Spotted: 2023 Ranger Raptor vs. Bronco Raptor first side-by-side look

A site member spotted 2 Ranger Raptors and a Bronco Raptor out testing yesterday! They were captured between Yarnell and Congress in Arizona, testing on winding mountain roads and all were powered by V6 engines (which may be a Twin Turbo EcoBoost V6 based on the recent official teaser).

While both vehicles have flared fenders, the Bronco Raptor's are much more exaggerated and dwarf those on the Ranger Raptor. And despite the Bronco Raptor sitting taller overall than the the Ranger Raptor, it's clear that the Ranger Raptor's suspension gets a higher suspension lift from the factory.

And the slow drip continues. It was painful waiting for Bronco crumbs to drop. Would like one but it won’t work (payload, towing, etc.).
Have had a couple of Rangers and really, REALLY hoping it won’t disappoint. The Raptor may be a bit too much- would like to see a Tremor. Assuming we’re looking at a 5 link in the back like the Bronco behind that susp camo they got, or is that a Hula skirt option on a new Hawaiian trim…?
Thanks for the info. Tough decisions to be made in the next couple of years. Great time for mid-size comps!

RangerNW said:

And the slow drip continues. It was painful waiting for Bronco crumbs to drop. Would like one but it won’t work (payload, towing, etc.).
Have had a couple of Rangers and really, REALLY hoping it won’t disappoint. The Raptor may be a bit too much- would like to see a Tremor. Assuming we’re looking at a 5 link in the back like the Bronco behind that susp camo they got, or is that a Hula skirt option on a new Hawaiian trim…?
Thanks for the info. Tough decisions to be made in the next couple of years. Great time for mid-size comps!

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Disappointed they dropped the idea of a Bronco truck. Was really hoping for the best of both worlds, or at least a compromise between them.

RangerNW said:

Assuming we’re looking at a 5 link in the back like the Bronco behind that susp camo they got, or is that a Hula skirt option on a new Hawaiian trim…?

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Based on where the dual tail pipes are located I doubt there is room for leaf springs.

Can anyone confirm that the Ranger is LH drive? Those look like gauge pods on the driver side A pillar...

Even if those are LH drive trucks I guess that still doesn't confirm that we will actually be allowed to buy one.

blksn8k said:

Can anyone confirm that the Ranger is LH drive? Those look like gauge pods on the driver side A pillar...

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Yes, these were LH drive Ranger Raptors.

The rear suspension is going to be basically identical to the current Ranger Raptor save for maybe the Fox Live Valve shocks. The Ranger Raptor's suspension was also based on the Everest rear end, which is your standard 4 trailing arms, but with a Watt's linkage instead of a Panhard rod. The Everest also has a sway bar, the Ranger Raptor does not. The Bronco uses a Panhard rod.



Ranger Raptor Rear Suspension





Ranger Raptor rear axle

Is that the factory exhaust on the current Ranger Raptor? Interesting that there is just a turn down off the end of the muffler and no tailpipe. Certainly simplifies the routing of the exhaust which would also make more room for the Watts link. The photos of the next gen Raptor obviously show dual tailpipes and I doubt US laws would allow the exhaust to dump under the vehicle, especially on an SUV type body like the Bronco (or the Everest).

The use of a removable center section in the rear axle on the current ROW Raptor in lieu of a Dana 44 or Ford 8.8 style axle with their removable cover plate would presumably provide a stronger mounting point for a Watts link which could possibly be another reason why the Bronco uses a Panhard bar instead. I assume a Watts link is the better design due to the fact that a Panhard bar causes side-to-side movement of the axle as it moves vertically throughout its travel. At least that's the way the Panhard bar works on the front suspension of my '75 Bronco.

blksn8k said:

Is that the factory exhaust on the current Ranger Raptor?

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Yes, that's the factory exhaust. The dump is immediately in front of the rear axle, the rules here for utes (trucks) is that the exhaust exit only has to be behind the last welded joint of the cabin. This is about a foot behind the rear of the cab, so it meets the rules globally. The 2L diesel doesn't exactly benefit from a racy exhaust, removing the muffler makes little difference due to the DPF.

I assume a Watts link is the better design due to the fact that a Panhard bar causes side-to-side movement of the axle as it moves vertically throughout its travel. At least that's the way the Panhard bar works on the front suspension of my '75 Bronco.

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Correct, the Watts linkage is more stable than a Panhard rod due to less side so side movement (the centre of the axle would draw a shallow S on the Watts linkage as it moved up and down), but it is more difficult to achieve greater articulation with the Watts linkage. I presume that's why the Bronco uses a Panhard rod. The Ranger Raptor rear axle is basically the same as the Everest, but wider. Both are fairly well beefed up compared to the standard axle on the leaf sprung Rangers, even though the differentials inside them are basically the same.

The current Ranger Raptor also uses the Everest's fuel tank, which is a different shape to the standard Ranger's due to the trailing link mounts. They're the same capacity though (80L). Overall the Ranger Raptor chassis is a long wheelbase Everest, set the same length as the Ranger, and with a fair amount of strengthening on the frame.

CJay said:

Disappointed they dropped the idea of a Bronco truck. Was really hoping for the best of both worlds, or at least a compromise between them.

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Agreed. If they built a Bronco Raptor truck I’d be on the wait list already. I was crushed when they cancelled the truck.

Enessy said:

Agreed. If they built a Bronco Raptor truck I’d be on the wait list already. I was crushed when they cancelled the truck.

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Same here. Considering I'm already a Bronco guy I would have been right behind you guys. Now I'm just kinda hoping we actually get to buy a Ranger Raptor and that it meets half the expectations. For example, if it comes with a Diesel only, which I doubt would happen for the North American market, I would definitely be out. Under the old Ford management we would never even have able to hope we would get the Ranger Raptor for fear someone might actually buy one instead of an F-150. I hope that nonsense has finally been put to rest but I'm still not holding my breath.

blksn8k said:

Same here. Considering I'm already a Bronco guy I would have been right behind you guys. Now I'm just kinda hoping we actually get to buy a Ranger Raptor and that it meets half the expectations. For example, if it comes with a Diesel only, which I doubt would happen for the North American market, I would definitely be out. Under the old Ford management we would never even have able to hope we would get the Ranger Raptor for fear someone might actually buy one instead of an F-150. I hope that nonsense has finally been put to rest but I'm still not holding my breath.

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About a year or two after they discontinued the Ranger, I wrote a letter to Ford asking them to bring the Global Ranger to the US, but call it an F-100 so they could still count it in their F-Series sales.
My first vehicle was my grandfather's '74 F-100 Custom. I don't think the new Ranger will be much different in size from that '74.

I also suggested they come back with an entry level compact pickup along the size of the old Currier truck... potentially even FWD. Keeping with the F-Series sale idea, I thought they could call it the F-050. F-50 was out since Ferrari (F50) still likely owned that trademark.

I guess I was (sort of) ahead of my time.

Then again, I also suggested sub-branding Mustang and offering a 4-door (Mustang Pony), and a 2-door Ute (Mustang Mule).