super car.
And there's definitely an appeal to knowing you've got the Raptor's ridiculous suspension beneath you and eying up every green lane that you pass.
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