Ford Ranger Raptor Could Arrive in US With Gas Engine
The global spec Ford Ranger Raptor made its official debut this week, but the diesel-powered pickup won’t be arriving in North America.
That doesn’t mean Ford will never bring the Ranger Raptor to its home market, however. Speaking to Drive at the debut event for the truck, Ford Performance chief engineer Jamal Hameedi said the Raptor would probably be very popular in the US, but the automaker would have to toss out the twin-turbo 2.0-liter diesel engine it will be offered with in markets like Australia in favor of gasoline unit.
“Raptors are a slam dunk for the US,” Hameedi said. “I think it [the Ranger Raptor] would do really well in the states.”
“I think most American off-roaders would actually prefer a petrol gas engine, but a diesel is the absolute way to go for the rest of the world,” he added.
SEE ALSO: 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor Arrives With 210 HP Diesel, Off-Road Ready Suspension
It’s not like Ford doesn’t have the perfect engine for the Ranger Raptor at its disposal. The 350 hp 2.3-liter turbocharged engine used in other Ford Performance products, such as the Mustang EcoBoost and Ford Focus RS, would be perfect engine to power the US-spec Ranger Raptor.
Before the Ranger Raptor arrives in the US, however, Hameedi wants to make sure the entire world can buy a Raptor-badged Ford product, telling Drive “our first priority is to get a Raptor available to everyone on the planet earth.”
So the US spec Ranger Raptor will be a 2019 model year then, Mr. Hameedi?
Discuss this story on our Ford Ranger Forum.
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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I want a Ranger Raptor diesel. Why can't I have the diesel?