The New Ford Ranger Raptor Is Powered By A 2.0 Diesel Engine

Upset about the latest Ford F-150 Raptor going from V8 to turbo V6 power? You may want to sit down before reading further. The Ranger - Ford’s ‘Global’ pick-up - has been given the Raptor treatment, and it’s received an even smaller powerplant. A 2.0-litre turbodiesel, to be exact.

But stick with us, as that inline-four oil-burner does actually sound quite interesting. It’s a twin-turbo setup using a small high-pressure turbocharger and a larger low-pressure unit, working together to make a useful 210bhp and a thumping 369lb ft. It’s hooked up to a variation of the 10-speed automatic gearbox used for the facelifted sixth-generation Mustang.

As you’d expect, Ford has worked hard to upgrade the Ranger in the off-road badassery department. As such, the ‘Raptified’ pick-up gets beefy Fox Racing Shox dampers all round, a wider track, and an increase in ground clearance to 283mm.

Fancy doing some jumps? You’ll be able toe make use of the stiffened steel side-rails, specifically designed “to absorb off-road high speed impacts.” The flared front wings are made from composite materials meanwhile, with the intention of resisting the “dents and dings often associated with off-road usage.”

The Raptor’s 17-inch wheels are wrapped in chunky BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres, and when it comes to braking you’ll find larger diameter pistons in the calipers and 332mm ventilated discs on the front axle. The rotors at the back are the same size, paired with new calipers.

The boggo Ranger is already being sold in the UK, so does that mean we’ll be getting the Raptor version too? We’ll have to wait and see. A spokesperson told us that Ford UK is lobbying for the car to be sold on our shores, the justification being that the Ranger is Britain’s best-selling pick-up.

For now though, we want to ask you: is this a worthy bearer of the Raptor name, or does it have the whiff of being a cash-in? Let us know your thoughts in the comments…