2019 Ford Ranger Raptor Arrives With 210 HP Diesel, Off-Road Ready Suspension

Sam McEachern
by Sam McEachern

The 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor has made its official debut in Thailand, arriving with a 210 hp turbo diesel powertrain and an upgraded suspension system ready to take on the toughest of off-road terrain.

This global spec Ranger Raptor won’t be coming to the United States, but it could give us an idea of what to expect if Ford brings a similar product of the same to North America. The powertrain consists of the same 10-speed automatic transmission from the F-150 Raptor, which is paired with a 2.0-liter twin-turbocharged diesel engine making 210 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque. Helping put the power to the ground is a Terrain Management System with six different drive modes including Normal and Sport, and off-road modes like Grass/Gravel/Snow, Rock Mode and Baja Mode. There’s even a Desert Rally mode that will adjust the ESC and allow the truck to get sideways on loose surfaces.

What customers will really be paying for with the ranger Raptor is the suspension. It has a frame specially prepared for the rigours of off-road driving, along with a coilover rear suspension with a Watt’s link and a solid rear axle. There’s also ‘Position Sensitive Damping’ Fox Racing shock absorbers up front and out back, which are mounted using forged aluminium upper arms and cast aluminium lower arms. The braking system is also rather robust, consisting of twin-piston front callipers and 13-inch ventilated front and rear rotors. As for tires, the Ranger Raptor will come with all-terrain BF Goodrich rubber that Ford says is appropriate for use both on and off paved roads.

SEE ALSO: 2019 Ford Ranger Gets 2.3L EcoBoost Engine, 10-Speed Transmission

Other off-road equipment on the 2019 Ranger Raptor includes a silver-finished, 2.3mm thick steel skid plate, dual front recovery hooks, transfer case undershields and an engine undershield. The truck will also come well-equipped with Ford’s Sync3 multimedia system with satellite navigation and an eight-inch digital display. There will be raft of driver assistance tech as well, such as roll mitigation, trailer sway control, hill start assist, hill decent control and a rear-view camera.

Pricing for the 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor has yet to be announced. It will be sold in Australia and other Asia-Pacific markets beginning later this year.

Discuss this story on our Ford Ranger Forum.

Sam McEachern
Sam McEachern

Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.

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