Ford Ranger “Raptor” Spied Again Hiding Special Chassis Bits

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Ford might rule the full-size truck world in the United States, but it has a gap the size of a small pickup in its lineup. That’s about to change, as Ford announced that it is finally bringing back the Ranger, along with the super-hyped Bronco SUV, to the land of 50 states. Dearborn’s former sales monster will return to a revitalized segment to compete against new players like the Honda Ridgeline and renewed Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon (not to mention an old foe, the Toyota Tacoma).

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Ford already is looking one level up to the Colorado ZR2 and the Tacoma TRD Pro, special off-road versions of the aforementioned. Our spy photographers have caught a beefier Ranger test vehicle in action, and its parts paint a picture that looks awfully similar to that of a shrunken F-150 Raptor.

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This is not the first time we’ve seen a Ranger prototype with these bits, but this time the photographer got so close that the engineer minding the truck actually threatened to fight him (that’s not the first time a prototype driver has gotten testy, and surely won’t be the last).

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As in those earlier photos, this Ranger wears thick, knobby 285/70R-17 BF Goodrich All-Terrain TA tires around blacked-out versions of the 17-inch cast aluminum wheels seen on the F-150 Raptor. It also was lifted higher, had wider fenders, sat on bigger shocks, and showed a resculpted nose. Interestingly, the underbody was covered to hide whatever Ford’s cooking up—skidplates for off-road protection? Long-travel suspension like that on the Raptor?
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Although we’re expecting the Ranger to debut with an EcoBoost four-cylinder and possibly a naturally aspirated V-6, there’s also a chance the Ranger would bring a diesel into the mix. According to our photographer, this prototype had the grumble of a diesel, which would help align it with the diesel-powered Colorado. Or it could simply be an engine from and for other markets around the world.

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2019 Ford Ranger Raptor—or FX4 (Please Be a Mini-Raptor!)

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2019 Ford Ranger Spied in the U.S.!

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2019 Ford Ranger: Yes, It’s Returning!

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Though we called this the Ranger “Raptor” in our headline, that name is more a placeholder until we get details about the real name; Ford could use the FX4 tag we’ve seen on some of Ford’s less-extreme off-road packages. Either way, we’re excited. This off-road Ranger will likely arrive shortly after the base car does in 2019 for the 2020 model year.

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