Ford has unveiled the long-awaited 2022 Bronco Raptor, and it’s an utter delight because it’s built to fly higher than your ol’ regular, run-of-the-mill Bronco. The blueprint is the same as the Ford F-150 and the Ford 150 Raptor. Everything is bigger, better, and built for superior performance.

The Bronco Raptor has been awaited rather eagerly and Ford has announced that deliveries will begin this summer. The cool detail is that anyone who already ordered a regular Bronco will be able to change it to the Raptor, paying the extra monies, of course. Not that the price of the top Raptor has been announced yet.

But the one question that has been troubling fans, is why does the Bronco Raptor not carry a V8? Is this the end of the V8 itself? Or is there another reason behind the missing eight-pot? The Raptor looks amazing and promises incredible performance. But will it be able to deliver without a V8? Let’s find the answer to the mystery behind the missing V8.

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The Incredible Performance Of The Bronco Raptor

So the Raptor does not have a V8. What it does carry under that rugged, beefy hood is a very potent twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, likely to jet more than 400 horsepower. This will be mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission and an advanced four-wheel-drive system. The drivetrain will go hand in hand with the selectable and aptly named G.O.A.T as in Goes Over Any Type of Terrain modes to make sure the Raptor can fly on roads where others can merely crawl.

Suspension is beefier, made to swallow air jumps and dunes with ease and the tracks are wider as well for high-speed stability for better driver confidence. It also carries the Fox adaptive dampers from the F-150 Raptor as well as standard 37-inch BFGoodrich K02 all-terrain tires. The Bronco Raptor can tow up to 4,500 pounds as well…

According to Ford, the Bronco Raptor carries a true-dual exhaust system, with better cooling and even more tuning for maximum power to make the 2022 Bronco Raptor an exceptional off-road beast.

Related: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor Debuts As Hardcore Performance Off-Roader

Distinctive Looks But No Price Yet

For now, Ford has only announced the base price of the Bronco Raptor, and it starts at about $67,000. The pricing details on the packages, trims, and individual options have not been revealed. It does look a class apart though, with distinctive styling cues, such as overstated fender flares and a special grille that carries tawny lighting accents.

The 2022 Bronco Raptor looks like a whole new breed of vehicle. There’s also a rather exhaustive in-house catalog of custom accessories that owners can dip into, at a price, to make sure their Bronco Raptor looks unique.

Related: Ford Bronco Raptor: Here’s What We Know About This High-Performance Variant

The Lack Of The V8 Explained

The Bronco Raptor’s main competitor, the Wrangler Rubicon 392 belts out 470 horsepower with a V8. One expected the Raptor to go the V8 way as well, although, Ford does offer a V8 in the Bronco DR. Only, the Bronco DR is not street legal, and seems to have 400 horses only, although production run is limited to just 50.

But it’s not the street illegality of the Bronco DR that’s stopping Ford from putting in a V8 in the Raptor. It’s manufacturing-related constraints.

Spy videos of the Bronco Raptor in 2021 showed that the distinctive V8 noise was missing, although Raptor fans hoped it was not so. But Ford has an issue with assembly lines and opted for the easier way to build Broncos, even if that meant eschewing the V8 for six-cylinder power.

As Muscle Cars & Trucks, reports, building a V6 Bronco Raptor is easier for Ford. According to Ford Performance Vehicle Engineer Derek Bier, the Bronco assembly line is already configured for certain engines, which do not include a V8.

The Bronco’s current engines include the turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder and the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6. The Raptor’s 3.0-liter V6 has been developed from the 2.7-liter V6, making it a “plug-and-play addition to the current manufacturing process”. So it makes a practical way to add more power, without changing the assembly lines too much, completing Ford’s aim of mass production. Unlike the Bronco DR which is a limited run, Ford would like to sell as many Bronco Raptors as it can make, so using the current assembly line will avoid any delays.

The four-door-only Raptor may not sound as growly as a V8, but given Ford’s prowess with its Eco-Boost V6, we doubt there’ll be any discernable lack of power or performance. At a time when soundless electric engines are taking over the market, it makes sense for Ford to stick to the factories where a lot of Bronco Raptors can be made on V6 engines before it too ends up going the Lightning way.

Watch this space for more on the Ford Bronco Raptor and its Ford-announced specs.

Sources: Motor1, MuscleCars&Trucks