Ford Ranger Raptor long-term test

The car Ford Ranger Raptor 2.0 EcoBlue 210 4WD auto | Run by Max Edleston, senior photographer

Why it’s here To provide grin-inducing entertainment and practicality in equal measure

Needs to be Unstoppable on-road or off-it, reasonably sensible to run, and practical enough to be used as a working vehicle

Mileage 14,171 List price £57,064 Target Price £57,064 Price as tested £59,824 Test economy 25.4mpg Official economy 25.4mpg

23 July 2024 – Built tough

The modern smartphone has more processing power than was used to send astronauts to the moon, so it makes sense that many users, myself included, protect their pocket rockets with rufty-tufty cases designed to prevent all that power from being smashed to pieces should you trip and fall.

I feel the same way about the tech in my Ford Ranger Raptor – here is a pick-up truck which has plenty of brains, whether we’re talking about its sophisticated off-road driving modes, plethora of cameras or advanced driver assistance systems – but it's all kept safe inside a tough body. Indeed, with its raised ground clearance, underbody protection and thick cladding around its lower edges, my truck looks like it could take on the apocalypse and emerge unscathed.

That mixture of smart toughness extends inside the Raptor, too. The central infotainment touchscreen, for example, has so far responded quickly to my inputs, yet it’s augmented by physical knobs for the climate controls, meaning I can change the temperature even if I’m wearing thick gloves.

I also like that, unlike some modern cars, my Ranger Raptor has comparatively chunky steering wheel controls, because these are much easier to use than touch-sensitive alternatives. I’ve now got setting the car’s cruise control down to a fine art which I can do without taking my eyes off the road, because it’s done via a physical switch which my hands have become accustomed to reaching for.

It's not just the tech which feels sturdy, though. The Raptor's leather seats look great, for example – especially with contrasting red stitching – but also feel like they’d stand up to anything a family could throw at them. That means whether I’m loading flight cases of kit onto the rear bench, or ferrying my mates to a muddy football practice, I’ve not been worried about marking them, because it’s nothing a quick hose down and a microfibre cloth won’t fix. I doubt the scientists at NASA would let you do that to the space shuttle, mind.

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