Over the last few years, Ford has gone full throttle with its off-road game, especially with the Bronco nameplate. First, it revived the legendary Bronco and equipped it with serious off-road capabilities straight from the factory. Then came the Raptor version, a widebody, Baja-ready beast with more suspension articulation than some supercars have ground clearance. This is a literal street-legal trophy truck, built to jump dunes, bash through rocky trails, and still drive home in air-conditioned comfort. Welcome to the most extreme factory-built Bronco ever.
Overview
The Bronco Raptor is what happens when engineers stop caring about norms and start building what they’d race. Everything on this vehicle flashes performance: from the widened track to the long-travel suspension, to the massive tires and reinforced frame. Ford didn’t just slap a “Raptor” badge on the fenders; they rebuilt the Bronco from the ground up to earn it. This thing can literally go anywhere and wherever you demand it to go; it simply doesn’t care what might scrape the underbody.
Design
Visually, the Bronco Raptor is brutal. The track is over 8 inches wider than the standard Bronco. The fender flares are comically wide, and they need to be able to house the 37-inch all-terrain KO2s. That’s right, 37s from the factory. The grille is unique to the Raptor, sporting the signature bold “FORD” lettering with integrated amber lights, which is an instant Raptor design cue.
There are vented hood panels, skid plates all around, rock sliders, and an aggressive rear bumper. Even parked, the Bronco Raptor looks like it’s in the middle of a jump. All of this makes the Bronco Raptor look like a total behemoth on the road, and the presence of this version of the Bronco is unlike anything else, apart from a 6X6 G63.
Interior
Inside, it’s all function-first. There’s rubberised flooring, marine-grade vinyl or optional leather-trimmed seats, magnesium paddle shifters, and performance gauges. Everything’s designed to be beaten, hosed off, and ready for the next trail. The roof and doors can literally be taken off for an extra open-air experience. Those who want a more luxurious cabin can opt for leather-trimmed seats, and its exterior mirrors are mounted at the base of the windshield so they’re still usable when the doors are taken off.
There’s a rack built into the top of its dashboard to mount smartphones and GoPros, which can be plugged into nearby 12-volt outlets. The Bronco Raptor features Ford’s latest Sync 4 interface, with a large 12.0-inch touchscreen that’s mounted in the middle of the dashboard. The infotainment system comes with contemporary features such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Powertrain & Performance
Under the Bronco Raptor’s hood lies a 3.0-litre Twin-Turbocharged EcoBoost V6, specially tuned by the Ford Performance team. This isn’t the same engine you’d find in your cousin’s Explorer ST; this one’s been massaged, upgraded, and armoured for hardcore off-road abuse. It puts out 418 BHP and 600 Nm of torque, making it the most powerful Bronco ever sold straight from the factory. Power is routed through a 10-speed automatic transmission, which has been recalibrated for quicker shifts and smarter gear holding. The gearbox works seamlessly with the vehicle’s drive modes, adapting to different surfaces like sand, rock, mud, and Baja-style desert runs.
But the magic doesn’t stop with just horsepower. The Bronco Raptor features a full-time four-wheel-drive system paired with a high-performance transfer case, front and rear locking differentials, and a 4.70 final drive ratio. Therefore, it is literally born to go anywhere, even places where Toyota’s Land Cruiser might not go.
Verdict
There is currently nothing as crazy as a Bronco Raptor on the market right now, apart from the Defender Octa. The Land Rover Defender Octa isn’t a price segment rival for this vehicle. It only competes in terms of absurdity and being an over-the-top off-roader, even though it costs almost twice as much at around AED 850,000, from the Bronco Raptor’s price of AED 419,000. The Raptor Bronco is another beast that is simply unbeatable.
