2024 Ford Ranger Raptor Review: The Value Raptor

It may seem surprising that truck-crazy North America didn’t get the previous generation Ranger Raptor. With pickup truck sales dominating our sales charts for decades, why didn’t Ford release the off-road version of the brand’s mid-size truck on our shores?

Probably due to two reasons. 

First, mid-size trucks have always been a struggle to take hold in North America. With the vast lineup of full-size trucks, and inevitable discounts and rebates, a mid-size truck has rarely been much of a value proposition. The second factor was the truck itself. Built for overseas markets, it was a bit narrow, and the Raptor originally used a four-cylinder diesel engine. 

But a new generation Ford Ranger is here, and it’s better suited for our region. More importantly, though, we finally get the Ranger Raptor. 

What’s New for 2024:

The new generation Ford Ranger has been launched this year, at least on shores, and the Raptor has come along for the ride. Like its other Raptor siblings, the Ranger receives upgrades in the engine bay, suspension components, and of course wider, more aggressive bodywork. 

Exterior Style:

As mentioned earlier, the new Ranger looks less awkwardly tall, with more familiar proportions. It’s not just a trick of the eye either. The new truck is 210.9-inches (5,357 mm) long, 79.8-inches (2,028 mm) wide, and 75.9-inches (1,927 mm) high. Although that’s about the same length with a small increase in height, there’s a large increase in the Ranger’s width, over a half foot. 

The 2024 Ranger Raptor has many of the Raptor-ized styling features like big FORD text grafted in the front grille, wide fender flares, and off-road ready bumpers. My particular tester came finished in Azure Grey and has optional Raptor graphics. The latter could come off as tacky on most vehicles, but on a flamboyant, flashy Raptor, they kind of work. A few other Raptor exterior touches are the dual exhaust, front bash plate, and optional 17-inch Gray PTD beadlock capable wheels. 

The bed on the new truck is a hair under five feet in length, measuring 59.6-inches (1,514 mm) long. The overall capacity of the truck bed is 43.5 cu. Ft. (1,233 L), with a payload limit of 1,375 pounds (640 kg).

Powertrain and Fuel Economy:

Raptors always get something special under the hood and the Ranger is no exception. Like the Bronco, there’s a 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder unit under the truck’s hood, good here for 405 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission and a true four-wheel drive system. 

Despite the lofty numbers, the Ranger Raptor doesn’t always feel 400+ hp fast. Part of this is a result of the Ranger’s 5,325 lbs (2,415 kg) base curb weight. At times, when gearing and throttle are matched up just right, the truck takes off like a dog after a squirrel. But other times, it accelerates with just decent thrust. 

Ford allows drivers to select one of four exhaust settings: Quiet, Normal, Sport, or Baja. The first two settings are self-explanatory while Sport opens the baffles in the exhaust system for more noise. Baja takes this a step further, along with various on-screen disclaimers it’s intended for off-road use only. I didn’t notice a huge difference in sound between Sprot and Baja during my testing. Regardless of selection, the engine never sounds overly pleasing. It makes a purposeful noise, but with an element of drone in its tone. We hope Ford maybe tunes the exhaust for a pleasant and/or aggressive sound in the future. 

The Raptor’s fuel economy is rated at 16 mpg (14.9 L/100 km) city and 18 mpg (12.8 L/100 km) highway and recommends premium grade gasoline. Although those figures are less than impressive, they’re still better than the 2024 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV.

Handling and Drivability:

It’s no surprise the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor is great off-road, and Kyle Patrick has a full report on that. For the purposes of this review, I’m focusing on how the Ranger Raptor behaves as a day-to-day vehicle. 

I won’t get too much into handling as that is far from this truck’s forte. What I will say is it takes less effort to drive at freeway speeds than the Jeep Gladiator Mojave. Corners can also be negotiated with regular speed. 

Everything else about the Raptor feels like a regular mid-size pickup truck from behind the wheel, if not a bit better in some instances. 

Ride Quality and Comfort:

With 10.7-inches (272 mm) of ground clearance and 285/70R17 all-terrain tires, the Ranger Raptor easily absorbs broken pavement and moderately sized bumps. I’m impressed with how well the Fox Live Valve Shocks dampen the rear suspension on rebound. A lot of trucks with solid rear axles get jittery over successive bumps, but the Ranger always stays planted. 

The seats of the Ranger Raptor are leather trimmed, with the driver’s being 10-way power adjustable and the front passenger’s 8-way power adjustable. Both seats are comfortable for a mid-size pickup truck, offering 41.0-inches (1,011 mm) of headroom and 43.7-inches of (1,109 mm) legroom. The rear seat bench can sit three wide but is a bit more cramped with 38.3 inches (974 mm) of headroom and 34.6-inches (879 mm) of legroom.

If being taken on a long trip with the family, we’d highly recommend a tonneau cover or utilizing the truck’s 5,510 pound (2,499 kg) towing capacity as not much will fit in the cabin once occupied by people. 

Interior Style and Quality:

Inside the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor doesn’t differ too much from other high-end Ranger trim levels. Other than the ubiquitous Raptor badges on places like the seats, steering wheel, and floor mat, it keeps the same utilitarian, yet pleasing and functional cabin design. There’s a 12-inch digital driver information center and another 12-inch screen for the infotainment system. There are a series of AUX switches on the roof which are handy if one plans to outfit this truck with overland gear. 

Tech and Safety:

On a tech front, the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor has the expected equipment like a dual zone climate, ambient lighting, rain sensing wipers, and a wireless phone charger. Also included is a Bang & Olufsen 10 speaker sound system that includes a subwoofer. It’s a good sounding unit that gets plenty loud while remaining clear. The only technology upgrade added to my tester was the Ford keypad entry on the driver’s door.

The Ranger Raptor comes loaded up with safety systems such as Pre-Collision assist, automatic emergency braking, Blind Spot Information System, rear cross traffic alert, a lane-keeping system, active park assist 2.0, parking sensors all around, adaptive cruise control, and a 360 degree camera. 

Value Dollars and Sense:

Perhaps this section should be right up at the top because it’s the 2024 Ranger Raptor’s price that’s the real story. With a starting price, including destination charges, of $57,215 ($80,240 CAD), the Ranger is priced far lower than its Raptor siblings. Both the Bronco Raptor and F-150 Raptor have a starting price around the $80,000 mark including destination charges. 

As tested, our Ranger’s price didn’t increase to much, coming in at $61,405 ($84,670 CAD) after destination charges. Against the competition, the Ranger Raptor is priced similar to the GMC Canyon AT4X and undercuts the Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter. 

Final Thoughts:

The 2024 Ford Raptor Ranger lives up to the off-road pedigree expected of such a vehicle. It also behaves perfectly acceptable on city roads, with a surprisingly smooth-for-its-class ride. As long as one doesn’t expect the same cavernous cabin as a full-size truck, it’s not a bad family hauler either. 

The Ranger Raptor we North Americans finally get is class competitive in terms of price and capability. The real ace up its sleeve may be that it’s also the most affordable Raptor in the Ford family.

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