To quote André van Duin: ‘Yes people, the Ford Bronco Raptor has very large cauliflower!’ Because the new performance version of the American off-road giant rolls on no less than 37-inch tires. And with that, the 405 hp off-roader carries the largest slippers in the SUV world.
The new Ford Bronco means little to most Europeans, but across the ocean, the automotive media has been talking about nothing else for a few years now. The Bronco – in which OJ Simpson once tried to escape the police – is an automotive legend, similar to the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes G-class here. The sixth generation has been available since 2021: as a ‘compact’ Bronco Sport and as a full-size Bronco. Ford will introduce a monstrous Raptor version of the latter later this year.
Ford Bronco Raptor with bizarrely large suspension travel
Monstrous in terms of its power (405 hp and 563 Nm from a twin-turbo V6), but also in terms of its appearance. You can immediately distinguish the Bronco Raptor from its regular brother: by the much larger ground clearance (plus 12 centimeters) and the increased track width (plus 22 centimeters). Ford does not mean the Bronco Raptor as a super-fast SUV for the public road, but as a powerful, übercapable all-terrain vehicle, with which you can bring the Dakar rally to a successful conclusion. For example, the 4×4 has bizarre suspension travel, from 33 centimeters at the front and 35.6 centimeters at the rear.
Hardcore off-road vehicle as good as open to drive
Americans apparently find it important that you can drive a hardcore off-road vehicle as good as open, because you can also remove the doors, roof and tailgate with the Bronco Raptor. This is also possible with a Jeep Wrangler, for example. The extreme Ford can be ordered in the United States from March. It is not yet known what it will cost. But its deadly competitor – the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 – costs just under $75,000 (66,000 euros). If the same model came on the market in the Netherlands, you would pay at least 120,000 euros for it, due to our strict BPM legislation.
