I’m pretty certain we all knew this was coming, but now we all know that it’s coming. The “it” is a Raptor version of the new Ford Bronco, which will likely use the 450 horsepower, 3-liter Ecoboost V6, with Fox shocks, big tires (likely BFGoodrich KO2s), increased ride height, and, thanks to the clue of those three lights on the grille, width.
The three amber lights are called Front Identification Lamps and are required by the NHTSA for vehicles 80 inches or wider. The current Bronco comes in at 79.3 inches, so it was already riding that three-amber-light line, and the Bronco Raptor, it seems, will blast an extra 0.7 inches of raw, uncut wide into the Bronco, at least. From the very limited amount of information we can glean from the above screenshot, it looks like the wider plastic fender flares might be responsible for the extra width.
Ford even made an unhelpful promo video about the new Bronco Raptor!
It’s likely that the Bronco Raptor will be good at the same sorts of things Ford’s other Raptors have been good at: looking tough, bombing down moderate rock and dirt trails at high speeds, and wearing mud and grime like jewelry.
The news about the new variant comes at a time when a lot of Bronco buyers are still waiting on Broncos they ordered over a year ago as Ford, like almost every automaker has struggled to deliver product.
The Bronco Raptor’s geometry may give it some rock-crawling advantages over the F-150 Raptor, though, even though it seems that the Raptor trim will only be available for the longer-wheelbase four-door Bronco.
No matter how much better it actually performs off-road than the regular Bronco, it’ll still be a big money-maker for Ford, which I’m told by reliable sources is a priority for the company.