Ford’s new Raptorized Bronco is as awesome as we expected off-road—and it isn’t too bad as a daily driver, either.
Ford Performance didn't play around when it Raptorized the Bronco: It stiffened the body, enlarged the engine, supersized the tires, and fortified the suspension, including a massive increase of 9.8 inches in track, bringing it within an inch of the girth of. All the important numbers—horsepower, torque, ground clearance, suspension travel, and approach, breakover, and departure angles—read less like a spec sheet and more like a wish list.
So, yes, our off-road course barely tickled the Braptor's extreme capabilities; no question, the Bronco Raptor was the most capable off-roader at this year's SUVOTY competition. As digital director Erik Johnson put it:"Performance of intended function [one of our six OTY criteria] is off the freaking charts. This is just a pure, unvarnished ass-kicking machine." Associate editor Alex Leanse added,"It's precision-engineered to enable tomfoolery.
On-road safety is always going to be somewhat compromised in a vehicle this focused on off-road ability. There's just no getting around that. Efficiency? The Bronco Raptor's 15 mpg EPA combined rating is maybe higher than you might think, but it's still 15 mpg.
Yet the Braptor still charms. From its 37-inch tires to its 418-hp engine to its cheery blue paint, the Bronco was a welcome reprieve from the ranks of ordinary family trucksters competing in SUVOTY—a cartoon intermission in the middle of a serious documentary. Not making it a finalist felt a bit like betraying a good buddy.Johnson's lament summed it up:"Really, it's a shame the Braptor falters on some of the criteria, because it's just so,good.
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