photos/text: Ford Performance
DEARBORN, Mich. – Two icons that have tackled off-road terrain for years are coming together to take on even more: Bronco® and Raptor™. Built for desert running and boulder crawling, the all-new 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor gives off-roaders next-level performance.
Bronco Raptor, the newest member of the Bronco outdoor brand of Built Wild™ SUVs, debuts today as the most powerful street-legal Bronco ever, and the world’s first Ultra4 Racing-inspired SUV. Ford Performance, the same team that produces the F-150 Raptor, designed and engineered Bronco Raptor as a calling to hardcore off-road enthusiasts.
Bronco Raptor is equipped with elite off-road technology and hardware. Ultra4 Racing is the epitome of grueling off-road competition, featuring demanding races such as the famed King of the Hammers in the Johnson Valley in California, where Bronco Raptor will be on display on Feb. 3. Ford and Bronco will continue as the official truck and SUV of the Ultra4 series.
“We poured all of our passion and all of our Bronco and Raptor know-how into creating this absolute desert-racing beast,” said Jim Farley, president and CEO, Ford Motor Company. “It’s the real deal. It’s not for show and it’s not for everybody. But for people who love to get out in the wild, it’s the ultimate. And only Ford could create a Bronco Raptor.”
With the addition of Bronco Raptor, Ford once again expands its Raptor high-performance off road vehicle franchise, which also includes F-150 Raptor for North America and Ranger Raptor for global markets.
“Raptor is the apex of our off-road lineup and is now a full lineup with race proven content and design that you can’t get from anyone else,” Farley added.
Beyond the Raptor family, Ford offers an unmatched variety of additional on- and off-road high performance and specialty performance vehicles, from Mustang Shelby GT500, the pinnacle of
Mustang street performance, to the ST lineup of cars and SUVs, to the Tremor family of F Series and Ranger tough and work-capable off-road trucks.
Ford Performance unleashes extreme Built Wild capability and durability
To build the world’s first Ultra4-inspired SUV, Ford Performance set the bar high. Bronco Raptor had to be even faster and bring more off-road capability, agility and maneuverability than Bronco already delivers.
“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 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.”
Starting with the Bronco frame foundation, the Ford Performance team knew it needed a Raptor-specific version for increased suspension travel and track width for handling stability during high-speed desert runs. At the Raptor core is a fully boxed, high-strength steel frame with new shock towers that increase wheel travel and off-road durability. Heavy-duty bash and skid plates provide continuous driveline coverage from the front bumper to the back of the engine, transmission and transfer case. In the upper body, B-pillar cross bar and C-pillar reinforcement help deliver a greater than 50% total body-in-prime torsional rigidity increase over a standard Bronco four-door model.
Competition-level, Ford Performance-developed axles, also used on the Bronco DR race truck, further deliver on the Ultra4-inspiration. The solid rear axle is upgraded to a semi-float Dana 50™ Heavy-Duty AdvanTEK® with 235-millimeter ring gear, while the Dana 44™ AdvanTEK front drive unit includes upgraded half-shafts with 210-millimeter ring gear. These upgraded front and rear axles increase the track width by 8.6 inches (73.6 inches versus 65.0 inches) over a base Bronco for even more sure-footed confidence. Larger front and rear driveshafts support increased wheel torque. Bronco Raptor also runs with a minimum ground clearance of 13.1 inches, 4.8 inches more than a base four-door model.
An advanced 4×4 system with three modes includes a higher-capacity clutch designed to withstand the demands of high-performance desert events. The upgraded transfer case also features a 3.06 4×4 LO ratio for up to 67.7:1 crawl ratio.
The Ford Performance team collaborated with FOX™ to upgrade the High-Performance Off Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) system with Live Valve technology. Similar to the F-150 Raptor truck’s position-sensitive damping design, the Raptor HOSS 4.0 system features FOX 3.1 Internal Bypass Semi-Active Dampers (3.1-inch diameter) that are uniquely tuned at the front and rear and feature integrated reservoirs up front and remote reservoirs in rear. Suspension height sensors and other sensors at each corner monitor terrain conditions independently hundreds of times every second and adjust suspension tuning accordingly.
Unique Ford Performance-designed front and rear control arms help deliver maximum wheel travel of 13.0 inches in front and 14.0 inches at the rear, or 60% and 40% more, respectively, than a Bronco base model. To deliver the confidence and high-speed needs of the world’s first Ultra4-inspired SUV, the Ford Performance team reached out to BFGoodrich for standard 37- inch KO2 all-terrain tires (37×12.50R17LT), the largest of any production SUV in America**. Two Ford Performance-designed 17-inch x 8.5-inch beadlock-capable wheels are available. An electric-power steering rack and housing influenced by F-150 Raptor, as well as larger-diameter inner and outer tie rod ends, were added to further upgrade Bronco Raptor.
To give Bronco Raptor even more desert-running power, the Ford powertrain team developed the proven twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost® engine with specific Raptor-level tuning to meet Ford Performance standards. With a target of more than 400 horsepower*, Bronco Raptor will be the most powerful street-legal Bronco ever, with intercooling and air-induction systems designed to endure the higher ambient desert temperatures.
For higher-speed desert capabilities or crawling over rocks, the compacted graphite iron-block engine, which saves weight while providing strength for added durability, is paired with a 10- speed SelectShift™ automatic transmission tuned to meet Ford Performance standards. A true dual-exhaust system, featuring first-for-Bronco active-valve technology, uses near-equal-length pipes for an improved exhaust note. The system allows drivers to alter the sound of their Bronco Raptor with four selectable exhaust modes, including Normal, Sport, Quiet and Baja.
Bronco Raptor builds on the brand’s exclusive G.O.A.T. Modes™ (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) Terrain Management System™ designed to help drivers better navigate off-road. Seven driver-selectable modes include a uniquely tuned Baja Mode that activates a turbo anti-lag calibration to maximize performance over high-speed desert runs. New to Bronco is Tow/Haul mode, which helps enable a tow rating of 4,500 pounds, a 1,000-pound improvement over the base model. Trail Control, Trail Turn Assist and Trail One-Pedal Driving are also included.
Raptor styling with extreme Built Wild innovative design
The first-ever Bronco Raptor delivers purpose-built design, infusing Raptor-family signature cues with the truck’s Built Wild innovative design.
“As the most badass Bronco yet, the Bronco Raptor design is extreme,” said Paul Wraith, Bronco design chief. “It’s muscular, while maintaining an underlying simplicity with performance focused details added only for outstanding high-speed capability.”
Familiar Ford block lettering at the front stretches across the signature two-piece rectangular grille. Model-specific LED headlights featuring amber daytime running lamps and integrated amber marker lamps further tie in the DNA of Raptor to provide a menacing look. A heavy-duty modular steel front bumper by Ford Performance features tow hooks, removable bumper end caps for improved off-road clearance, integrated removable Rigid LED fog lamps and Rigid off road lamps for greater illumination.
The hood on Bronco Raptor is made of sheet-molding compound, offering the design team the ability to dramatically sculpt its muscular shape. An integrated hood vent is molded-in-color Carbon Black and fender vents are painted body color. Raptor logos on the left and right of the hood bulge hint at the twin-turbo power underneath.
Bronco Raptor proudly leverages the Bronco SUV’s patented off-road modular design, stripped it to its base, and replaced components with unique-to-Raptor front and rear quarter-panels, fenders, fender flares and door appliques. Sheet-molding compound is once again used to sculpt the wider front fenders and integrated bodyside heat extraction ducts, which provide additional engine cooling. Sheet-molding compound rear-quarter panels are equally bolstered for a muscular look. Together with fender flares, Bronco Raptor sits 9.8 inches wider than a standard Bronco. Bronco Raptor-specific reinforced rock rails with removable running boards increase rock crawling capability.
For even more Raptor-styling DNA, an available Bronco Raptor Graphics Package includes new splatter graphics on the rear bodysides and hood that use an overlapping broken trapezoidal pattern and floating shapes to present a sophisticated digital appearance. Exterior colors include Hot Pepper Red Metallic, Velocity Blue Metallic, Eruption Green Metallic, Shadow Black, Iconic Silver Metallic, Area 51, Cactus Gray, Cyber Orange Metallic Tri-Coat, Oxford White, plus Ford Performance-exclusive Code Orange paint.
AutoCentric Media is the fastest-growing all-encompassing digital magazine, catered to automotive enthusiasts from all walks of life, with various interests.
