Pickup trucks and America go together like meat and barbecues. The competitiveness among trucks hasn’t changed much, but the way automotive manufacturers outfit trucks with rugged and hardcore equipment to make them more ‘capable’ has reached a new front. Such a front has reached the newly redesigned Ford Ranger to bring us the Ranger Raptor, a tricked-out off-roading truck that could very well be the king of its midsized segment.

Already, the Ford F-150 Raptor was a truck to contend with where other automakers answered back with direct competitors. For the midsized truck market, there’s never really been anything serious in the realm of hardcore off-roading trucks until now. Competing with trucks like the new Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. Sure, those trucks mean business but do they match what the new Ranger Raptor brings to the table? Well, one could conclude that there are many areas where some of these trucks do better than others instead of being a blanket triumph by just one.

Performance and Driving Character

The new Ford Ranger has already won many over as a viable alternative to full-size trucks, considering all that it offers in a wide range of trims. For the top level of the Ranger ‘range’, there stands the Ranger Raptor taking many cues and off-roading equipment from its larger F-150 Raptor sibling. However, the Ranger Raptor takes an approach that we find in the new Bronco Raptor, getting the brand’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 engine outputting 405 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque in the Ranger Raptor, which is slightly down on power compared to the Bronco Raptor. Still, having about 13 horsepower and 10 lb-ft of torque less doesn’t make much of a difference. The EcoBoost V6 is robust and has a sweet exhaust tone for a V6 in most of the 4 exhaust sound modes – Baja mode is the boisterous one, of course.

Out on pavement, the Ford Ranger Raptor is civil and has a rather cushy ride quality that adapts well to road imperfections thanks to the electronically controlled shocks, which are 2.5-inch Fox live valve internal bypass units adaptively suited for serious off-roading and offering as much as 10.7-inches of ground clearance. Together with the skid plates, locking front and rear differentials, and 33-inch BFGoodrich T/A K03 all-terrain tires, the Ranger Raptor is poised as a midsized off-roading truck. On pavement, the Ranger Raptor gets up to speed with some authority hitting 60 mph from a standstill in 5.8 seconds.

Taking the Ford Ranger Raptor through a relatively light off-roading trail proved its prowess, where it basically laughed at the soft sand pits thrown at it. Moreover, getting a little spicy on a back road with a high rise – the Ranger Raptor didn’t bother losing composure as its suspension articulated enough to keep the wheels planted on the ground even when going faster than I should have. To sum it up, the Ford Ranger Raptor is a respectable compromise in opting for a smaller truck outside the hardcore full-size option of an F-150 Raptor, with some remarkable savings (in comparison) that I’ll talk about later.

The one thing that some may balk at with the Ranger Raptor is that it doesn’t quite live up to what you expect in full-size hardcore off-roading trucks, which I forgive in that aspect. Some may simply call it a baby Raptor, and they wouldn’t be far off in giving it that name, as doing serious off-roading could push the Ranger Raptor to the limits of second-guessing your decision. Still, there’s a lot to respect in its segment for what it offers – for a lot less than a full-size off-roader truck, which plays into the tow rating being just 5,510 pounds and payload maxing out at 1,411 pounds.

Fuel Economy

As you may expect, the Ford Ranger Raptor isn’t going to be shy about drinking fuel, which I didn’t see far past its EPA estimates of 16 mpg city, 18 mpg highway, and 17 mpg combined. A full tank of recommended premium unleaded fuel in the 20.3-gallon tank gives you a cruising range of about 365 miles.

Interior and Technology

The interior of the newly redesigned Ford Ranger has already received praise from me for its larger space and ability to easily find an optimal and comfy driving position. The heated leather bucket seats with added bolstering up front proved to be comfy even on long trips with a vast amount of power adjustability. The rear seats offer up a good amount of space for such a class of truck.

In the technology area, the new Ranger Raptor has just the right equipment, offering a 12-inch vertically oriented infotainment touchscreen that nicely integrates wireless (or USB-connected) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system is a page taken from other new Ford vehicles for the vertical screen, which responds well to inputs after an initial load time. The digital gauge cluster has a variety of information screens, including many off-roading displays to fit the theme of the Ranger Raptor and its off-roading abilities. The setup of the drive functions has been pre-set through several drive modes, where you can quickly access the customized R mode by pressing the R button on the steering wheel.

Much like its larger brethren, the Ranger Raptor gets upfitter auxiliary switches on the overhead console to easily wire up accessories. The 360-camera system also has a few tricks, with its off-roading display, that help you know exactly where your wheels are going. To round up the Ranger Raptor’s tech, there’s a welcomed low-speed cruise control for off-roading along with all the expected active safety features, including adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitors, forward collision warning/emergency braking, rear cross-traffic warning, and digital rearview mirror.

Pricing

The new Ford Ranger Raptor may still come at a somewhat substantial price for most at $58,405 for my test vehicle but it surprisingly undercuts something like the new Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro that I tested last month at a price of $65,869. Sure, the two trucks are very different, but the new Ford Ranger Raptor seems to have an edge not only with its power output but its adaptability for being a friendlier truck to live with both on-road and off – with a much better sound from its exhaust.