Ford has been quiet on the mid-size pickup front while General Motors continues to reap the rewards its early re-entry into the segment with the Chevrolet Colorado. We know Ford will bring its Ranger mid-size pickup back to the U.S. soon, but what about its Colorado ZR2 rival? That’s coming too, and Ford officially acknowledged the existence of a Ranger Raptor… in Australia.
The Ford Ranger never went away in global markets, and the truck has just as much cache in Australia as it does in North America. In fact, it’s Ford Australia’s best-selling vehicle. The Ford Ranger Raptor will likely continue the nameplate’s success. The announcement show a camouflaged prototype wreaking havoc in the Australian Outback, and judging by what we see, the smaller Ranger will certainly be worthy of the “Raptor” surname.
In fact, it might possess what the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 doesn’t: a performance engine. Ford Authority speculates the automaker’s 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine will likely be utilized and tuned for greater torque output. While the Colorado ZR2 is no slouch, the 3.6-liter V6 hardly elevates one’s heart rate. The diesel, while good, isn’t a performance powertrain either.
Chevrolet opted to tackle the rock-crawling approach with the ZR2, while the Ranger Raptor could cater more to performance off-road enthusiasts as well. Of course, Ford hasn’t officially announced the Ranger Raptor for North America, but let’s not kid ourselves, we know it’ll show up eventually. The Ranger Raptor will arrive in Australia sometime in 2018.
Comments
Well let take a step back for a moment. The Colorado just came out and is class leading at this time.
If the need warrants the Camaro V6 could be adapted easily.
The thing with the Turbo 4 is not many people want to pay over $40k for a Mid size truck. Only offering it with a Turbo 4 option will not sit well with American buyers in general. They can sell it down under but here it would be a difficult sell.
I’ll keep my 07 w/the 4.0… 320,000 & counting.. Had 2 w/a N/A 2.3, turbo ain’t making 300ft lbs @ 3500rpm