The Ford Bronco Raptor Is Coming; Here’s What We Want

In late September, Ford confirmed plans to build a Raptor version of its new Bronco SUV. For a quick primer on what that means, Ford’s F-150 Raptor is a high-speed, desert-running version of the Blue Oval’s popular F-150 full-size pickup, loaded with high-performance and off-road goodies galore. When Ford calls something a Raptor, that means it can go very far off the beaten path, very quickly.

Related: Ford to Build Raptor Version of Bronco SUV for 2022

Unless Ford is expanding that definition with the Bronco, it means a Raptor portends even more capability to speed over the rough stuff than the Bronco Wildtrak, which was already quite the capable machine. Ford’s being stingy with details, however, so we went to our staff to speculate what we’d like to see (or avoid) in the Bronco Raptor.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of what we want is about going fast.

Power, Power and More Power

Jeep threw down the gauntlet — and stole a bit of the Bronco’s thunder — when it unleashed the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392, shoehorning a 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 under the hood of a four-door Wrangler Rubicon. Our staff thinks Ford has answers in its parts bin, however.

“I’d like to see Ford offer the hybrid drivetrain from the F-150 in a Bronco Raptor, along with the high-output Pro Power Onboard generator system that’s available with the hybrid,” Senior Research Editor Mike Hanley said. “The F-150 hybrid’s 430 hp and 570 pounds-feet of torque represents a significant increase over the regular Bronco’s available turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6, but the ability to go far off the beaten path and power or charge most things you’d consider bringing is highly appealing, especially for those who’d want to use their Bronco Raptor for overlanding. It also leaves room for a top-end V-8 engine in a potential Bronco Raptor R later in the model’s life cycle.”

Assistant Managing Editor Kelsey Mays had a similar idea: “Ford’s turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 would seem a given for the Bronco Raptor. It’s capable of well over 400 hp and more than 500 pounds-feet of torque in other applications, and that sort of power would make the Raptor a credible rival to the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392. For bragging rights, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ford goosed output to just over the 392’s 470 hp and 470 pounds-feet of torque.”

Shock the World

This may still fall under powertrain desires, but it gets its own section because it’s just so out there. Take it away, Chief Copy Editor Patrick Masterson:

“Perhaps this visualization would upset the automaker’s marketing department that’s trying to delineate trims for consumers, but as Ford works to roll out the F-150 Lightning, my mind has already drifted to the possibility that a Lightning Raptor (or Raptor Lightning?) may someday enter the world,” Masterson mused. “But what if it came on a Bronco first? Pickup trucks are America’s vehicle, but maybe because of that, an electric F-150 Raptor wouldn’t feel quite as special as an equivalent Bronco. They could position it as the automaker’s halo-of-halo off-roader for rich, outdoorsy millennials (per the definitely-not-specious market research) in a way the F-150 couldn’t be, not to mention it’d give Ford’s engineers something else to brag about with their battery-tuning chops. Does that sound ridiculous? Well, it should. That’s why it’s worth asking for.”

Other Bits and Bobs

News Editor Jane Ulitskaya hopes the Fox Racing Live Valve shocks that debuted on the new F-150 Raptor make it to the Bronco, and I’d also like to see most of the F-150 Raptor’s off-road tackle trickle down to its slightly smaller Bronco sibling. I’m not concerned that Ford will make the Bronco Raptor a desert-running speedster at the expense of rock-crawling capabilities — the F-150 Raptor can do both just as easily — but, for the record, I’m hoping Ford won’t do anything like that.

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• Ford Bronco Vs. Jeep Wrangler: A Wrangler Owner Drives the 2021 Ford Bronco
• 2021 Ford Bronco Review: Worth the Bucks
• Redesigned 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor Bulks Up, Techs Up
• Is the 2021 Ford Bronco a Good Car? 6 Pros and 3 Cons
• Ford Bronco Beset by Roof Issues

What We Don’t Want

In-car technology seems to advance by the day, but we’re a little worried about the path we see Ford — and other automakers — taking, in some cases not for the first time.

“The Bronco Raptor should stick with the Bronco’s excellent Sync 4 touchscreen rather than swapping in Ford’s categorically worse ‘upgrade,’ Sync 4A,” Mays warned. “Ford’s flirting with touchscreen overkill in the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning and now the Expedition, whose standard or optional Sync 4A systems annex most stereo and climate controls with an all-encompassing, portrait-oriented touchscreen. Gone is the automaker’s perfectly reasonable, landscape-oriented touchscreen, which preserved physical controls below an already-impressive 12-inch screen in upper trim levels of the non-Lighting F-150. Will the Bronco Raptor get Sync 4A or stick with Sync 4? 4A would require a considerable rejiggering of the dashboard, so I’m hoping cooler heads prevail.”

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