WE’RE THE CLEVER ONES, ISN’T THAT right? We prize the use of intelligent weight saving, of function creating form; we see through all the nonsense and understand why an Alpine A110 is so special, why an estate car beats an SUV every single time and why physical size and mass is The Enemy. We even use our collective sense to rail against grossly overpowered and absurdly heavy EVs. If only everyone was as enlightened as evo readers. And yet…
Oh dear. I am powerless to fight it. I know on a molecular level that the Ford Ranger Raptor is bloated (2454kg), vastly oversized for most UK roads and wildly inefficient. I’m also painfully aware that there are no Baja-style playgrounds in Northamptonshire or Oxfordshire or even in the depths of Wales and Scotland. However, something about a pickup with a strengthened chassis and suspension-style jumps is basically irresistible. Baja, the Dakar, Hazzard County… whatever your particular imaginary off-road racing scenario involves, the Ranger Raptor seems built for the job. Authentic. Yes, that’s the word we can use. An authentic performance vehicle.
