First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor

“Where’s the trail?” All I might see was a pile of rubble.

During the previous 40-plus years, I’ve pushed nearly every little thing accessible and, with regards to off-roading, tackled a number of the most difficult circumstances you would think about, from Moab to the Rubicon Trail. But I had by no means seen something fairly just like the boulder-strewn hillside in California’s Johnson Valley I used to be now set to transit within the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor.

Without the spotters helpfully stationed alongside the best way, I’d by no means have discovered that there even was a path — albeit one which required my Raptor to clamber over knife-sharp rocks and two-foot-tall boulders and, at one level, information my proper wheels up the aspect of a sheer stone cliff.

I felt virtually giddy reaching the far finish of the path, all of the extra so figuring out I’d not blown a tire or ripped off one of many SUV’s flared fenders. But that was to be solely one of many many challenges I wound up placing the Raptor by way of through the course of a really lengthy day. Among different issues, the truck would present its stuff on the King of the Hammers desert racing course, in addition to proving its capabilities on pavement.

Overview

The Raptor is “the most badass Bronco yet,” in keeping with design chief Paul Wraith. It may appear straightforward to dismiss that as hyperbole — a minimum of till you climb behind the wheel of the 2022 SUV and put it by way of its paces at a spot just like the Johnson Valley Off-Road Vehicle park.

It’s clearly extra than simply seems. With its twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, Raptor readily took on each problem I might throw at it, from rock crawling to abandon racing. And it proved much more competent driving on-road, as nicely.

It’s extra than simply muscle, after all. The 2022 Ford Raptor will get a wider monitor, considerably extra wheel journey, elevated floor clearance and upgrades to its all-wheel-drive system. Add some subtle digital controls that, amongst different issues, allow you to alter key car settings with a flip of a dial to maximise your grip on every little thing from rocks to sand, mud or snow — in addition to pavement.

That’s what’s notably spectacular in regards to the new Raptor. “We built it to go highway speed out in the desert dunes,” stated Tom Newhart, a program planning specialist. “But we also made it to tackle the most grueling rock crawling conditions you can get into.”

Exterior

You don’t need to look laborious to see that the Raptor isn’t your typical Bronco, beginning with its totally boxed platform. It’s been stiffened up and, within the case of the brand new shock towers, delivers considerably extra wheel journey than even the present Bronco Badlands version. It boasts a floor clearance of 13.1 inches, practically 5 inches greater than a base Bronco. The new Raptor additionally measures 9.8 inches wider and, at 73.6 inches, it provides one other 8.6 inches of monitor below these aggressive new fender flares. Add to that new 37-inch all-terrain tires.

For severe off-roaders, the Raptor has an astounding method angle of 47.2 levels, a breakover angle of 30.8 levels and a departure angle of 40.5 levels. It can ford as much as 37 inches of water.

While the essential design is acquainted, few particulars had been left untouched. Raptor’s grille options the Ford identify molded in in massive block letters. The LED working lights now glow amber. And the truck will get a brand new metal bumper with detachable finish caps and distinctive tow hooks. The skid plate has been switched to aluminum and extends additional below the physique to guard the ruggedized drivetrain. Even the place Raptor carries over options from the mainstream Bronco — just like the disconnecting sway bar, the event group made plenty of upgrades to reinforce traction below excessive circumstances.

Extensive revisions to the underbody and chassis increase torsional rigidity by 50 %. You get a way of simply how far the event group took issues whenever you try the extra reinforcements to the tailgate. Beyond the Raptor badges, nearly every little thing new has a useful function. That contains the useful air vents on the sheet-molded compound hood.

And, like each different model of the Bronco, the purpose was to make it straightforward to customise the truck for each event, whether or not taking off the doorways or Raptor’s new working boards — which bolt straight into the brand new rock rails.

Interior

The Raptor is designed to work laborious and play laborious. It provides high-bolster seats to maintain driver and entrance passenger of their seats, no matter they’re bouncing throughout. And the digital gauge cluster provides plenty of readouts distinctive to a truck that’s designed for sand and rock. Among different issues, you’ll be able to monitor roll and pitch.

And there are cameras pointing in every single place, whereas additionally offering a 360-degree birds-eye view that proved crucial when making an attempt to barter slender trails that might simply rip off one of many SUV’s large fenders.

Unlike some hard-charging vehicles, nevertheless, Raptor is designed with creature consolation in thoughts. At its most simple, the cabin is trimmed in marine-grade vinyl with wash-out flooring. But you’ll be able to add leather-trimmed neo-suede seats and different niceties like a 10-speaker B&O sound system.

Powertrain

Power comes from a twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine. The engine makes some severe numbers, 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, driving by way of a 10-speed computerized right into a three-mode 4×4 system. In the mainstream Bronco line-up, the three.0-liter EcoBoost maxes out at 400 hp and 415 lb-ft.

Ford clearly took a distinct method in contrast with Raptor’s most direct rival, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, which depends on a beefy 6.4-liter V-8 pushing out 470 hp and 470 lb-ft. Ford hasn’t revealed efficiency numbers, however a really preliminary run would recommend the Bronco Raptor will flip 0-60 numbers on pavement just like the 4.5-second run Jeep claims for the Rubicon 392.

To deal with excessive environments, reminiscent of Baja racing, the engine upgrades embrace each intercooling and a brand new air-induction system.

When you’re working off pavement, energy is simply a part of the equation, after all. So, a lot of the drivetrain, in addition to the suspension, has gone by way of main upgrades, beginning with bigger entrance and rear driveshafts.

The change to “competition-level” axles borrowed from Ford’s Bronco DR race trick is accompanied by a novel tackle the usual Bronco’s HOSS, or High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension. Ford partnered with Fox on the system, which supplies Live Valve expertise that may alter every nook to driver enter and highway circumstances “hundreds of times every second.”

Raptors upgraded switch case additionally encompasses a 3.06 4×4 LO ratio for as much as a 67.7:1 crawl ratio. That and different enhancements means this beast will have the ability to tow as much as 4,500 kilos, 1,000 kilos over the bottom mannequin.

Safety and Technology

Much of Raptor’s expertise is targeted on off-roading. Like a number of the different Bronco fashions, it provides options like Trail Control, Trail Turn Assist and Trail One-Pedal Driving. The latter works virtually like One-Pedal Driving in an electrical car, although restricted to low-speed state of affairs. You modulate the throttle, quite than leaping backwards and forwards from throttle to brake, to regulate your velocity. Trail Control features like low-speed cruise management. And Trail Turn Assist locks up one of many rear brakes to permit you to make tight activates sharp off-road trails.

The 2022 Bronco Raptor additionally options the SUV’s the now-familiar GOAT Mode selector which helps you to dial within the type of terrain you’re dealing with — like snow, sand or mud-and-ruts — to configure a broad vary of car settings. That covers every little thing from the Fox shocks to steering enter and transmission shifts.

Raptor is on the market with the most recent Sync4 infotainment system with a 12-inch touchscreen. And it options quite a lot of features particularly geared for off-road use, together with these exterior cameras and the 360-degree view system.

In phrases of creature consolation, the Raptor provides a 10-speaker B&O audio package deal, in addition to Adaptive Cruise Control. Other superior driver help methods embrace ahead collision warning with computerized emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-keeping help.

Driving Impressions

I squeezed in practically per week’s price of off-roading in a single, lengthy time out on the Johnson Valley ORV park, and it gave me a transparent sense of what the 2022 Bronco Raptor is able to — just about something I might think about dealing with, on-road or off.

The first half of the day was spent traversing a broad mixture of sand, rock, gravel and filth trails. The Raptor’s GOAT mode made straightforward work of all of them, particularly when benefiting from its entrance and rear locking differentials, in addition to these Trail Control, Turn Assist and One-Pedal driving options.

The typical Bronco is a extremely competent machine, particularly the Badlands version, however it might have been a problem to so simply maneuver the harder parts of our morning route — and even the Badlands wouldn’t have been able to coping with the rock crawl I tackled through the lunch break.

What’s notably spectacular in regards to the Raptor is how simply it adapts from one type of terrain to a different. The afternoon session noticed us transfer to the King of the Hammers, a jarring, high-speed course that may rattle out your fillings and switch a much less competent SUV right into a smoldering heap of rubble.

While I didn’t have as a lot time as I’d have preferred driving pavement, the Raptor dealt with the on-road run with equal aplomb. The sensible suspension, with its Fox shocks, was far smoother than I might need anticipated of such a brawny beast. With some severe off-roaders, the penalty comes whereas driving out to the trailhead. Not so with the Raptor.

2022 Ford Bronco Raptor Specifications

Wrap Up

Ford’s authentic Bronco made its debut in 1965 and got here near being known as the GOAT — shorthand for Goes Over Any Terrain. As good because it was, it doesn’t evaluate with the capabilities of right this moment’s Bronco. With options like its GOAT terrain response system, even novices can dial in the best settings to deal with some critically robust circumstances.

But the Bronco Raptor takes issues to a wholly new degree, as I discovered crawling over probably the most difficult rock pile I’ve ever confronted.

There are solely a handful of automobiles you would even take into account a competitor, fashions just like the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 and, maybe, the Land Rover Defender. If my first drive within the 2022 Ford Raptor is any indication, it’s going to make the competitors fairly nervous.

The Raptor begins at $69,995, together with supply charges, although it should push to $82,550 totally loaded. And, as with the remainder of the Bronco line-up, you’ll have a broad assortment of equipment to select from. One of the nice design options is the power to shortly bolt on lots of these aftermarket options.

The dangerous information is that the 2022 Raptor is offered out — although you may have the ability to discover one or two across the nation when you’re prepared to look laborious sufficient. Ford ought to start taking orders for the 2023 Bronco Raptor someday over the summer season.

2022 Ford Bronco Raptor ­— Frequently Asked Questions