Double-cab bakkie options are on the increase in SA, and it’s estimated that there are a little more than 150 model choices right now. More options are set to arrive, and we’ve been living with a Ranger Raptor for the past six months.
With the good insights gained into this range of locally built bakkies, we ask if the Raptor is the halo off-roader you ought to buy instead of other Ranger double cabs such as the Tremor or Wildtrak X?
The concept
The Raptor is foremost a performance bakkie with a biturbo 3.0l V6 petrol engine with 292kW and 583Nm, and the most powerful of the species until the plug-in-hybrid BYD Shark (321kW/650Nm) arrived in April.
The Raptor’s 640l suffices for lifestyle accoutrements if not industrial load lugging, compared to other Ranger models that carry 966l of cargo. The optional R22,000 manual roller shutter fitted to the tester came in handy to keep luggage and toys safe on the various adventure trips we undertook.
Life with the Raptor
A well-laid out interior and high features levels are common throughout the Ranger line up, but the Raptor builds on these with sporty materials including contrasting red stitching for the black leather and grey alcantara upholstery.
The 12.4-inch infotainment touchscreen is large and intuitive to operate, but lately a few glitches have started to creep in. At times the infotainment system would freeze, locking access to some of the media hub features.
Purpose
All Ranger models are equipped with a 4x4 system that can tame terrain, but exclusive fitments tools including larger rubber, underbody protection and trail turn assist in models such as the Tremor and Wildtrak X to make them specialist off-roaders. The Raptor lords over all as the supreme off-roader in the range, and is also equipped with knobby 17-inch rubber and 272mm ground clearance, an 11mm advantage.
It’s also configurable in seven selectable driving modes, and equipped with speciality electronic Fox shock absorbers that adjust up to 500 times a second, allowing full-bore attacks on extreme bumpy terrain that would unnerve regular Rangers. A Baja mode optimises the Raptor's throttle response, torque delivery and suspension performance.
Running costs
The Raptor is not as much of a fuel guzzler as expected. Ford claims 11.5l/100km and we have mostly been able to keep to that figure in the test vehicle, except when exploiting its high performance potential.
It is thirstier than biturbo 2.0l diesel Rangers which return under 10l on average, but the Raptor is more frugal than the Ranger 3.0l V6 diesel, in which we averaged 12.8l.
Towing
The Raptor has a towing capacity of 2.5 tonnes whereas the rest of the model range is rated to tow 3.5 tonnes. The Raptor also benefits from the raft of standard fitment towing tools available in the range, including Pro Trailer Backup Assist with Reverse Guidance Trailer Reverse Guidance for centimetre-perfect alignment of the tow ball under the hitch receiver using cameras and semi-autonomous positioning of a trailer.
Safety systems include Trailer sway control that reduces side-to-side movement of the trailer and working with electronic stability control system to counter the movement.
Final verdict
It’s worth noting that the Raptor drew comments of admiration where ever the throaty pipes appeared, and the popularity it seems is region-specific. Petrol attendants would ask twice to confirm the order of unleaded petrol instead of diesel; such is the popularity of the latter fuel in SA.
The R1,270,000 price means it’s out of reach of many customers, but the wide-body looks, Fox shocks and spectacular on and off-road performance are fair trades for R200,000 and R262,000 premiums respectively over the Wildtrak X and Tremor.
The Raptor was launched in February 2023 at a price of R1,094,900, and has risen by R175,100 (15.9%) since then. Pre-owned, two-year old Raptors are being advertised between R800,000 and R1.1m for an average 13% decrease in resale value.
Those who choose the Raptor certainly want the performance envelope over regular models and can afford the outlay.
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