2024 Ford Ranger Raptor First Test: Could You Daily This Baja Racer?

For Americans, a Raptor version of the Ford Ranger has been a long time coming. First, we had to wait to even get the Ranger back here at all after years of it existing in other markets. Then, we had to wait for the new, built-in-the-U.S. Ranger to finally come online before we could get a wild-child version of Ford’s midsize truck in the form of the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor.

We’ve already driven the new baby Raptor and have had plenty to say about its considerable off-road bona fides. But now, after having spent even more time behind the wheel of the Ranger Raptor on public roads and subjecting it to our instrumented testing routine, we can bring you a more comprehensive look. The short answer? This thing is good, folks.

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Behaving in Public

You’d expect a truck with a tall suspension setup and off-road-specific hardware like the Ranger Raptor to be miserable to drive among the general populace, but that isn’t the case; at least, it wasn’t to us during a four-hour drive from Salt Lake City, to Virgin, Utah. Over roughly 300 miles of paved terrain, the truck proved composed, with just the tiniest hint of suspension lean in the corners to suggest its extreme trail talents. Predictably, the in-cabin drone from its aggressive KO3 tires was a bit on the loud side during our highway jaunt.

At speed, the Ranger Raptor’s 10-speed transmission kept the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V-6 quietly humming in the background, and when we approached clumps of slowed traffic, the brakes bit smoothly and progressively. Overall visibility, especially rearward, was good and informative, and the relaxed seat provided just enough contour that we felt secure, but the cushions were pliant enough that no aches arose from the journey.

Though not equipped with BlueCruise (Ford cited cost as its reason to omit the technology from the truck’s options list), the Ranger Raptor’s adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist were plenty good on their own, significantly reducing driver fatigue. The steering-wheel-mounted buttons required but a mere glance to operate the systems.

However, the large and vertically oriented infotainment screen Ford fitted to the Ranger Raptor proved frustrating to live with. It occupies a ton of visual real estate, and more concerningly we found that it responded sluggishly to user inputs. Making matters more maddening, the climate controls are split between buttons and the touchscreen.

Finally, although we didn’t expect a highly tuned, twin-turbo V-6 engine powering something roughly the dimensions of a shed and more than 5,300 pounds to be particularly fuel-efficient, the Ranger Raptor’s thirstiness cannot go unmentioned. Its EPA-estimated fuel economy is already a paltry 16/18/17 mpg city/highway/combined. In practice and during our Utah trip, the onboard computer reported an average of just under 17 mpg. 

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A Test Measured in Grins

Happily, the test team came back saying only good things about the Ranger Raptor. They likened it to what the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 previously represented for Ford performance cars—high praise considering the Shelby is one of the greatest sports cars ever built. (Author’s Note: I will not be hearing contrary arguments at this time.)

Our figures show a truck that certifiably hauls serious ass. Its 3.0-liter twin-turbo six with 405 horses helped it lay down a 0–60 time of 5.8 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 14.5 seconds at 94.7 mph. It takes a while to slow it to a stop, with a 151-foot braking distance from 60 mph. By comparison, the lower-powered Chevy Colorado ZR2 hit 60 in 6.9 seconds, did the quarter mile in 15.4 seconds at 88.1 mph, and hauled down from 60 to zero in 129 feet.

On our figure eight, the Ranger Raptor completed a run in 28.5 seconds at an average of 0.58 g. Performed in sport mode, with four-wheel drive set in auto mode and with ESC off, we expected the truck to behave like a fish out of water. But it laid down those numbers while also feeling like a real Baja race truck. And what glorious hoonage we experienced while doing so: The pickup has more than enough power to slide all four wheels off the corners.

The transmission, too, earned our praise thanks to its deft downshifting, gear holding, and upshifting when we needed it. The brakes grabbed well overall and were easy to modulate, but keep in mind given its longish stopping distance that this is an off-road-intended truck, so there’s an increased travel in the pedal for making minute modulations at low speeds. Steering weight stayed comfortable; even the ratio was workable in spite of its 3.2 turns lock to lock.

One of the only limiting factors during testing was its set of really, really knobby 285/70R17 116/113S BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A K03 tires, but again, those tires, much like the brakes, are mission specific. If you want a Raptor, then you get Raptor trade-offs.

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Money, Please

As previously reported, the 2024 Ranger Raptor starts at right around $57,000. The test truck also came equipped with options such the Raptor graphic ($750), the keyless keypad ($95), and a spray-in bedliner ($495). Total MSRP comes to $58,405.

On the flip side, the Chevy Colorado ZR2 starts at $48,395, marking a nearly $9,000 difference between the two, which is significant. Their hardware and capabilities are similar, so to us, we’ll call part of this delta what it is: a Raptor tax. The “ZR2” moniker simply doesn’t hold as powerful a cultural cachet as “Raptor” does.

If Ford's goal was to build a midsize pickup that could rage in the sand as well as roll happily on pavement, then consider that mission accomplished. Indeed, it’s why people buy trucks like the Ranger Raptor, to be able to drive daily while knowing that at any time you can hit the trail and experience a sense of heroism from behind the wheel that grows the steeper the trail grade becomes.