Ford’s New Desert-Racing, Rock-Crawling Bronco

Ford announced to the public its newest SUV based on desert racing trucks and part of the Built Wild brand, the Ford Bronco Raptor. 

Compared to a base Bronco four-door, the Raptor is 9.8 inches wider, sits 4.8 inches higher off the ground and rests on 37–inch tall tires. Black fender flares cover the off-road tires. 

Ford also says it can move across sand dunes at “highway speeds,” can crawl over rocks and is “the most powerful street-legal Bronco ever.” 

With a 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission, owners can shift gears utilizing steering wheel-mounted paddles. A manual transmission option is not available.

The vehicle carries a twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine capable of producing at least 400 horsepower. The exact horsepower number will be unveiled at a later date. 

Protecting the engine, transmission and other parts are heavy-duty metal plates underneath the four-door body. 

One of the seven driver-selectable modes features a tuned Baja Mode that activates a turbo anti-lag calibration. This maximizes performance over desert runs at high speeds. Also included are Trail Control, Trail One-Pedal Driving and Trail Turn Assist. 

The dark interior houses seats made from Black Onyx marine-grade vinyl and a rubberized washout flooring. 

For infotainment technology, a High Package includes SYNC4 with a 12-inch touchscreen and swipe capability, enhanced voice recognition and information on-demand. 

Interested buyers can place orders beginning in March, but Ford says a majority will go to existing reservation holders based on original reservation timestamps. 

CNN Business reports the starting price will be approximately $70,000. The vehicle will be available in the summer of 2022.