Ford Ranger Raptor long-term test: report 13

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 22,522 List price £57,064 Target Price £57,064 Price as tested £59,824 Test economy 26.2mpg Official economy 25.4mpg

20 November 2024 – Sports cars and pine trees, it's all in a day's work

Recently I had yet more reason to marvel at the versatility of my Ford Ranger Raptor, and unusually, I wasn’t even driving it at the time – I was in the back of it.

You see, one of the jobs we photographers do is to gather what’s called a ‘tracking’ shot of cars together as they drive along, and to this safely we’re usually secure via a harness into the boot of a car at the front of the convoy, shooting backwards. 

I was recently shooting a big feature for our sister title, Autocar, and my Ranger Raptor was pressed into service to collect said tracking shots, as well as the main image you see being taken above. I was happy to volunteer my car, because its open load bed gets me a better view than any open boot can manage. Plus, thanks to three lashing points in the load bed, I could be completely secure in my safety harness as I did so. The end photos look fantastic, if I say so myself, in no small part thanks to the Raptor.

For a complete change of pace, a few days after shooting one feature I found myself helping out on another, which for reasons best known to the writer involved choosing a Christmas tree. And for that, we ventured into a mini forest in the middle of a farmer's field to pick the perfect pine.

This allowed me to try out the Raptor’s ‘mud and ruts’ setting, which seemed best suited to the soft, wet soil beneath us. As has become second nature, too, I switched the car from fuel-saving two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive mode. And sure enough, the Raptor plodded on through the pine forest, leading us to the perfect tree. The load bay was then put to more good use, transporting the chosen pine out of the field and back onto the road, and we utilised the same lashing points which had previously held me in place to keep it secure as we drove. 

I’m forever impressed by the Raptor’s ability to muck in as a working vehicle, despite being in my mind a hybrid of a regular pick-up truck and a sports SUV. As I’ve noted in previous reports, the Raptor doesn’t match up to the regular Ford Ranger as a pick-up on paper, but in my experience, it’s proving to be just as practical as I could want.

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