Dinosaurs may be extinct, but FORD has brought the Ranger Raptor back to life
As a child I much preferred scampering around in the garden than doing jigsaw puzzles at home. Then in adolescence I developed a passion for cars. Now as a grown man I have had the pleasure of experiencing the perfect symbiosis between the outdoor and a vehicle:
The FORD Ranger Raptor.
When I was 20 years old, my friend drove me to a quarry for the first time in his old off-road truck. Up the hills, down the slopes, climbing boulders, getting round the mud holes. We attempted to push the vehicle to its limits and finally sank up to the door handle in mud. We had fun and were also certain that even in an off-road truck not everything is possible.
30 years later and I was given the chance to drive the FORD Ranger Raptor – the flagship of the FORD Ranger line – and realized that I had been wrong. The broad front and the brawny appearance would enrapture any “petrol head“. The elegant interior is comfortable and has a very clear layout. Everything is in the right place and is easily accessible.
When accelerating you hardly notice the gear changes of the finely tuned 10-speed automatic transmission. Despite the pick-up‘s size and weight it provides an easy and uncomplicated driving experience.
But the real fun starts with the 7 perfectly designed drive modes for all terrains. Standing in front of a steep scree slope with large boulders, I think to myself: impossible! Then I put the vehicle into “Rock climbing“ mode (front and rear differentials are locked) and let the car do almost everything itself. With only slight corrections to the steering wheel, the FORD Ranger Raptor achieves the sheer impossible and climbs up the boulders unfazed. I cheer and grin – I’ve never experienced anything quite like this.
I experience the same level of perfection when driving down a descent. The engineers have done a fantastic job. In the “Baja Mode“ the sound, chassis tuning and the shock absorber tracks change. I courageously accelerate on my way to the small hill and quickly take my foot off the accelerator again at the top, then all 4 wheels are airborne and I gently land back on the ground a moment later.
Until now I thought that there is a limit to everything, but after one day in this perfectly constructed work and fun machine FORD has proven to me that nothing is impossible.
Thank you for letting me live this dream!
The new Ranger Raptor extends the powerful Ford Performance model family.
Fans in North America will be acquainted with the model name “Raptor“. Ford uses this name for selected high-performance pick-ups and commercial vehicles – beginning with the F-150 SVT Raptor of the first generation, which was specially tuned for high speeds off-road. The Ranger Raptor, developed by Ford Performance, was launched onto various global markets, including Europe, in 2018 and gained a new fan base among the hard-core friends of off-road flatbed trucks.
Photo Copyrights: Ford Motor Company (Switzerland) SA
www.ford.ch
