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2023 Ford Ranger Raptor Revealed As Chevy Colorado ZR2, GMC Canyon AT4X Rival

The next-generation 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor has made its official debut, arriving as a direct answer to the Chevy Colorado ZR2 and GMC Canyon AT4X.

The 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor, which was shown in European specification this week, is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine producing 284 horsepower and 362 pound-feet of torque. Additionally, the 2.0-liter EcoBlue bi‑turbo diesel engine will continue to be available in the European-spec Ranger Raptor from 2023, although technical details on this updated version of the oil burner are not yet available. To be clear, these engine options and power figures are specific to the European-spec model, and we anticipate the North American model will have slightly different specifications and/or offerings.

Power in the off-road-ready mid-size pickup is sent to a new full-time four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case through a 10-speed automatic transmission. The pickup also features front and rear locking differentials, a selectable drive mode system with an off-road-focused Baja mode and Ford’s TrailControl system, which essentially acts like cruise control for rock crawling, automatically managing the vehicle’s throttle and brake inputs as it traverses rocks and other obstacles.

The new Ranger Raptor has a slightly different chassis than the standard 2023 Ford Ranger with Raptor-specific mounts and reinforcements, along with unique frames for the jounce bumper, shock tower and rear shock bracket. The truck  features different lightweight aluminum upper control arms, long-travel front and rear suspension and a redesigned Watt’s link rear suspension setup, as well. All Ranger Raptor models also come standard with 2.5-inch Fox Live Valve internal bypass shock absorbers. Other typical off-road OEM equipment is standard, too, including underbody skid plates and front and rear tow hooks.

Inside, the truck will come with a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12-inch touchscreen display with Ford Sync 4 and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. A 10-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system is also standard.

European customer deliveries of the 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor will commence in late 2023. We expect Ford to release information on the North American-spec model sometime in the near future.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. FUGLY!!! I would never buy a half ton or whatever these are anyways. Give me a 3/4 and or 1 ton!

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    1. That 2.7 gonna have to really leave an impression! Midsize truck owners will probably look at the V6 first…

      Reply
      1. People said the same thing back when the TTv6 came out and they clearly outsell the V8 easily. The turbo 4 with good numbers will do just fine against this.

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        1. V8’s outsell TT6’s by a 3-1 margin across the industry. Ford holds back the 5.0, doesn’t offer the 6.2 anymore. How can Ford sell V8’s when they don’t offer them. It was a mistake Ford did moving to the more expensive ecoboost gas guzzlers. GM is outselling then consistently in combined sales, and way more profit per unit.

          Reply
  2. Oh great! Another iPad vehicle 🙄

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  3. ZR2 DOES NOT compete with Raptor. ZR2 is an off-road package offered by GM.
    Raptor vehicles offer all the off road components and also come with bigger engines. GM unfortunately has nothing to compete with Raptor!!!

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    1. zr2 is not a package, it is its own standalone trim

      Reply
      1. Yes a trim that comes with all the Off-Road packages GM has. It is NOT a Raptor competitor at all….not even close. Unfortunately.

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        1. How clueless are you ?

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        2. go on chevys website. it doesn’t “come with all the off road packages gm has”. you literally choose it as a trim. you can’t get a LT with a zr2 package. the zr2 is its own trim, NOT a package.

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        3. The ZR2 is not an off-road package as it is a stand alone model. Not sure where you are getting your information from. I own one and it is the farthest thing from the other trims.

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    2. I’m not sure why you think that. In my opinion, they are extremely close competitors. The only midsize trucks that will have a front locking differential are the ranger raptor and chevy zr2. Other “off road” trucks like the tacoma pro or the nissan pro4x do not have locking front diffs.

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      1. How is the ZR2 and the Raptor competitors?
        Besides off-road ability what makes the ZR2 a Raptor competitor? I am not talking down the ZR2 but it is NOT in the same class as the Raptor and TRX.

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        1. Im not sure why you are comparing the midsize ZR2 with a full size TRX. Id agree with you that thise 2 are not close.

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        2. Maybe you are saying raptor when you really mean to say f150 raptor. Ford has 3 raptors now, the f150, ranger, and bronco. Since the article was about the ranger raptor i assumed you meant ranger raptor.

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    3. Dude the ranger raptor is under powered well in Horsepower anyways compared to the Colorado. But the ZR2 is and will be more more capable then the ranger raptor and holds it’sown against the full size f-150 raptor. This new ranger raptor is gonna be a joke and won’t sell like the Colorados do watch.

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      1. The raptor ranger will outsell the zr2, the same way a ranger outsells a colorado. I agree the Zr2 has better specs, i just think the raptor name alone will help it outsell the chevy.

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    4. Twin turbo with under 290 horse is shameful the Colorado with its little four will have 310 HP and 348 lbs of torque with one turbo and two less cylinders . The zr2 clearly outclasses the ranger and is definitely a class in itself .

      Reply
  4. I find it funny that all indications point to GM moving to a single engine choice for the twins and Ford moving to a multi-engine choice for the Ranger. My gut tells me GM didn’t see/doesn’t see the volume numbers to justify multiple engines. While Ford is predicting more volume. Time will tell

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  5. Look the Ford 2.7 and 3.0 are both down on HP and Torque to the 2.7 GM engine.

    Just because of 2 cylinders do not assume less power and less durability.

    Based so far with what we know GM should be class leading in power and Torque as well towing.

    The difference in the full size Raptor is that it was tuned for running fast on dirt roads. The ZR is tuned for trails and rocks.

    Due to this the ZR is a better daily driver as the Raptor on road is not all that great.

    Will have to wait for the Ranger version to see what it is tuned for.

    Either way they will be competitive to each other.

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    1. Only the EU-spec model is down on HP. The Australian Raptor is coming with 392hp which will most likely be the same spec for the rest of the world including the US.

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      1. No the American may be getting the 2.7 Bronco V6 if they can keep them from blowing up,

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        1. And to add, the 2.7 in the Bronco is not much of a performer.

          But, they likely will win the worst fuel mileage award and probably most expensive.

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        2. It’s getting the 3.0 found in the explorer st

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  6. gm just wants the ICE age to end so it can sell its crappy Lectrics.

    Reply
  7. Makes me wonder if they are going to use a LO 2.7t I4 and the HO 2.7t I4. The 2.7t comes with the 2019 to 2022 Silverado output with 309 HP and 348 LB-FT of tq. That’s the LO, the HO could come with the 330 hp and 420 LB-FT tq.

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  8. This article fails to mention that the Australian-spec Raptor is coming with 392hp. Which is most likely going to be offered in the US as well. The European-spec model is down on power due to emission compliance reasons.

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  9. Coming to a dirt parking lot near you!..

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    1. @ Guestt
      Found the hater who can’t afford the raptor or ZR2

      Reply
      1. You’re right, the with the new house I can’t afford the extra payments for either new trucks, how’s Uber doing for you?..

        Reply
  10. Ford ain’t messing around this Ranger will sell and sell well . I Hope GM is ready and put out a quality pickup to compete

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  11. As a GM fanboy, I’m sad to hear about the crazy 392hp this beast is gonna put out. If this were purely a numbers game, I’d buy the Raptor, but my love for GM will force me to at least drive both before I make a decision. I’m biased, but I do still prefer the visual styling of the ZR2 over this, but I don’t think you can debate that the Raptor will be the top performer.

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    1. Power vs availability, true the Ford will be quicker but can you get your hands on one?. GM started getting vehicles to dealers now quicker than Ford, not saying Ford is bad but do you wanna wait for a ride when the ZR2 will probably be on lots, the only other manufacturer that get vehicles to dealers faster is Toyota.

      Reply
      1. Valid point, and I’m not a patient man haha

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        1. Here’s an easy way to put it you want the zr2 that means you are ok with a plastic truck.

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    2. We don’t know for certain if the US Ranger Raptor will follow the Australian model.

      Reply
  12. Hate to admit it, but that will crush the zr2…and I love the zr2.

    The article on yahoo said the NA version of this ranger raptor will be tuned to 400ftlb torque with 310 horsepower. So the HP will be similar to the new Colorado/Canyon, but the Raptor will have more than 100ftlb torque. That’s a massive gap.

    Sucks that GM continues to be happy in 2nd/3rd place and never looks to be a market leader anymore.

    No reason the f150 should be the sales leader for 40 years, but GM continues with the same-as methodology.

    If GM gave me 1hr with their executives I’d have things fixed for them and that’s not because I have any additional brain power, it’s because of common sense and understanding that their is a large base (not niche) that wants things that Ford is actually producing.

    Been holding out for the 2023 Colorado…let’s hope GM stepped up or else I’m leaving GM after a long long time or loyalty.

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    1. Is there any hope they GM’s 4-banger could safely put out more power, and that they might surprise us by doing it factory, or am I dreaming? 🥲

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    2. Huh? First of all if the ranger raptor has the 310/400 you state, that isn’t 100 ftlb more than the next gen twins, the 2.7 will have 400 ftlb give or take depending on the tune.

      Second, that is one of the most insane things I thing I have heard from an arm chair quarter back, an hour and you could fix the everything? Chances are if that happened you would ruin the company as a business doesn’t run how you “think” it does.

      Go ahead and bounce, the grass isn’t always greener and numbers aren’t the end all. GM for example has constantly out performed the higher numbers of the Ford Super Duty trucks in towing even though they had higher “numbers”. We shall see the actual performance but from what I have seen the 3.0 isn’t quite the power house living up to its numbers and the 2.7 GM punches above its weight class…

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      1. I like this comment haha

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      2. That is true. My comps were against the 2019-2021 specs which are at 348ftlb torque

        392 hp and 430 is what roadshow is what is being reported the raptor will have for the US

        So assuming the Colorado gets the same tune as the 2022 Silverado (310 and 430), torque will be same and HP will be short by 80+.

        https://fordauthority.com/2022/02/2023-ford-ranger-raptor-debuts-as-all-new-high-performance-pickup/

        GM desperately needs to build a truck and not a car with a bed. Ive complained before, but when a 4×4 truck air dam scrapes on parking blocks you have a problem. When your zr2 model can’t fit 33 tires without cutting fenders, you have a problem.

        So many areas where they could make a difference. You may think these are small things, but I can promise it makes a difference to a segment that turns them away. These lost sales keep GM in its current spot.

        The Duramax is my all time favorite engine (sucks the 2.8 is going away) and I love that Gale Banks was consulted on the L5P, but I hate that GM locks out the tuning of the transmission. Ford doesn’t and if you follow Duramax tuners, they state it’s a reason the current power stroke is better.

        Meanwhile, Ford even offers factory performance tunes for their Ranger. They are doing way more to expand their base and it’s working for them.

        Also, let’s talk about the v6 in the current Colorado. It’s a car engine, fitted with an updated intake to work in the truck. The engine has more HP than torque. This should never ever happen. A truck should always have more torque. Simple things where GM misses the boat. I’ll avoid dumping on the 8 speed transmission…save that for a later post.

        I sound like a whiner, apologies, but I’ve been a diehard Chevy truck fan (currently a member of truck legends), but currently frustrated with continues misses while the blue oval is continuing to expand. It sucks. GM builds a truck good enough to be the top spot, but multiple minor things will prevent them from getting there. Just have to hope they don’t fall to 3rd consistently.

        2nd-3rd place for 40 straight years is not acceptable.

        Reply
  13. JMO, in the Ford history, Ford has kept the Aussie product line and big HP motors there. They share ideas and some parts but not a full model. I did not find a 5.0 or any 700 plus HP cars there. However, they could share the 3.0 …

    This gen ZR2 Colorado, is about to get a refresh so counting the chickens that the Ranger Raptor will outsell the Colorado ZR2 is premature. These trade rags are going to flood the data market and determine their own opinions for publication, and I expect about half or less say the Ranger Raptor is equal to or less than the Colorado. Ford is going to spend tons on marketing to sell this one off mini me of the Big Raptor.

    Just the opposite, GM, when I purchased my 1994 2 door Sonoma Highrider (cousin of the S-10 ZR2) 4.3 v6 192 bhp and torque 245 lb-ft that kicked all competition. The following year, the 4 door ZR2 was introduced, following that year, the Blaser 2 door ZR2 was released. GM has finally introduced a Silverado ZR2. It took 28 years to copy the Colorado ZR2 instead of giving the Silverado its own name like ZR3 or some other name.

    my 2 cents…

    Reply
  14. 70,000 for the mini Raptor is a lot of money for a mid size truck ,just saying.especially when they said a full size Raptor starts at 64,000 for the base Raptor something is wrong with Fords pricing.

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    1. I believe that’s the Australia price and everything they receive is marked up heavily due to shipping costs.

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    2. 70k aus is 50k usd, price is confirmed for 52.5k in the US market.

      Reply
  15. Looks like Ford is going after the Colorado ZR2 market instead of the desert racer market. The ranger raptor actually makes a compelling choice against the ZR2 since huge horsepower numbers only matter for off road racing. Maybe this will force GM to actually innovate instead of waiting until their competitors outsell them

    Reply
    1. I don’t understand this comment. The ZR2 is a desert racer. And it’s been dominant in actual desert racing competitions in partnership with Chad Hall Racing. That’s where they test components before bringing them to the production models.

      Reply

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