The new 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor is now a better road-legal Baja buggy

The new Ford Ranger is cool and all but we know that everyone’s just getting a boner thinking of its beefy, buff and brawny sibling; the 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor. Well, now you can stop imagining and start saving up to never be able to afford one.

To say it’s got some huge fender flares to fill is an understatement. Everyone loved the excessiveness of the first Ranger Raptor. It was not a truck anyone needed but it sure as hell was something everyone wanted.

Which is precisely why Ford pulled out all the stops for the new one and cracnked that want factor up to 11. Ford Performance handled the design and engineering work so you know it’ll have the performance chops to back up that brawn.

The biggest change is not something you’ll notice immediately but it has a huge impact on the truck’s character. Gone is the bi-turbo diesel engine. In its place is a new twin-turbo 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6 petrol engine sending a thumping 397 PS and 583Nm of torque to all four wheels. You’ll find that same 10-speed automatic transmission in between the wheels and engine.

Ford Performance took their track knowhow and incorporated it into the Ranger Raptor’s anti-lag system that’s only available in Baja mode. It keeps the turbo spinning for up to three seconds when you get off the throttle so that you’ve got instant power out of corners or between gears.

Of course, keeping it civilised on the road and being able to handle jumping sand dunes requires some trick suspension black magic. Ford continued its collaboration with Fox for the new Ranger Raptor as well. Plenty of computer-aided engineering and real-world testing went into tuning the spring rates, the ride height and honing the ride zones to create the perfect balance between comfort, control, stability and traction on- and off-road.

A key component of that lies in the form of Fox’s 2.5-inch Live Valve Internal Bypass shock absorbers which are the most sophisticated ever for a Ranger. It’s capable of adapting in real-time via the sensors placed around the vehicle enabling the shocks to adjust damping rates at each corner 500 times a second.

As for driving modes, there are 7 to choose from. That’s Normal; Sport and Slippery (all 3 for on-road use), and Rock Crawl; Sand; Mud and Ruts and Baja (all for off-road use). Sand mode is now available in the regular Ranger Sport as well.

Not to be outdone with just driving modes, Ford also integrated a class-exclusive electronically controlled active exhaust system with its own modes; Quiet, Normal, Sport and Baja. We’re guessing Baja is as close to having no exhaust system at all.

The signature Code Orange shade covers the instrument panel, trim and seats. Ford claims the performance seats are inspired by the seats in an F-22 Raptor jet fighter, aimed at keeping all occupants firmly in place even with massive jumps.

As hardcore as it is, it’s still very much a Ranger and that means endless connectivity. There’s a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster with various displays for the driving modes and a 12-inch infotainment touchscreen with Ford Sync4 that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Lastly, there are 6 upfitter switches located near the rear-view mirror that can be assigned to any additional functions or features retrofitted such as high-powered external lights. That said, the bed also has a power adapter for 12V or 230V applications.

Safety is in the form of 7 airbags with the usual electronic nannies and this time, active safety is standard.

The Ranger Raptor is available in 4 colours; Absolute Black, Arctic White, Conquer Grey and the signature Code Orange. Pricing for the next-gen Ranger Raptor starts from 1,869,000 THB (~RM 234,000).