Ford has revealed the Ranger Storm concept at this year’s Sau Paulo International Motor Show in Brazil.
We tend to be very Americano-centric here, but the United States isn’t the only truck-loving nation on Earth. Brazil loves their trucks too, which is why Ford is giving them their very own version of the Raptor. Only without the turbodiesel engine and all the off-road goodies that make the Ranger Raptor super cool.
Although similar on the outside to a Raptor, it’s actually based on the Ranger Limited trim, according to Autoblog. That said, it certainly takes a lot of its styling cues from the Raptor, including the big “STORM” writ large on the grille. There’s also an available snorkel (perhaps a nod to the Colorado ZR2 concept) as well as big, chunky Pirelli Scorpion off-road tires covering 17-inch wheels.
Under the hood is a 3.2-L 5-cylinder diesel engine that produces 197 horses and 346 lb-ft of torque. It’s not quite as impressive as the 2.0-L 4-cylinder twin-turbo diesel that other parts of the world get, but the Storm comes close to the Raptor’s 210 hp at least.
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The true shame is that the Storm won’t receive the Ranger Raptor’s off-road suspension. The FOX Racing Shox internal-bypass dampers are nowhere to be found, with the Storm instead opting for the more standard Ford-sourced coil-overs.
Externally, the Storm receives a whole bunch of graphics to ensure everyone knows of its 4x4-ness along with Storm decals located throughout. There is a plastic line that runs all the way from the front bumper, under the wheel fenders, and finally ends at the tailgate that matches the orange-to-grey fade paint, and while it certainly looks good, it’s still a little on the cheap side.
The roof rack gives the truck a sporty appearance without actually providing the Storm with a sports rack. Those rails extend a little bit into the bed to provide some grab handles in case you want to stow anything to the roof--a nice, practical addition.
Sadly, the Storm won’t ever appear in US markets, but if we’re really lucky we can ask for those roof rails as optional additions to the North American Ranger.