Comprehensive Test Drive of the 2024 Ranger Raptor

The all-new 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor draws its battle-ready DNA directly from the family-leading Ford F-150 Raptor full-size pickup platform but shrinks things down into a more nimble mid-size exoskeleton ideal for maximizing desert smashing and sand drifting abilities off the beaten path.

This desert dragon unleashes a substantial fury from its iron heart in the form of a high-output 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V6 pumping out a muscular 310 horsepower and massive 400 pound-feet of torque, sending this sand master’s substantial might to all four wheels courtesy of a sophisticated 10-speed automatic transmission tuned by Ford Performance themselves.

Speaking of four wheels, this Ranger Raptor offers a utilitarian part-time four-wheel drive system with high and low gearing perfect for either sandblasting dunes or rock crawling up imposing crags, along with the potential for flexible fun in everything from desert demolition derbies to dune darting.

Helping this off-road beast truly defy physics and laugh in the face of formidable terrain is its race-inspired suspension tuned by the off-road suspension masters at FOX featuring remarkable independent compression and rebound adjustments at all four corners, poised to utterly destroy any landscape foolish enough to stand in its way.

With its suspension lifted a formidable two inches over the Ranger’s already impressive underpinnings, the Raptor’s road presence truly transforms into a formidable off-road stance, backed by specialized wide fender flares eagerly awaiting aerial views of boulder bouncing and landscapes leveling antics ahead.

Protecting those wider flares and adding crucial traction for the wild rides ahead are aggressive off-road tires perfectly suited for sand, slippery surfaces, and any surface daring to crumble beneath this shock-absorbing beast’s collective might.

Weighing in at a hefty but wholly capable 5385 pounds, this desert dominator will laugh in the face of any triple-digit speeds or horsepower ratings, knowing its shock-absorbing prowess and precise handling will easily tame any terrain that crosses its path.

2024 Ford Ranger Raptor: FINALLY, America Gets the Blue Oval's Beastliest Midsize Truck

With its suspension perfectly tuned by the masters at FOX, the Raptor glides over any surface like a feather on the wind, soaking up impacts and laughing off bumps that would send lesser trucks spiraling.

The exceptionally tactile steering inspires utmost confidence on the hairiest trails, letting drivers scan the horizon for new lines of attack while maintaining razor-sharp control over this desert destroyer’s immense abilities.

Leave pedestrians eating the Raptor’s dust in its wake as it rockets from 0-60 mph in a feisty 6.4 seconds, hustling between dunes, trenches, and ravines with ferocity.

Drivers can attack sweeping backroads with a solid, composed feel, soaking up curves on the asphalt before finding new ways to defile innocent dirt ahead.

With its 8000-pound towing capacity, the Raptor can tow fallen sand sleds and stranded dune vehicles back from the wastes, following up and down the largest grade A turbos to launch the fury instantaneously.

A useful 5-foot pickup bed stands ready to haul rooftop tents, dirtbikes, broken shovels, and exhausted drivers far from the carnage after each epic sends shockwaves through Spectator pits.

The interior pampers drivers and up to four passengers in thickly bolstered front seats perfect for holding flesh in place through sand-shredding stunts, with an 8.0-inch Sync 4 touchscreen and controls close at hand for navigation and tunes during dust crusades.

Unfortunately, rear legroom comes in at a squished 38.7 inches, but who needs sprawling luxury when launching off towering dunes and giggling amidst flying rubble?

Starting at $55,675 including destination, the Raptor invites all comers to experience firsthand its off-road mastery – and as tested stickering at $66,375, drivers gain ample insurance to feel confidence amidst every act of carnage.

Ford only offers this mid-size menace as a potent four-door SuperCrew cab for maximum passenger capacity on crusades, with a unique graphic of a lounging raptor stamped dignified across its rump.

An impactful front end featuring a prominent lower grille and forward-thrusting lights telegraphs this truck’s sand-devouring intentions from a horizon away, begging spectators to watch in disbelief.

Standard automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert help keep drivers and their spotters safe amidst the mayhem, while optional features like a surround bird’s-eye camera system enhance control during off-grid acrobatics.

With a towering 10.1 inches of running ground clearance, this desert slayer can scale dunes and rock formations that lesser trucks fear to trespass, then laughingly blast through 27.6 inches of flowing water to cool cool down.

An astonishing 11.5 inches of front suspension travel and 12 inches stretching things out in the rear unleash previously undreamed-of articulation over any barrier insane enough to impede this storming sand master.

Opting for Trail Control maintains your speed over any harrowing off-road task automatically so drivers can conduct further stunts with gusto, while Hill Descent Control tames treacherous ascents and eliminates white-knuckle braking all on its own.

Unlike puffed-up full-size truck pretenders, the sleeker Ranger Raptor feels truly spry darting between obstacles yet composed enough for maximum control – an all-day athlete ready for any desert challenge unflagging.

Quick-revving turbochargers deliver g-wrenching thrust instantaneously yet evenly across the rev range, granting maximum flexibility for stunts of any stripe from dune climbs to mud pit wrestles.

Redlining at a throaty 6000 rpm inspires drivers to find ever more inventive ways to unleash the fury, serenaded all the while by the unique cat-back exhaust’s sweet song of destruction.

Intuitive pedal spacing lets boots precisely modulate havoc with ease, whether launching off towering piles of rubble or easing through tight obstacle courses at speed.

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Selectable drive modes alter shift schedules and throttle response for Snow/Sand, Normal, and Sport flavors of carnage, customized to each day’s crucibles of chaos.

Stout underbody skid plates uphold the Raptor’s honor through punishments lesser vehicles dare not dream of, shielding vitals even as shots display the extremes of its off-road mastery.

An optional forward-facing camera integrates with navigation to highlight terrain ahead and plan ever more daring lines of attack on the next horizon’s hopeless geology.

Standard 17-inch forged aluminum wheels withstand the rigors of each crushing with character and lasting good looks beyond their desert-defending duties.

Longer wheelbase than the also-formidable Tacoma or Colorado only enhances stability at speed yet spares no dimension conquering even the tightest situations with millimeter exactness.

And so in summary – the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor invites all to experience a new era of off-road madness in the likeness of a battle-ready mid-size terminator without peer on our planet, ready to seed fear in the hearts of dunes and mount up tall in the annals of motoring mayhem for lifetimes to come.

Under the scorching desert sun, the Ranger Raptor lurks…coiled and ready to strike. Its brawny 2.7-liter turbo V6 engine snarls like a caged beast, yearning to be unleashed upon the sandy wastes. Within its muscular steel frame lies a suspension specially engineered by the masters at FOX to swallow impacts from above and thrust forward from below with precision flawlessness. Goading the driver to find the limit, yet always maintaining composure, it inspires confidence in even the most chaotic conditions. The technicolor dunes lie ahead, a shifting canvas awaiting the Raptor’s artistic flair. A flick of its legendary 10-speed transmission drops it into gear, and suddenly the sands part – as it rockets forth to begin redrawing the landscape.

Wreckage litters the trail behind as the Raptor surges ever onward, gnashing gears with animal ferocity. Through twisted mammalian ravines, it powers, smashing ruts and churning scree with reckless abandon. Yet the FOX suspension absorbs each blow like a heavyweight boxer, keeping all 5,385 pounds firmly planted.

Past littered husks of fallen trucks, it prowls, their captains unable to harness this beast’s relentless urge to dominate any terrain imagined. The crags loom – but leaping from the highest spine, it sails forever on the edge between disaster and destiny, an airborne predator refusing to be caged.

Dunes colossal greet the Raptor’s approach – monolithic sand sentinels, daring all who pass to try their might against living avalanches. Spinning wheels bite and claw for purchase as boost-happy turbos shriek their song, steadily inching the truck up sheer faces that would crush any other.

From the crest it scans the seamless sea of gold before launching into the endless horizon, skipping across peaks with perfect poise. Diving tales-first it surfs the inclines with mastery, drifting corners that send lesser trucks to their graves. Out here in the wastes it was born to roam, an unstoppable desert leviathan whose conquests will echo through the ages.

Silence descends as dusk’s shadows stretch across the dunes. All who witnessed the Raptor’s domination have fled, or lie vanquished. Only it remains – squatting triumphant amidst the ruins of its ravaged playground. Within its burly frame lies barely a quiver to betray the day’s massacre. For even after hours of flinging tonnage at triple-digit speeds across an endless hellscape, FOX’s sorcery has left springs and dampers as fresh as the morning star. Smoke whispers from twin-turbo pipes, a lullaby to soothe the truck as it rests – yet its blood still boils for new lands unknown to desecrate under headlights’ blue glow, on the morrow when the moon looks away once more. The sands speak of its legend. The dunes tell tales that will echo for all time.

Like a force of nature, nothing can contain the Ranger Raptor for long. After devastating dune fields and dragon-back roads, it returns to civilization seeking its next challenge. Yet even in towns and cities, its essence remains untamed. Lurking patiently at stoplights, hellish V6 rumbling, it waits – coiled and angry to unleash hell on unsuspecting streets. The second its predatory instincts scent fear, boost dumps, and tires squall, catapulting over 5,000 pounds of twisted alloy forward with a savagery that shakes bones. Pedestrians scatter as it tears through intersections in a blur, hungry to rampage where no truck dared tread before. This is no mere machine – it is a merciless hydraulic beast that refuses to be tamed and lives only to demolish any brave or foolish enough to stand in its path. Its thirst for carnage can never, ever be quenched.

As howling winds scour the desert bare, only lone survivors remain after the Raptor’s scourge. Scorched earth and rubble as far as the eye can see – no landscape feature too stubborn to be annihilated. Yet one truck endures, squatting amidst the ruins like a king surveying a vanquished empire. Its brutal 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 has decimated dunes beyond count. Light bar scythe cuts through the dust that veils all but the newest scars engraved in the fading sunlight. Tomorrow, fresh horrors will be on the menu – but for now, the Raptor rests, and the desert holds its breath. For this is a machine without rival or remorse, a gladiator who faces any foe and leaves only its name etched upon the world. None dare challenge the Ranger Raptor and live to speak of what horrors lie within.

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