Ford begins official Ranger Raptor countdown

It’s been the worst-kept secret among performance ute fans for more than a year, but Ford has finally begun the official countdown to the release of its hottest ever Ranger.

Yes, the Blue Oval today confirmed it will release the Ford Ranger Raptor in Asia Pacific markets – including Australia – in 2018.

No further timing or technical details have been provided and these three teaser images and video – clearly shot in the Aussie Outback -- shed no more light on what Ford describes as “a purpose-built, desert-racing inspired pick-up truck that joins the Ford Performance family”.

However, as we’ve reported, we expect the hard-core Ranger to make its world debut alongside the redesigned 2018 Ranger on which it’s based at the Bangkok motor show next March.

What we still don’t know though is whether it will be powered by a twin-turbo 3.5-litre EcoBoost petrol V6 or an upgraded version of the existing Ranger’s 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel.

Either way, Ford claims the Ranger Raptor – which shares its name with “the world’s most extreme production truck, the F-150 Raptor” -- will deliver “a level of capability and off-road performance never before seen in the mid-size pick-up truck segment”.

“We are very excited to bring Asia Pacific’s toughest and smartest pick-up truck to a whole new level,” said Trevor Worthington, the vice-president of product development at Ford Asia Pacific, which designed and developed the existing Ranger, as well as its replacement and the range-topping Raptor version primarily in Australia.

“Ford Ranger Raptor will offer Ranger fans a fantastic opportunity to own an authentic off-road performance version of their favorite truck for the first time.”

Ford is staying mum on details of the Ranger Raptor’s “bold appearance and extreme, off-road performance features”, but claims it will bring a new level of off-road capability to the Ranger’s T6 ladder chassis, which was engineered in Australia and will also underpin Ford’s born-again 2020 Bronco SUV.

“Combining the Raptor’s advanced off-road capabilities with the versatility of the Ranger is a significant accomplishment for Ford’s world-class engineering and design teams,” said Ford Performance chief engineer Jamal Hameedi.

To recap, we expect Raptor upgrades to include a version of the Everest SUV’s multi-link rear suspension with coil springs, a much wider wheel track, ground clearance of up to 250mm, four-wheel disc brakes, chunky 285/70 R17 BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres on blacked-out 17-inch alloys and perhaps a 10-speed automatic transmission with low-range transfer case.

Expect both the redesigned Ranger and the all-new Ranger Raptor to go on sale globally in the second half of next year, as 2019 models.

Whatever its technical details, even with an estimated price of around $80,000, the Raptor will undoubtedly be a formidable rival for Volkswagen’s Amarok V6 and the upcoming Toyota HiLux TRD and Mercedes-Benz X-Class.

It’s also sure to make the Ranger even more popular, given the one-tonne ute was Ford Australia’s top-seller by a factor of four and the nation’s fourth best selling model bar none last year, when nearly 37,000 were sold – around three-quarters of which were highs-pec XLT or Wildtrak variants.