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The folks at ’The Bronco Nation’ got to see the Bronco Raptor in flesh after the 2021 SEMA Show
by Sidd Dhimaan, onThe Bronco Raptor has been in the news pretty much the day after the Bronco was unveiled. A lot of rumors and speculations were seen headlining the auto scene, but nothing was official for over a year. In September, however, Ford confirmed that the Bronco Raptor is coming in 2022. Post this announcement, one thing was sure – we would be hearing and seeing a lot more about it.
As it turns out, we have our first scoop already. A bunch of folks from ’The Bronco Nation’ were invited to see the Bronco Raptor in person and thanks to them, we have our best glimpse of the burly off-roader to date.
It Has Been A Long Time Coming
There was no reason why Ford would not roll out a beefier version of the Bronco SUV. Heck, a Ford employee even spilled the beans on the B-Raptor’s existence! Ford has managed to cover most of the bases with the Bronco, but there’s always scope for improvement when you’re talking about off-roaders. So, in September this year, the company announced that the Bronco Raptor is coming. It released a trailer with the caption “Ford Bronco Raptor Coming In 2022”, but it didn’t give us any details.
Now, the Bronco Nation team has given us the best view of the Bronco Raptor. Three representatives were taken to an undisclosed location to see the vehicle.
The Raptor is covered in little camouflage. It can be seen riding on 37-inch tires and has a much wider and beefier stance than the standard model. The basic body design is the same, though. You can even see the grille with the amber lights here. There is a large skid plate, steel bumper, and a beefy suspension as well.
What Do We Know About The Bronco Raptor So Far?
Ford has managed to let a few details about the Bronco Raptor slide. One of them came right before it was officially confirmed by the guys at the Blue Oval. A Bronco6G member came across the Bronco Raptor in the Ford ordering system and found two grades of it; one a base trim, and the other, a Lux Equipment package. Three color options were also seen here Code Orange, Eruption Green, and Hot Pepper Red.
Ford doesn’t take the ‘Raptor’ moniker lightly, so expect more than just a few changes and add-ons to the Bronco Raptor. We’ve already seen that it has a taller and wider stance, is equipped with steel bumpers, and rides on huge 37-inch tires. Other things that you can expect here are underbody protection, a fully-functional hood scoop, etc. We expect some design elements from the first-gen Baja racer from the 70s to also be incorporated here.
What Can Be Expected On The Bronco Raptor?
The one thing that would’ve made the Bronco complete is a V-8 engine, but the company has confirmed that it won’t be happening from the factory. However, companies like Hennessey will fill that void for you. Anyway, coming back to the Bronco Raptor, don’t expect a V-8 engine here either. The most likely contender is a re-tuned version of the Bronco’s 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6 mill that could make around 400 horses here.
If the company decides to take on the Wrangler Rubicon 392, then we could have over 450 horses. For this, Ford could bring in the 3.0-liter V-6 that’s seen in the Lincoln Aviator and the Explorer ST. Don’t rule out a hybrid Bronco Raptor, either. The Wrangler Rubicon 392, by the way, puts out 470 horses and 470 pound-feet of torque.
Apart from this, the Bronco Raptor will surely feature a reworked chassis, and a lot of other enhanced off-road equipment. This being a desert runner, the suspension will be another important aspect that Ford will focus on. The High-performance Off-road Stability Suspension on the standard Bronco is pretty good, but won’t be good enough for the Raptor. A beefier version would be the one we saw on the 2019 Bronco R race prototype that came with a five-link independent suspension at the rear with 18 inches of travel and an independent front suspension with 14 inches of travel.
If the Bronco Desert Racer that was recently unveiled is anything to go by, then we could see the standard Bronco’s HOSS system itself being made even more robust. This would include:
- Positional Selective DSSV Dampers with 80mm bodies with finned fluid cooling channels
- Multimatic-designed billet aluminum lower control arms
- 15.8 inches of front suspension travel
- 17.4 inches of rear suspension travel
Conclusion
Ford has already killed the Bronco pickup plans, so expect it to invest all its energy and resources here and go berserk with the Bronco Raptor. The SUV is set to arrive in 2022, but we are sure details will keep coming in right until the launch. What are your expectations of the Bronco Raptor? Share them with us in the comments section below.
Source: The Bronco Nation
