As if Ford’s American fans weren’t already excited for the return of the Ranger.
The “Blue Oval’s” South African arm confirmed Wednesday that it’s developing an off-road version of the compact truck that will go on sale in 2018. Dubbed the Ranger Raptor, the high-performance pickup will be based on the current Ranger, which is sold in most markets outside the United States.
Although the Ranger that will be sold in the U.S. market starting in 2019 will be based on a different platform, the baby Raptor gives us hope that Ford Performance will fiddle it once it arrives stateside.
Any potential U.S.-spec Ranger Raptor admittedly would face stiff competition from Chevrolet in the form of the Colorado ZR2. But considering the current Ford proved the F-150 Raptor is capable of tackling the Baja 1000 rally without any modifications, and then drive 400 miles home afterward, we bet it’ll be able to hold its own.
