2024 Ford Ranger Raptor Review: For Price And Off-Road Punch There's No Competition

The word "Raptor," when associated with Ford products, immediately evokes mental images of big, off-road-ready all-terrain tires, beadlock wheels, and a whole lot of power. For most, it also evokes mental images of the iconic Ford F-150. However, over the past few years, Ford has expanded the Raptor name and attributes to other models. The Bronco Raptor, for example, is a big and beastly off-road SUV that is ready to handle virtually any terrain you throw at it, rightly joining the F-150 Raptor as flagships of the Ford off-road world. 

However, the new-to-America Ranger Raptor is just as ready for rough-and-tumble adventures, despite its smaller footprint and substantially smaller price tag. When the 2024 Ranger Raptor arrived, I dove in with extremely high expectations. Sure, it's the smaller and more accessible Raptor. It is, however, still a Raptor. 

Having spent time with a Bronco Raptor last year, the bar was already set relatively high. I'm happy to report that I am not only left with those expectations met and exceeded, but I'm now of the opinion that the Ford Ranger Raptor is probably the best product to bear the Raptor name that has ever come from the Blue Oval.

The Ranger Raptor shares the 3.0-liter EcoBoost twin-turbocharged V6 engine with the Bronco Raptor. It packs a ferocious punch, with 405 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. Power's routed through a 10-speed automatic transmission and a full-time four-wheel-drive system, with an on-demand two-speed transfer case that can be activated on the fly to control where the grunt is going.

That power wouldn't mean anything if it couldn't be put down. Fortunately, the 33-inch all-terrain tires wrapped around beadlock wheels provide more than adequate traction in even the most challenging conditions. Of course, it's a Raptor, so it also features Fox Racing live-valve shocks with electronically controllable settings to ensure the suspension is idealized for your driving conditions, whether it be on a high-speed off-road adventure or towing a boat to the lake for the weekend.

Either situation benefits from the Ranger Raptor's 360-degree camera: When in the Off-Road or Baja driving modes, the center console automatically displays the forward-facing camera with a predictive tire path that adapts to steering inputs. It's fantastic when you're crawling over rocks or navigating deep dips and ravines, delivering an invaluable view of what you're up against.

405 horsepower is more than sporty on tarmac, but when you're off the road, the Ranger Raptor might as well be a rocket ship. The way the tires grip up on slippery dirt roads and blast you forward is intoxicating and, frankly, terrifying the first few times. Blasting down a bumpy dirt road at highway speeds is not something most folks are prepared for. That said, it's one of those experiences that will instantly slap you with a new addiction. 

Power is only part of the equation. The Fox suspension allows you to glide over large dips and bumps on dirt roads at speed in a way that barely even upsets the ride experience for occupants. Those very same dips and bumps would be felt in your back for weeks after if you hit them at those speeds in a vehicle with standard suspension.

You don't have to take my word for its off-road driving characteristics, though, since in 2022 Ford took the Ranger Raptor to the Baja 1000. If you aren't familiar with it, the Baja 1000 is a grueling off-road race in Mexico that nearly half of all entrants don't complete. The Ranger Raptor featured some safety enhancements like a roll cage and a suspension lift, but was otherwise stock: It won its class and drove back to its home base in Riverside, California, afterward.

At the end of the day, the Ranger Raptor is still a pickup truck with four doors and a five-foot bed. Taller folks may struggle in the rear, but the leather-trimmed front bucket seats combined with the off-road suspension mean a plush and comfortable ride. In terms of doing "truck stuff," the Ranger Raptor is a little bit less capable than its other Ranger brethren due to its suspension. However, the mighty mini Raptor is still capable of towing up to 5,510 pounds and has a payload capacity of 1,375. 

The biggest elephant in the "practicality" ballroom is fuel economy. Unsurprisingly, the 400 horsepower 4x4 pickup spinning 33-inch all-terrain tires doesn't do so hot in that department. The EPA gives an estimated fuel economy rating of a 17 mpg combined. However, in my real-world road trip testing, I managed to get a hair over 21 mpg over the course of 150 miles with an average speed of just over 70 mph. Sure, it isn't what one might call "great" on fuel. However, the tradeoff for its capabilities is unavoidable. 

In essence, the Ranger Raptor can indeed be a very comfortable daily driver. It could even tick the boxes for your next work truck purchase, if you can waive off the fuel economy. That's no strange or new feeling to truck buyers, of course.

Unlike some modern displays, the Ranger Raptor's sizable center touchscreen keeps up just fine with combinations of taps and drags. Whether I was bouncing around to the 360 camera in off-road situations, or scrolling through satellite radio stations, I didn't run into a single scenario where I managed to trip up the display. The same went for the stability of the wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity.

Some reviewers have lambasted the Ranger's gear selector, but it seemed intuitive to me. So much so that I didn't think about it once. However, the control knob for selecting your drive mode is a little loose, and doesn't respond explicitly to twists. The corresponding display on the gauge cluster lags behind its inputs a bit, too, which led me to jump around the drive modes a handful of times.

Otherwise, the interior experience is solid. Sure, there's an argument to be made that some of the plastic materials give it a bit of a cheaper feel, especially when up against the leather-trimmed Raptor seats. However, at the end of the day, it's still a Ford Ranger, and you really can't go into it expecting all-out luxury.

Undoubtedly, the Ranger Raptor just made its way to the top of the list with my favorite Ford off-road-ready trucks. Its smaller footprint in both length and width gives it more access than the Bronco and F-150 in certain scenarios. Thinner trails and low-hanging obstacles leave you without worry for your paint. On the flip side, though, you're not sacrificing the off-road performance we've all come to know and love courtesy of the Raptor name and lineup. 

Best of all, the Ranger Raptor comes in at a whopping $35,000 less than the Bronco Raptor, and over $20,000 cheaper than the F-150 Raptor, with its starting price sitting at $55,620 for the 2024 model year. As tested, the example I spent the week with still had an MSRP under $60,000. 

Overall, the 2024 Ranger Raptor leaves me with almost nothing to complain about. The biggest issue I ran into while behind the wheel was the overwhelming urge to rip it off the road at every single dirt road that I passed. That, and the fact that I spent a healthy amount of money at the car wash after putting the Ranger Raptor through its paces out in the desert. It's a phenomenally capable truck that is guaranteed to leave you with a big smile on your face.