Ford Performance's chief engineer says the Ranger Raptor and Bronco Raptor lineups won't be getting any rowdier in the near future. Ford's Raptor lineup won't be getting any major shakeups in the near future, at least not from its existing three participants. Speaking to our friends at Road & Track, Ford Performance chief engineer Carl Widmann said that there are no plans for either the Bronco Raptor or the Ranger Raptor to gain more aggressive R-rated variants.
When asked about the prospect of a more aggressive trim that would sit above the current Raptors, like a Bronco Raptor R or a Ranger Raptor R, Widmann shot them down immediately. "I have not seen any plans for it," the chief engineer told R&T.
View Price on AmazonWidmann went even further by suggesting that the Ranger Raptor, specifically, is already at the outer edges of the segment's performance limits. "If anything, the Ranger Raptor might even already have too much power," he said. "The Ranger Raptor already has significantly more power than any other truck in its class. Nothing else is even within 30 horsepower."
Widmann also pointed out that while the Ranger's twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 makes slightly less than the same powertrain found in the Bronco Raptor (405 horsepower vs. 418), the pickup makes up for it by being smaller and lighter. In a straight line, our test results agree with his sentiment. The Ranger Raptor we tested, which weighed 5,372 pounds, hit 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. The 5,764-pound Bronco Raptor required 5.6 seconds to reach the same speed.
Unfortunately, neither model holds a candle to the F-150 Raptor R's 3.6-second sprint, nor to the burliness of its V-8 powerplant. Still, never say never. Ford could always decide that the time is right to give the Ranger or the Bronco Raptors a couple of extra cylinders—or standardize the available Ford Performance software calibration that pushes their outputs to 455 horsepower and 536 lb-ft of torque.
Source: caranddriver.com
