To Surprise of No One, 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor is Ridiculous
Photo: Ford
We didn’t have to wade too deep into 2022 before Ford dropped some goodness on us. Ford dropped the first photos — and plenty of juicy running footage — of the all-new 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor, and as you could probably guess, it’s bananas.
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Ford Built Bronco Raptor for ‘hardcore’ off-roading
Melding the Bronco and Raptor brands, the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor draws inspiration from the ULTRA4 Racing off-road competition (for which Ford is the official truck and SUV). That means it’s even more trail- and desert-ready than the Bronco, which just keeps on wowing and recently picked up the 2022 North America Utility Vehicle of the Year award.
“We had to build the Bronco Raptor — it’s our ultimate vehicle for hardcore off-road enthusiasts who demand something more,” said Carl Widmann, Ford Performance chief engineer. “Like the Ultra4 desert race trucks, the ‘Raptor of SUVs’ conquers desert dunes at highway speeds and is equipped with competition-level off-road technology and hardware.”
Building off the foundation of the Bronco, the first-ever Raptor model gets upgrades including a Dana 50 Heavy-Duty AdvanTEK solid rear axle and Dana 44 AdvanTEK front-drive unit axle, increasing track width by 8.6 inches. It also gets a FOX-tuned HOSS system with FOX 3.1 Internal Bypass Semi-Active Dampers, beefed-up transfer case, and three-mode advanced 4×4 system.
More? Okay, sure. The 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor gets 13.1 inches of minimum ground clearance thanks in part to 37-inch BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrain tires. You read that right. 37 inches. That’s the largest tire of any production SUV on the planet. And you can pair those beefy rubbers with two styles of beadlock-capable Ford Performance wheels.
Oh, and it’s stupid powerful, too
Photo: Ford
When Ford sticks the name Raptor on a vehicle, you can bank on three things: increased off-road prowess, a big ol’ FORD on the grille, and a whopper of an engine. As expected, the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor gets the twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 made famous by the Explorer ST. While Ford didn’t have the official figures available, the Bronco Raptor should get up over 400 horsepower. Yikes.
That means the Bronco Raptor would deliver about 100 horsepower more than the 2022 Bronco with the 2.7-liter turbo V6. It also makes it the most powerful street-legal (and off-road-legal) Bronco yet, obvi. Because it’s intended for desert use, it gets unique tuning from Ford Performance, intercooling, and air induction.
The Bronco Raptor’s mighty V6 works with the 10-speed SelectShift automatic — also tuned up by Ford performance — and roars via a dual-exhaust system with active-valve technology. You’ll be able to set the Bronco Raptor to Quiet mode so that you don’t cheese off the neighbors in the morning, but you’ll also want to make sure to switch that over to Sport or Baja mode once you get out there and start getting wild.
Speaking of getting wild, the Bronco Raptor adds a retuned Baja G.O.A.T. Mode that helps prevent turbo lag. It also gets a new Tow/Haul mode that allows for max towing up to 4,500 pounds, beefing up the Bronco’s towing by 1,000 pounds.
Bronco Raptor gets unique style, features
The Ford Bronco is already a looker, drawing on that classic Bronco design and modernizing it without compromising its core characteristics. Ford keeps on keeping on with the stylish Bronco Raptor, which is about as snazzy as Dr. Alan Grant’s red neckerchief.
In addition to the big FORD block letters on the signature grille, you get integrated Rigid LED fog lamps and off-road lamps that can be easily removed. Also unique to the Bronco Raptor is a lightweight hood made from sheet-molding compound and featuring an integrated Carbon Black vent. But wait! There’s more. Ford also swapped out the fenders and quarter panels for unique’ns made from sheet-molding compound. Bonus: You can also add a Bronco Raptor Graphics Package with a unique splatter design.
Inside, the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor offers Black Onyx seats made with marine-grade vinyl and rubberized washout flooring so you don’t need to sweat sweating stuff up. There’s also an optional upgrade to laser-perforated Black Onyx Neo suede seats as well as fancy bits like a vinyl-wrapped topper for the instrument panel, carpeted floor, and Code Orange seat belts.
The 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor also features a 12-inch touch screen with SYNC 4 and a 12-inch digital cluster. The latter offers a model-specific Performance View with customizable gauges and gear readings.
Who can get a 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor and when?
Unlike most newer releases, Ford didn’t immediately open up reservations for the 2022 Bronco Raptor. Instead, that’ll kick off in March, giving everyone lots of time to get good and ready.
If you’re one of the folks with an outstanding reservation for a Ford Bronco and you like whatcha see, you’re in luck. Ford says it’ll start reaching out to Bronco reservation holders to give them the chance to convert their dibs to a Bronco Raptor. Current res holders will make up “a majority of the 2022 model year Bronco Raptor allocation.”
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.