What is a Ranger? A Ranger is a midsize pickup truck built in the Wayne, Michigan assembly plant and sold in North America by Ford. Slotting between the F150 full size truck and the Maverick compact truck, the Ranger is the middle child of the pickup truck lineup from Ford. Not too big, not too small, it’s just the right size for just about everyone.
Over the 107 years that Ford has been in the truck business, many examples have stood out, making an undeniable impact on the direction of this iconic franchise. Trucks have been a regular part of Ford Motor Company’s lineup since 1917. The earliest models were utilitarian with chassis and bodies based on the company’s automobiles.
Henry Ford gets the credit for both the first factory built pickup truck, and for coining the term “pickup.” The 1925 Model T Roadster with a pickup body was created when Ford saw an opportunity to cash in on the fact that many farmers were modifying the famously simple and rugged Model T automobiles for hauling stuff and doing farm work.
So then what is a Raptor pickup truck? Fast forward 100 years and today the Raptor nameplate is used by Ford for its high performance pickup trucks and SUVs. In use since the 2010 model year, the Raptor is designated as the highest performance version of the Ford F-150, the Ford Bronco and now the Ford Ranger.
To highlight this new addition to the Raptor family, this week Ford sent me a 2024 Ford Ranger SuperCrew 4×4 midsize pickup truck to test drive and review. The base window sticker price for this new 2024 Raptor edition is $53,365. The options on the test truck are: the exterior entry keypad for $95, the 17″ gray bead-lock off road alloy wheels for $1,495, and the Toughbed spray-in bed liner for $495. The manufactures suggest retail price (MSRP), including the $1,595 destination fee, is: $59,045.
Adding in the state and local sales tax, plus the DMV and dealers fees, the out the door and in your driveway total purchase price came to: $66,426. Since the base price for a brand new 2024 Ranger starts at just $32,720, this Ranger Raptor costs over $26 Grand more over the base price, plus tax and plates. So, what do you get for you hard earned extra $26,000+ dollars? If your passion in life is taking to the great outdoors to enjoy jumping sand dunes and rock climbing then the Raptor is the truck for you.
Power for your next off road adventure starts with a 3.0 liter twin turbo EcoBoost V-6 gas engine with 405 horsepower with 430 pound-feet of torque. The engine is bolted to a 10 speed Select Shift automatic transmission mated to an advanced 4 wheel drive traction control system, with a new electronically controlled on demand 2 speed transfer case, with front and rear locking differentials. Think more power, traction and control.
At the heart of every Ranger Raptor lies a purpose built suspension system that includes lightweight aluminum upper and lower control arms, and a long travel rear suspension, with a Watts linkage and trailing arms. Its wide stance suspension has Fox Live Valve shocks with variable compression damping, and the rear ones have remote reservoirs for extra cooling. The big news is the all new coil sprung rear axle assembly that’s unique to the Ford Ranger Raptor, as all the other Ford Ranger pickups have rear leaf springs.
As a Raptor is a rough and tumble capable off road truck first hand, it still has a full array of high tech, safety and security systems to make it a perfect daily driver, and they start with: cross traffic alert, anti-lock brakes, Fox live action valve shocks, intelligent cabin access with push button start, lane keeping assist, pre collision assist, a rear view camera, remote keyless entry, remote start, SiriusXM satellite radio, 6 pre-wired upfitter switches, canopy airbags, belt minder chimes, a latch child safety system, a passive anti-theft system and a tire pressure monitoring system. It’s more than enough stuff to inform and protect you on the highway, off the road and your passengers, all the time, 24/7.
The 2024 Ranger Raptor is an impressive high performance truck, and at the same time, this pickup feels perfectly at home cruising on a country back road or on the freeway. So, call, click or visit your local Ford dealer for a test drive, and a Bottom Line price review, on the new 2024 Ford Ranger SuperCrew 4×4 Raptor midsize pickup truck. And remember that the base price for a Ranger starts at $32,720. Ranger – Built Ford Tough.
Be smart, stay safe, and just breathe. Remember, You Are What You Drive, and maybe, just for those reasons alone, you should Drive one, Buy one, Today. Have a great day, drive safely, and enjoy the ride, as the future looks nice and bright – Tony the Car Guy.
This Bottom Line new vehicle review is a Nut & Bolt and Dollars & Sense editorial provided by Tony Leopardo. Tony the Car Guy is an automotive writer, editor and publisher in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have a question, or comment for Tony, send it to tonyleo@pacbell.net and visit AutoWire.Net at www.autowire.net
