Good news for fans of rugged pick-ups: the Ford Ranger Raptor will also be available in the Netherlands! Ford is kind enough to immediately inform you what it will cost here.
The Ford Ranger may only be a subtle pick-up by American standards, but that didn’t mean that it shouldn’t be a Raptor. In 2018, Ford pulled the curtain on the roughest version of the Ranger. The Raptor, which shares its name with the most outlandish F-150, is a Ranger that stands taller and wider on its legs and has extra long travel. The undercarriage has also been tackled to handle the rougher terrain work even better. It has its own grille with the brand name written in large, a thick plastic extension all around and special off-road tires complete the picture. In the nose of the Ranger Raptor lies a 213 hp and 500 Nm strong version of the 2.0-liter biturbo diesel engine, which is linked to a special automatic transmission with no less than ten gears. That bin is also in the F-150 Raptor.
All in all, the Ranger Raptor is a car that we would not expect in the showroom here in the Netherlands, but now Ford is somewhat surprised with the announcement that it will come. There is an important difference with the previously revealed version. In the Dutch version, the rear seat is missing, to register the car on a gray license plate. Of course, that saves costs a sip on a drink with this not too subtle pick-up.
Behind the front seats we see a partition, specially developed for the Raptor, that separates a flat loading floor from the cabin. In the extra cargo space that is thus created, a special storage cabinet can optionally be placed for tools (Artisan Edition), or a number of panels to carry sports equipment and brackets to attach bicycles (Lifestyle Edition).
It does not stop there, because the Raptor distinguishes itself in the interior also by the sportier half-leather Raptor seats. They are electrically adjustable and heatable. Six different terrain modes, including ‘Baja mode’, can be selected via the SYNC 3 working infotainment system. This makes tearing over rough terrain extra easy at high speed. After all, that is where the Ranger Raptor has to excel.
Ford opens the order books immediately. The starting price is set at € 49,075. The Artisan package (including the storage cupboard in the back) costs € 2,195. For the Lifestyle version (with the extra storage partitions and hook-on points for bicycles), an additional cost of € 1,595 yields.