Ford confirms Ranger Raptor will go on sale in Europe
Beefed-up version of Ranger pick-up will come to Europe, marking the first Raptor officially sold on the continent
Ford will be bringing the off-road-focused Ranger Raptor to Europe in 2019, the firm has announced.
The beefed-up pick-up was revealed for Asian markets earlier this year, but questions remained as to its availability in Europe – until now.
The Thai-built truck will be the first Raptor to arrive on the continent, with the nameplate also going on a performance version of the F-150 in North America.
Powered by a 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine paired with a 10-speed automatic gearbox, the Ranger Raptor produces 210bhp and 500Nm of torque. There’s no word on how that translates into performance stats, but expect it to be a seriously capable machine off the beaten track, thanks to the addition of off-road-focused parts alongside the potent engine.
Beefy suspension upgrades come in the form of Fox shock absorbers with position-sensitive dampening, which automatically optimises damper settings depending on the loads.
There are also model-specific tyres developed by renowned off-road specialist BF Goodrich, while a 2.3mm ‘bash plate’ has been fitted under the truck to deflect debris and other items encountered off road.
Don’t expect this to be a totally refined, hard-core machine built just for jumping sand dunes, though. A number of creature comforts make the Ranger Raptor liveable day to day, including suede-effect materials throughout the cabin and Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system as standard.
Pricing is yet to be revealed but it’s expected to arrive in Europe mid-2019. If you can’t wait until then, though, the truck will be making its virtual debut on Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 4, which is due to be released for Xbox One and PCs on October 2.
