Ford Ranger Raptor Spy Shots Reveal Close-Up Details

Matthew Guy / August 11, 2017

Yes, good things come to those who wait, especially those who’ve been waiting for another mid-sized off-road bruiser. Sources have spied a hardcore off-road version of the upcoming Ford Ranger once again, so it seems like the Colorado ZR2 and Tacoma TRD Pro will have some company on the trails pretty soon from Ford.

Getting up close and personal, spy photographers saw the Ranger “Raptor” wearing 285/70 R17 BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A tires, very similar to the hoops found on Jeep’s Wrangler Rubicon. Raptor is our best guess at the moment on what Ford will call the truck, but the actual production name is still unknown. For now, it’s the Ranger Raptor until we find out otherwise.

A glance underneath the truck revealed underbody camo, a first to our eyes but a great clue that the brains at Ford are potentially cooking up something big for the suspension.

In addition to their cameras, spy photographers also have ears, confirming this particular truck was testing with a diesel engine. More than likely, Ford’s 3.2L I5 PUMA mill is under the hood of this prototype. If true, this will put the Colorado ZR2, available with GM’s 2.8L Duramax diesel, squarely in the crosshairs of this Ranger “Raptor.”

This prototype has an aggressive front end compared to other 2019 Ranger prototypes that have been spied in the past, keeping with the F-150 Raptor’s modified styling and changes made to other off-road focused midsizers like the ZR2 and TRD Pro. Other changes seem to include wider fenders and an increased ride height. Extensive polka-dot camo foil attempts of further speculation but the taillights on this “Raptor” do look similar to the units seen on spy shots of other Rangers this year.

READ MORE: Is This is the Ford Ranger Raptor?

Engine options may include the 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6 detuned for the Ranger, or a version of the smaller 2.7-liter Ecoboost V6 also found in the F-150. These two engines are logical choices for the new Ranger, confirmed at NAIAS in Detroit for the 2020 model year, along with the new 10-speed automatic co-developed with GM.

So far, photographers have collected shots of both extended cab and crew cab prototypes of the upcoming Ranger. Expect to see a Ranger “Raptor” sometime after the standard models appear in the 2019 calendar year.