For those who wished the beastly Bronco Desert Racer had a street legal counterpart, Ford presents the 2022 Bronco Raptor.
The over-the-top trim for Ford’s revived 4×4 doesn’t run the Mustang GT’s V8 like the off-road only Bronco DR. But that’s OK, because Ford has uptuned its 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 and equipped new twin-turbos to produce a targeted 400-plus horsepower, which is exactly Ford promised when the Bronco DR was first unveiled.
The Bronco Raptor looks like an absolute brute. Design chief Paul Wraith said the extreme proportions suit the “most badass Bronco yet” in a statement, and no one is arguing.
Ford stripped the base Bronco to its frame and built a Raptor-specific shell encompassing front and rear-quarter panels, fenders, fender flares and door appliques, bumping up the width by 9.8 inches over the standard Bronco.
Dual Raptor logos on the hood allude to the turbos, and an available Bronco Graphics Package will take the menacing aesthetics further with overlapping trapezoidal splatter patterns on the rear bodysides and hood.
The signature rectangular grille with FORD block lettering is flanked by model-specific round LED headlights and integrated amber marker lamps. Ford Performance contributed a front bumper with removable end caps for improved off-road clearance and integrated LED fog and off-road lamps by Rigid for extra illumination in the wild.
These mean exterior upgrades aren’t just for show. Ford is billing the Bronco Raptor as the “world’s first Ultra4-Inspired SUV”—Ultra4 being a racing truck series that covers both high-speed desert and treacherous rocky terrain.
The list of off-road tech is extensive. Buyers get the same axles used on the Bronco DR, which increases track width by 8.6 inches compared to the base Bronco, while ground clearance is increased by 4.8 inches to 13.1 inches.
A higher capacity clutch and upgraded transfer case, longer-travel control arms, and 37-inch(!) all-terrain tires wrapped around 17-inch beadlock wheels are all standard.
Inside, base Bronco Raptors get Black Onyx marine-grade vinyl seats, washout rubber flooring, and Ford Performance Code Orang accents on the drive mode dial, dash vents, door netting, steering wheel stitching, and even the push-button illumination.
Priced from $69,995, the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor is available to order in March before deliveries begin this summer.
