It’s just around the corner!
Ford has teased its full-fat Bronco Raptor rugged off-roader before its reveal on January 24 at 6AM EST (10PM AEDT).
In a number of teaser images and a video published on Twitter, the Bronco Raptor can be seen with a different grille featuring Raptor hallmark Ford lettering, wider fender flares and larger off-road tyres.
The Blue Oval has confirmed the Bronco Raptor will be available in the U.S. this summer (June – September 2022).
Ford is remaining tight-lipped about the Bronco Raptor with little details known about the car.
It’s already known the Bronco Raptor will ride on the same body-on-frame T6 platform as the regular Bronco models, as well as the Ranger ute and Everest SUV.
Other notable inclusions are expected to be off-road Fox shocks and reinforced off-road components.
The Bronco Raptor is most likely the automaker’s worst-kept with its existence inadvertently mentioned on LinkedIn, before a leak from Ford USA’s internal ordering system was shared online.
The ordering system leak, published on the Bronco6G forum, revealed the more rugged variant will only be available in the four-door body style.
Two models of Bronco Raptor will reportedly be offered. The first will be a more pared-back option, while the second will pack adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, and a more luxurious interior.
In the US, the Bronco Raptor will be offered with Eruption Green, Hot Pepper Red, and Code Orange exterior paint colours on top of the standard offerings.
Ford Authority reports the Bronco Raptor will be powered by the 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 engine used in the Explorer ST, where it produces 298kW of power and 562Nm of torque.
This will be mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission sending power to all four wheels.
Should this engine tune carry over to the Bronco Raptor, it’ll give the rugged off-roader an increase of 67kW and 22Nm over the Bronco’s most powerful engine.
There are currently no plans to bring the Bronco Raptor, or its regular Bronco counterpart to Australia at this stage.
But it’s believed the upcoming Ranger Raptor will also be powered by the same twin-turbo V6 petrol engine and transmission combination.
The rugged dual-cab ute was previewed at the end of the new Ranger’s reveal in November 2021. It’s also set to be revealed in full during February 2022.
Regular next-generation Ranger models will launch in Australia around the middle of 2022, headlined by an overhauled design inside and out, four-cylinder and V6 turbo-diesel engines, an available 12-inch vertical touchscreen with Sync4 infotainment software, as well as increased axle loads and a GVM increase.
Other headline next-gen Ranger upgrades include a new available full-time 4×4 system (likely exclusive to the V6 diesel), and over-the-air software updates for more than 50 on-board modules.
Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest on the upcoming Bronco and Ranger Raptor models.
