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Ford Ranger Raptor - long-term review - Report No:6

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Life with a Ford Ranger Raptor: "like a giant Ariel Nomad"

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The big, honest lug has wormed its way into TG's heart, and here's why

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Life with a Ford Ranger Raptor: "like a giant Ariel Nomad"

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Ford Ranger Raptor - long-term review - Report No:6 | Top Gear

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The big, honest lug has wormed its way into TG's heart, and here's why

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Ford Ranger Raptor - long-term review - Report No:6

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The big, honest lug has wormed its way into TG's heart, and here's why

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The big, honest lug has wormed its way into TG's heart, and here's why

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Ford Ranger Raptor - long-term review - Report No:6

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Recently the Raptor demonstrated its surprising breadth of appeal perfectly. A rickety old shed had been slowly collapsing in my back garden for a while and after months of procrastination it felt like time. So I kicked it over, pulled it to pieces and threw the mostly rotting wood in the Raptor’s bed before heading to the recycling centre.

The very next day I headed to North Wales to some of the very best roads in the world. My eldest son has started A-level photography and with a new camera to play with we were in need of a quiet location and some cool scenery. For me it was the ideal excuse to fully extend the Raptor and a chance to visit the roads I love so much.

The weather was freezing cold, Rocco managed to go thigh deep in a muddy bog before lunch time, but overall it was a success. The Raptor is no sportscar and doesn’t even attempt to give that locked-down feel of a ‘performance SUV’, but with its soft suspension, long wheelbase and gargly turbocharged V6, it’s really enjoyable to hustle along.

I’ve been trying to understand quite why the Raptor has become such a loved part of the household in the last six months and have decided it’s simply the honesty of the thing. From the rubber floor mats and obvious functionality to the old-school, thirsty engine and the wonderfully soft, progressive dynamics, the big Ford blends modern convenience (with CarPlay etc) with a kind of throwback simplicity. Despite the fact it’s not especially fast or especially grippy, I really love driving it.

Sadly the dunes of Northamptonshire remain elusive, but in Wales on those gorgeous roads the Raptor is like a giant Ariel Nomad - expressive, exuberant, prone to big gestures and indulgent and easy to handle. Most of all it makes you think. There are no clever active anti-roll bars, the power delivery is pretty linear, but the sheer scale of the thing means you have to keep the engine wound-up to make good progress and everything is about maintaining momentum and, occasionally, managing the slip of those massive BF Goodrich tyres.

So many big cars that claim to be fun to drive are just point, shoot and hold-on for dear life experiences. The Raptor, conversely, is something you really drive.

On the way home, it was a breeze, of course. The heated seats are spectacular, the ride has that separate chassis patter but it’s not jarring and it’s so reassuring through wet, freezing conditions. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the Raptor is a great one car solution, and I do miss the agility and response of a conventional performance car, but it’s very rare I pine for something with a posher interior and ‘sporty’ set-up.

Sadly, my time with the Raptor is now over. Soon I’ll have to remember that kerbs are hazardous, that ditch-hooking through corners is not normal behaviour and that I’m not, in fact, The Fall Guy Colt Seavers. In other words, life is about to get a lot more mundane.

Oh yes… the practical stuff: nothing broke, a litre of oil was consumed, my Tesco Clubcard points skyrocketed thanks to all the fuel stops and tyre wear was minimal. I knew all those jumps over the local canal bridges would pay dividends somehow.

# data.attributes.body.processed
Recently the Raptor demonstrated its surprising breadth of appeal perfectly. A rickety old shed had been slowly collapsing in my back garden for a while and after months of procrastination it felt like time. So I kicked it over, pulled it to pieces and threw the mostly rotting wood in the Raptor’s bed before heading to the recycling centre.

The very next day I headed to North Wales to some of the very best roads in the world. My eldest son has started A-level photography and with a new camera to play with we were in need of a quiet location and some cool scenery. For me it was the ideal excuse to fully extend the Raptor and a chance to visit the roads I love so much.

The weather was freezing cold, Rocco managed to go thigh deep in a muddy bog before lunch time, but overall it was a success. The Raptor is no sportscar and doesn’t even attempt to give that locked-down feel of a ‘performance SUV’, but with its soft suspension, long wheelbase and gargly turbocharged V6, it’s really enjoyable to hustle along.

I’ve been trying to understand quite why the Raptor has become such a loved part of the household in the last six months and have decided it’s simply the honesty of the thing. From the rubber floor mats and obvious functionality to the old-school, thirsty engine and the wonderfully soft, progressive dynamics, the big Ford blends modern convenience (with CarPlay etc) with a kind of throwback simplicity. Despite the fact it’s not especially fast or especially grippy, I really love driving it.

Sadly the dunes of Northamptonshire remain elusive, but in Wales on those gorgeous roads the Raptor is like a giant Ariel Nomad - expressive, exuberant, prone to big gestures and indulgent and easy to handle. Most of all it makes you think. There are no clever active anti-roll bars, the power delivery is pretty linear, but the sheer scale of the thing means you have to keep the engine wound-up to make good progress and everything is about maintaining momentum and, occasionally, managing the slip of those massive BF Goodrich tyres.

So many big cars that claim to be fun to drive are just point, shoot and hold-on for dear life experiences. The Raptor, conversely, is something you really drive.

On the way home, it was a breeze, of course. The heated seats are spectacular, the ride has that separate chassis patter but it’s not jarring and it’s so reassuring through wet, freezing conditions. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the Raptor is a great one car solution, and I do miss the agility and response of a conventional performance car, but it’s very rare I pine for something with a posher interior and ‘sporty’ set-up.

Sadly, my time with the Raptor is now over. Soon I’ll have to remember that kerbs are hazardous, that ditch-hooking through corners is not normal behaviour and that I’m not, in fact, The Fall Guy Colt Seavers. In other words, life is about to get a lot more mundane.

Oh yes… the practical stuff: nothing broke, a litre of oil was consumed, my Tesco Clubcard points skyrocketed thanks to all the fuel stops and tyre wear was minimal. I knew all those jumps over the local canal bridges would pay dividends somehow.