FACT: more pickup trucks should have performance versions. And while other automakers lack the COURAGE and MORAL FORTITUDE to offer us true Raptor competitors, Ford is giving us MORE RAPTORS. Meet the 2019 Ford Raptor Ranger, the truck that brings factory off-road awesomeness to Ford’s smallest truck. And the one we’re finally getting, too.
The new Raptor Ranger was unveiled today at a press conference in Thailand, and Ford took pains to say that what you’re seeing is the Asia Pacific market version of this truck, which makes me assume the one North America will get could be slightly different somehow. (At the very least, our steering wheel will be on the left.)
But! This baby Raptor packs an all-new twin-turbo 2.0-liter diesel inline four (yes, two turbos) with 210 horsepower and a whomping 369 lb-ft of torque. That’s a decent amount more power and torque than the 3.2-liter turbodiesel five-cylinder the Ranger uses across the globe, and that much torque should get it moving nicely.
But power’s only part of the equation. The Raptor Ranger has an assortment of improvements for off-roading, including Fox Racing Shox dampers, dent-resistant composite fenders, an integrated tow bar with tow hooks, BF Goodrich All-Terrain tires, the F-150 Raptor’s off-roading modes, and a new 10-speed automatic transmission.
Ford boasts the trucks’ stance is “noticeably bigger from every angle,” with wider front and rear tracks over the standard Ranger. “Ground clearance is increased to 283 mm (11.14 inches), while the approach angle of 32.5 degrees, ramp over angle of 24 degrees, and departure angle of 24 degrees as a package are superior to anything seen before,” Ford said in a news release.
SUPERIOR TO ANYTHING SEEN BEFORE. If you see people crying today, those are Chevy people, and they probably have lost any reason to live.
So what about the rest of us who sadly don’t live in the Asia Pacific market? More news is coming, apparently: