While the North American market has had the Ford F150 Raptor for well over a decade, up until just a couple years ago the rest of the world could only dream of such a pickup, turning to the aftermarket to make their pickups resemble a Raptor.
All that changed in 2018 with the release of the Ranger Raptor. Although it got an all new powertrain featuring a diesel mill, it still got the same uprated suspension as its North American cousin. The diesel power plant drew the ire of many enthusiasts when it was first launched, but after a couple years of testing it ultimately doesn’t take anything away from the overall product. It has since gone on to become one of the most popular pickups in the world, and now it gets what is likely to be its last, and best update.
Mostly Cosmetic Upgrades
Although this will come as no surprise, there are no new powertrain options and there is no extra power for this new model.
It is for the most part an appearance package with some bold new decals (not dissimilar to the North American Tremor), bigger 33-inch tires, some colour accents and extended sports bars. The interior gets some red stitching to match the tow hooks outside, but that is about it. This is for the Australian version though and it seems that the X might well be a little different from market to market as the one being released in Malaysia only gets some decals on the outside but gets a HD dashcam inside, which might well be more appealing than sports bars to some buyers.
Subjective Value
In Australia there is nowhere for the Raptor to hide, at upwards of $65,000 it is a very expensive “ute.”
It is one of the most expensive places to buy the Raptor, if you look at the ASEAN countries who have lower import duties on the pickup (made proudly in Thailand) the price can drop as low as $40,000. So depending on where you buy the Raptor, you will have a very different perspective on how much value it offers. When it comes to overall performance there is no denying at present there are simply no direct competitors for it outside North America, quite possibly the main reason it hasn’t come out there yet, although it just might when the next generation arrives next year.
Last Hurrah For This Generation
The Ranger Raptor is only in its third year of production, but it arrived very late in the life cycle of the current Ranger.
The next generation will have a wider range of powertrain options and will likely look a lot more like the F-150 Raptor, not exactly a bad thing, and it will share a platform with the VW Amarok. For now though, the Ranger Raptor X hits all the right notes when it comes to design and is a fitting farewell to one of the best midsize pickups money can buy.