New Video Shows Ford Ranger Raptor in Action

After years of Ranger fans imploring Ford to bring back its midsize pickup offering, Ford has finally caved in to demand and will be bringing the Ranger back to the good old U.S. of A. Now, Ford fans have a new reason to look forward to the midsizer’s return: the Ranger Raptor.

Previewed in a short video filmed in the wilds of the Australian Outback, the new Ford Ranger Raptor looks absolutely like the standard Ford F-150 Raptor’s younger sibling. The not-so-pint-sized Ranger Raptor has all the hallmarks of a production Raptor product, with loads of suspension travel, meatier wheels and tires, and a wider stance.

There’s also the hint of a turbocharged monster living under the hood, although it’s yet to be seen if it’s the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 or the 2.7 EcoBoost V-6. Our money is on the smaller displacement given that it would likely fit better under the Ranger’s smaller hood.

What isn’t likely to make production is the full-on roll cage, off-road racing-spec race seats, and the Dakar-style GPS and pace notes—although we wouldn’t mind the extra kit. Hint hint, Ford.

The upcoming Ranger Raptor was teased by Ford’s South Africa division with no mention of when or where the truck will make its debut, or which countries besides South Africa the new off-road beast will be offered in.

All that was stated was, “We are excited to announce that the hugely popular Ford Ranger will be available in an off-road performance variant for the first time. The purpose-built, desert racing inspired truck joins the Ford Performance family as the new Ranger Raptor and will be coming to South Africa, with further information to be revealed in the future.”

With the forthcoming debut of the new Ranger here in the U.S., we’d be shocked if a version of the Ranger Raptor didn’t make it to our shores, especially with the success of the standard-size Raptor F-150. Check out the full video below and be cautiously excited.

Source: Ford via YouTube

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