Event Overview - Ford Ranger Raptor Experience
Thanks to Ford UK we stared 2023 off with a bang, being invited to the exclusive Ford Ranger Raptor Experience to see the All-New 3.0l V6 Ranger Raptor.
The event was held at Slindon 4x4, a massive 100 acre site in West Sussex, with specially setup baja sand track and medium & extreme trail routes for the Ford Event.
During the week-long event, Ford UK brought a variety of Petrol All-New Raptors (also available in a diesel 2.0L EcoBlue 205PS 10-speed auto) in Code Orange and Blue Lightning; some of which were given to various media companies and journalists for testing. On our day of the event we got to see a LHD German registered pre-production model as well as 2 UK specification Raptors.
Slindon 4x4
Located in Arundel in the South Downs, Slindon Safari is a massive 100-acre private site, operated and managed by John Morgan. The site features different test tracks for suspension, traction control, ground clearance, entry and departure clearance, differential lockers, and hill descent control.
All-New 3.0L V6 Ford Ranger Raptor on the Baja track at Slindon Safari - Driven by one of the most successful off-road racers in Europe; Jim Marsden
Members had the opportunity to experience the Raptor’s amazing performance thanks to pro drivers; Jim Marsden and Alex Parpottas and the truck’s new twin turbo 3.0L V6 engine, producing 292PS & 491Nm making it the most powerful production Ranger ever. On the Baja track, the FOX 2.5” Live-Valve shocks (fitted on the petrol variant Raptor) really came into their own, using sensors to monitor driver and vehicle inputs 500x per second, then adjusting compression damping in real-time.
The Raptor has 7 different drive modes; Normal, Sport, Slippery, Mud/Ruts, Sand, Baja and Rock Crawl which were put to the test on the various terrains, with the truck not breaking a sweat.
The most noticeable thing about the new Raptor, other than it’s aggressive looks is the active valve exhaust system which features 4 unique sound profiles. Throughout the day the exhaust system was set to Baja Mode (as shown in videos above), being the loudest and best sounding of the options and could be heard over the whole site and above the sound of member’s engines.
The interior of the Next-Generation Ranger Raptor has had a massive revamp with 6x auxiliary upfitter switches, wireless device charging, 12.4 inch digital instrument cluster, rear climate control and super stylish ‘hidden’ door handles. The seats are really comfy for road driving but still hold you securely when pushing the truck off-road.
As shown by Jim Marsden the massive centre screen boasts a whole host of functions such as 360 degree camera with split-view display and front facing camera for excellent field of view.
During the day, we made the most of the Ranger’s off-road sync screen which shows steering angle, pitch and roll angles as well as a predictive track overlay.
Member line up with the All-New Ranger Raptor
Throughout the day, members had multiple runs around the rough baja track where the Raptor’s suspension was put to proper use and amazed everyone. The rest of the day was filled with members exploring the various trails around the site in their own vehicles, which was great as a comparison against these new generation trucks. Across the various terrains the All-New Ranger clearly outperformed the ‘PX3’ Rangers and older generation Raptor, really showing how much work has gone into the performance and handling of the new model.
We’d like to say a big thanks to Ford for inviting us to this event, showing us what the All-New Ranger Raptor is capable of and keeping us all fed!
