Ford Bronco Raptor - Exceptional, But Not Perfect

Bronco Raptor or Wrangler 392?
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Under the skin we have a 3.0 ecoboost V6 from the Explorer ST, but here’s it’s tuned for 418 hp and 440 lbft. That power then goes through a nice and snappy 10-speed transmission that’s built in-house by Ford and then it goes to either the rear or all 4 wheels with Ford’s Advance-Trac automatic 4x4 system
And what that results in is something that squats and lunges to 60 in 5 and a half seconds
It’s fast, it’s loud, but it’s also one of the most fun things to drive. It’s got 37 inch BFG KO2 tires and Fox live valve shocks that allow for 13 inches of suspension travel in the front and 14 inches in the rear
It’s so much more at home on the road than a Jeep
But the only thing I don’t love is the 15 or 16 mpg you’re going to get
We mentioned this thing is over 7 feet wide
It’s almost 10 inches wider than a standard Bronco
And it’s wider than the F150 Raptor
And being so wide that means it needs the iconic marker, or Raptor, lights
On the front, wing mirrors, and the rear
However, the cab itself isn’t any bigger than a normal Bronco 4 door
Which means all that added width comes from the 37 inch BFG KO2 A/T tires and the fender flares
This Bronco Raptor ONLY comes as a 4 door and ONLY comes with the 37s
So size comes standard
And then there’s the front fascia
With e amber running lights, marker lights, and classic Raptor grille there's no mistaking this is something special
But if that wasn’t enough there’s a completely unique hood design with a bunch of venting, a steel front bumper, 4 Rigid industries ditch lights, and a big silver skid plate reminding you this thing is just as at-home off the road as it is on it
Then underneath the body you’ve got Ford’s HOSS 4.0 suspension system with the 3.1 inch fox live valve bypass shocks
But there’s also beefed up axles, knuckles, control arms, and other components underneath that deserve a lot of credit as well
From the profile it’s a Bronco 4 door, but a really tall one
The wheels we have are the 17 inch beadlock capable wheels so that means 10 inches of sidewall on each side of the wheel at all times so it’s easy to see where the soft ride comes from
The fender flares themselves are black plastic and look and feel a little cheap, but they’re meant to take abuse and be swapped out if need be
We also have the running board/ rock rail here which is actually pretty nice since the step-up is so high
And our tester gets the Raptor splash graphic on the rear quarter panel which i can’t decide if I like or not - i don’t like it on the truck, but it’s more subtle here..kinda
And the rear design is pretty standard Bronco…just bigger
However, you do get unique taillights here
Along with the markers over the spare
And finally the only Ford badge you’d find on teh normal bronco has been swapped out for a Raptor badge
Like I said before, all the size come son the outside but the cabin area is the same size as a normal 4 door Bronco
And a lot of the interior styling details reflect that
HOWEVER, you do still get a number of Raptor-specific bits around the cabin
For one these seats, which are heated but not cooled, are SO comfortable
The base upholstery is the marine vinyl, but you should go for the leather here
You can even get it in Blue leather if you want
You also get a super girthy steering wheel with red stitching and noon marker
And the red accents continue through the cabin in the seats, door netting, shift boot, GOAT mode dial, and the vent toggles
Interestingly the contrasting color is brown which I can’t tell how I feel about it yet
AND the typical Bronco placard is Raptorized as well
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There is also a host of Raptor-specific features in your digital cluster, on your steering wheel, in the infotainment, and elsewhere
You get buttons above your screen for sway bar disconnect, rear locker, front locker, and trail turn assist…which is an awesome feature as demonstrated in our offroad video
You still have cool overhead toggles for auxiliary inputs
And then on the steering wheel you have normal stuff like your 360 co-pilot controls, media controls, etc.
But you also have dedicated buttons to adjust steering feel, damper stiffness, exhaust sound, and a button to take you into your Raptor menu
In there you have controls, setting and gagues for everything you could possibly think of
There are so many features that you can engage individually, but it’s really just easier to use one of the 7 GOAT modes and let the Ford Engineers give you what they think is best for whatever you’re doing

[@dwnshft]

Special thanks to our Patrons for their support of the channel! Bronco Raptor or F150 Raptor?

[@ekgcanadianenthusiast9961]

F150 RAPTOR

[@jonluchessi1643]

Being an owner of 14 jeeps and my most recent purchase a Jeep 392 that I upgraded with all the best suspension components, I test drove the bronco raptor & immediately loved it, I tell people the 392 is better than the bronco raptor and the bronco raptor is better than the 392 they are 50-50 if you want comfort For example long trips may be going out of state and then exploring back country, definitely the bronco raptor but the 392 with the hemi has a major fun factor but too much driver fatigue on long trips, I’m towing a teardrop trailer on my adventures with deep backcountry travel and I am very happy with the bronco raptor for what I use it for, in regards to body sway on highway I run my tire pressures around 42 psi all the way around and that gets rid of the sway I also drive it most of the time in sport mode with Baja exhaust on and track control off i& the vehicle comes to life on back country roads flying around corners compared to a jeep it’s like a sports car it handles awesome, and if you let go of the steering wheel in a straight line it tracks perfectly straight even with bigger mud terrain tires, it’s extremely fun, and in regards to the fenders once you own the vehicle for a little while the fenders look good they look better on certain color vehicles, it just sticks out like a sore thumb because it’s so different and for me it attracts too much attention, but this vehicle is completely capable in stock form plenty of ground clearance the only thing for someone like myself I put mud terrain tires a winch and off-road lighting and I increased my preload which brought the front end up one and a half inches because of the weight of the winch on the front, i’m sorry for all this info I’m giving you but just letting people know if you’re interested in the bronco raptor you need to test drive one also should test the jeep 392 then make your decision but if you want comfort and major fun factor get the bronco raptor, Also they’re offering painted fenders now which I don’t recommend because they will get destroyed in one day off-road keep the black fenders!!!👍🇺🇸

[@delschutz1312]

Great review!

[@dwnshft]

thanks!

[@dnice362]

This thing looks fantastic, they knocked it out if the park with the styling, love how wide it is. I don’t care how unpractical it is to me it’s the point of a raptor

[@dwnshft]

it's such a cool thing!

[@rinaldocatria4386]

Ultra professional review… informative while entertaining and perfect length. As one who is waiting for my Braptor build date any day now according to my Ford dealer, I’ve watched virtually every CZcams made on the thing. One thing no one has done that I’d like to see: Performance and fuel economy differences between running regular vs high octane gasoline. Is that a test you might consider doing?

[@dwnshft]

I would have but I don’t have the car anymore. They only give me a week with it unfortunately

[@302project]

Hey Rinaldo did you get your Raptor yet? If so how long did it take from order to delivery? I just ordered my Raptor last week and dealer said that it will take 6 months minimum. While I don't mind waiting I hope is not that long.