Australia might have stopped building mainstream cars during the 2010s, but our unique landscapes and terrains still play a crucial role in developing global vehicles – in turn, keeping highly-regarded Aussie engineers in a job. There's no better example of this than the Ford Ranger and its revised T6.2 platform.
Sold everywhere from Europe to America and Asia, it's been Australia's best-selling vehicle since not long after the current-generation's introduction. No model is more important and unique, however, than the hardcore Raptor.
Despite being an $89,120 proposition before on-road costs – and despite it being focused on fun rather than utilitarianism – the Raptor alone outsold Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Polestar, and Porsche combined during 2023 according to figures published by Drive. Performance cars aren't dead – they're just a different shape.
The thing is, when I first drove the Raptor shortly after its launch, it didn't quite speak to me fully, even though I absolutely loved the normal Ranger. The problem, I think, was that I hadn't tested it correctly.
Consider the changes that are made to the Raptor over a standard Ranger. It's taller and predominantly wider, features coil springs and disc brakes all-round, has hardcore Fox internal-bypass shock absorbers, and boasts a twin-turbo V6 with the power of nearly 400 horses. In a week of normal use – even with a few trails and a bit of beach driving rolled in – I was never going to fully explore its limits.
That's why, when the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Raptor presented itself again, I knew I really needed to get it away from suburbia. Ford's off-road test loop at Loveday in South Australia was one idea, but in need of a proper escape myself, I could do one better than that.
The Flinders Ranges is one of the most beautiful parts of Australia – or at least that's what I'd been hearing. I'd been close before, having seen it in the distance from having previously stayed in the town of Quorn, but I'd never actually been all the way into the heart of the Ranges until now.
Rather than go the boring way through Port Wakefield, I took the more scenic route through the Clare Valley wine region. While hardly enthralling driving, there were some nice long sweeping corners and wide open straights going this way, rather than sitting between point-to-point speed cameras on the busy alternative. Depending on what time you leave, you'll be able to manage to make it to Hawker, the gateway town to the Flinders, in half a day including a lunch stop.
While most if not all articles you'll see written about the Flinders Ranges will see the writer put up at the costly Wilpena Pound Resort, I was doing this one off my own credit card so I relied on my Airbnb bargain-hunting skills. While I could have found a place with a view further into the sticks, I knew I'd be spending all day driving. Instead, a whole four-bedroom house in Hawker just a short walk from the Flinders Food Company restaurant made far more sense at around $180 a night.
Plus, with a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 at my right foot's disposal, the money saved would be far better spent on fuelling this roaring Ford Performance engine. Considering this was almost a 1400km round trip, plus I'd still have some time back with the car in Adelaide, it took the largest slice of the budget pie chart.
Of course, much of this was sitting at 100km/h on the long straight country roads leading me to Hawker, which the Raptor certainly does a fine job of. As with standard Ranger models, it sits comfortably at speed, features comfortable seating which never left me restless, and feels more refined than you'd expect from a ute – particularly with coil springs all around on this range-topper.
But this, I already knew from my initial test drive. What I really wanted to uncover was the Raptor's promises of raucousness and off-road domination, along with the Flinders' promises of spectacular mountainous beauty. As I departed from Hawker and headed out into Ranges, wouldn't you know I was in for more than just a hint of both.
Australia has its fair share of stunning mountain ranges, from Victoria's Grampians to New South Wales' Blue Mountains, but the heart of the Flinders Ranges is another step or two above. Although officially stretching for more than 430km, it's up here in and around the natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound – or Ikara in the language of the Adnyamathanha people – where its greatest beauty is to be found.
For the entire drive along Flinders Ranges Way and the Outback Highway which run either side of it, there are stunning sights to be seen. Mile after mile of stunning peaks as high as 1171m in stunning layered colours seem to wrap around you, especially when viewed from the admittedly treacherous Outback Highway along which gruesome roadkill was a constant sight.
However, it takes zig-zagging through the centre of it – taking gravel road drives such as Moralana Gorge, Glass Gorge, and, in particular, Bunyeroo Gorge – to uncover the best of the viewing spots. On these loose and incredibly dusty surfaces, the Ranger Raptor finally revealed its best self to me.
While its hardcore Baja mode would appear to be the natural choice given Ford does refer to it as "a desert racer at heart", I found the best balance was to be found in Slippery mode with the four-wheel drive system locked in 4H while, using the handy steering wheel controls, setting the steering in Comfort and the suspension and exhaust in Sport.
Even on these surfaces, the grip and traction feels utterly endless. Lay your foot into the loud pedal – and it really is loud, with a true Baja racer exhaust tone – and it just claws into the road as if it has talons rather than tyres. This isn’t just a vehicle for the beaten path, but for beating the path itself, with it transforming rugged tracks into smooth highways. Through corners, the steering feels direct and responsive, while the perfect amount of slip for fun but never trouble is always provided in the right dosage.
Keep in mind, my focus wasn't to do the most extreme off-roading possible, with only a few sections here and there requiring rock-crawling, water crossings, traversing major undulations, and the like. However, while the Raptor is certainly capable of more, I think the fast-paced touring I favoured during this trip was precisely what brings the best out of its character.
Consider, even, that this features a petrol engine rather than a diesel like the previous generation Ranger Raptor. If you want a low-speed off-roader with lots of low-end torque, there are arguably more purposeful options out there, but for covering any terrain imaginable at speed and larking about while doing so, there's nothing that will put more of a grin on your face down a dirt track or in a sandy play-pit than this.
It took heading over 450km from Adelaide to figure it out, but this super-ute finally makes sense to me now. The Raptor isn't about the seriousness of the off-roading that you're doing – it's about how much fun you can have while doing it.
2024.5 Ford Ranger Raptor
Price (MSRP): A$89,120
As Tested: A$93,620
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Drivetrain: Full-time 4WD with locking front and rear differential
Power: 292kW // 397PS at 5650rpm
Torque: 583Nm // 430lb-ft at 3500rpm
Acceleration (0-100km/h // 0-62mph): 6.0 seconds (estimated)
Top Speed: 180km/h (limited due to all-terrain tyres)
Economy: 14.2L/100km (as tested over 1919km)
