2022 Ford Bronco Raptor revealed, not for Australia

Ford has officially taken the covers off its highly-anticipated Bronco Raptor – the most aggressive version of its reborn off-roader yet.

While forums leaked the Bronco Raptor's existence in September last year, it's the first time outside of teasers Ford has shown off the dream machine, complete with its EcoBoost engine and massively flared arches.

Adopting the Raptor moniker, which adorn's all of Ford's latest and greatest off-road oriented vehicles, the Bronco has endured the same treatment as its Blue Oval cousins such as the F-150 and Ranger – sticking to the simple recipe of bigger engine, fatter tyres and more ground clearance.

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Riding on the body-on-frame T6 platform, which underpins the Ranger and Everest as well as lower Bronco variants, the Raptor gains a 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6, with Ford targeting 298kW – or 400 horsepower in the old money – from the twin-turbo unit. Even though official figures haven't been released, there's a chance this engine could push out in excess of 600Nm of torque.

As with a wide range of Ford's vehicles, power is sent to the wheels through a 10-speed automatic gearbox, coupled with an upgraded transfer case featuring 3.06 4x4 low-range gearing for up to 67.7:1 crawl ratio.

Under its pumped out guards you'll find massive 37-inch BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrain tyres (the largest fitted to a production SUV in the US), Fox Live Valve shock absorbers (raising the ride height by 12.2 centimetres to 33.3cm) and a 8.6-inch (21.9cm) wider track to make sure its sizeable stance is matched with go-anywhere ability.

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Those Fox shocks aren't for show – Ford worked with the damper manufacturer to develop its High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) system, allowing on-board sensors to work with the dampers and their remote reservoirs to ensure the tyres are provided maximum grip at all times.

Revised control arms also boost the Raptor's suspension travel by up to 60 per cent at the front and 40 per cent at the rear, now up to 33cm and 35.56cm respectively.

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Despite not being available as a three-door, the five-door Raptor makes up for it by keeping all the mod cons a driver could need, from wireless phone charging to voice-activated satellite navigation, a 12-inch instrument cluster (with Raptor-exclusive Performance View) and Ford's Sync 4 12-inch infotainment system.

Ford offers the Lux Package for a more refined interior experience, adding a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system as well as Adaptive Cruise Control.

As had been revealed last year, the Bronco Raptor will be only variant of its range which can be ordered in the Ford Performance-exclusive code orange paint, joining the nine other finishes available, as well as multiple interior options ranging from marine-grade vinyl seats to black onyx neo suede pews.

And yes, just in case you were wondering, it comes as standard with rubberised washout flooring, however carpets are an optional extra.

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Inspired by the vehicles which compete in the extreme off-road sport known as Ultra4 Racing, the Bronco Raptor has been built as Ford Performance's flagship model, according to CEO Jim Farley.

“Raptor is the apex of our off-road line-up and is now a full line-up with race proven content and design that you can’t get from anyone else,” said Farley.

“Only Ford could create a Bronco Raptor.”

“We had to build the Bronco Raptor – it’s our ultimate vehicle for hardcore off-road enthusiasts who demand something more,” said Carl Widmann, Ford Performance's chief engineer.

“Like the Ultra4 desert race trucks, the ‘Raptor of SUVs’ conquers desert dunes at highway speeds and is equipped with competition-level off-road technology and hardware.”

While the Bronco is unlikely to come to Australia, we can expect it to play a big part in influencing the next Ranger Raptor, having already been teased with a V6 EcoBoost engine under the bonnet, although the ute has been spied on the road sans massive tyres.