1 minute read
BIGGER&BETTER
Next Article
Bronco Raptor boastsmorepower, beefierpresence
Bigger, brawnierand fasteroff-roadthan any Ford SUVthat camebefore Ford’s 2022 Bronco Raptorwillhit the roadthissummer with more power, luxury anda seriouslyupgradedsuspension and chassis.
Priceswillstart at $68,500, plus$1,495destination charge.
That’s more thandoublethebasepriceof a 2022 four-doorBronco,which is $33,450, according to Ford.
That gets youa Bronco that’s wider tougherlooking,better equipped and more capableofboth high-speed desert racing andslowlycrawling over rocks,Bronco brandmanagerEstebanPlaza-Jennings said.
Ford willstart taking ordersfor the Bronco Raptorin March butmost ofthe first year’s productionis expected togoto peoplewho convert existingBronco reservations to theRaptor The automaker won’t sayhow manyRaptorsthe Wayne, Mich.,assemblyplantcan make,butoutputwillbe “limited.”
TheBronco Raptor’s bi-turboV6is expected to producemore than 400 horsepower, compared with 315 forthe top current model. YouthinktheBronco looks tough?
TheBronco Raptor— thesecond Ford togeta Raptorperformance model,after theF-150 pickup— is 9.8 incheswiderthana regularBronco, design chiefPaul Wraith said.
Thatincludes an 8.6-inch wider track the distance betweenthecenterofeach wheel on the frontor rear axle andmassively bigger fendersand flares.
The extrasizemakes room for 37-inch BFGoodrich all-terraintires,thelargest production tiresmadein America andnot coincidentally 2 inchesbigger than thetiresonthe Wrangler XtremeRecon,theoff-road warrior Jeep addedlast year to fight a wave ofpositive publicity forthe Bronco.
Other exterior changes includea new grillewith “Ford”written acrossitand abigger openingforincreased cooling.The front bumperisalsonew, and there’s a visiblesilverskid plate with tow hooks.Highintensity LEDlights mountedinthebottom outboard corners come with capsbecause they’re too bright to legallyuse on-road. The front fendersand hood have functional vents. Arockrailwithstepshelps with entry and exit, given theRaptor’s 4.8 inches of additional groundclearance to 13.1 inches.
Betterlookand feel
Theinterior featuresa super-clear customizable 12-inch instrumentcluster that emphasizes thetachometerand 12-inch touch screen. The beefyleather steering wheelisthicker than thestandard Bronco andhasbuttons to adjust suspension,steering and exhaust,plusan“R button for customizeddriving preferences. Magnesium paddleshiftersalsoare standard.
Thebaseinteriorhas marine-gradevinylseats and a rubberized floor. Seatswithleatherbolsters andsuedeinsertsare optional. Other optionsincludecarbon fibertrim.
Adaptive cruise control and 10-speakerB&Oaudio are available.
Tougherchassis, more towing A3.0L bi-turboV6is expected to producemore than400hp, 10-speedautomatictransmission and four-wheeldrive are standard. The chassisandsuspension were reinforced to handlethe extrapower and impacts fromhigh-speed off-roading.
The frame largelycarries over fromthebaseBronco, butnew shock towersand other changesincrease wheeltravel to 13 inchesat the frontand 14 in the rear. The rearaxleand front half shafts all fromsupplier Dana were bothupgraded to handlethe extra power andimpacts. Acrossbarinthe roof andC-pillarbracehelp increase torsionalstiffness more than 50 percent.The plastichard top is removable. Arearbraceincreases towingcapacity 1,000
