Willem van de Putte
Mention the Ford Bronco and visions of a rugged, two-door go-anywhere SUV flood the imagination, conjuring up nostalgia for its original debut in 1966 and its last hurrah in 1996.
Fast forward 25 years, and the Bronco has made a dramatic return since its reintroduction in 2021, now available in both two and four-door versions.
But Ford wasn’t satisfied with just bringing back the standard model; in 2022, they added a thrilling Raptor version to the mix, and it promises to rewrite the rules of off-roading.
At a recent gathering in the deserts of Dubai, Ford International Markets Group (IMG) hosted a showcase for the Bronco Raptor as part of the 15th anniversary celebrations of the iconic Raptor nameplate.
Responsible for overseeing markets across Australia, New Zealand, ASEAN, North Africa, South Africa, and the Middle East, IMG has positioned Ford to dominate the competitive SUV segment as enthusiasts flock to experience this latest iteration of the Bronco.
Powerful and designed with accessories
There’s nothing subtle about the Bronco Raptor. It’s a big, aggressive-looking SUV that at first glance tells you it means business.
Behind its imposing grille, adorned with the FORD lettering, lies a powerhouse — a 3.0-litre twin-turbo Ecoboost V6 engine pumping out a formidable 312kW and 597Nm of torque, matched with a seamless 10-speed automatic transmission and a 4.70 axle ratio.
For context, these power figures marginally eclipse those of the popular Ranger, which boasts 292kW and 583Nm.
The real GOAT
Its four-wheel drive system is called G.O.A.T, which is a historic Bronco acronym that stands for Goes Over Any Terrain. Or I suppose, considering its bloodline and ability, could be the more modern Greatest Of All Time.
If you’re familiar with the Ranger terrain settings it’s the same that you would find in most 4x4 versions with Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, Sand, Mud and Ruts and Rockcrawl. And because it’s a Raptor, don’t forget Baja Mode.
What Ford have done is essentially take every accessory that off-road enthusiasts often spend money and time on to make their 4x4s extremely capable, and factory-fitted them.
So basically, the Bronco Raptor comes directly out of the factory with every conceivable upgrade designed for extreme performance and functionality.
Having spent a lot on my own car, having accesorised it mostly by swinging my own spanners, I can tell you that having them factory fitted makes a lot of sense ansd also means no warranties are affected.
Apart from its aggressive and no-nonsense design, it’s the standard 37-inch BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres covered by large fender flares that really makes it stand out from the rest.
All the exposed parts on the underbelly have proper protection for when 333mm of ground clearance isn’t enough.
And if Rockcrawl Mode doesn’t get you over an obstacle, a front and rear differential locker is standard. So too is the electronic sway bar disconnect, a nifty feature that provides a crazy amount of articulation with the push of a button.
You can do all of that naked if you will. Well, not in your birthday suit, but without doors or a roof because the Bronco has removable body panels and has frame-less doors with the side mirrors mounted at the base of the windscreen so you can still use them without the doors.
Suspension for the ages
Like its F150 and Ranger siblings, the Fox suspension provides impressive performance whether highway driving, flying over dunes or crawling over rocky surfaces.
The Bronco Raptor is built on the same platform as the Ranger Raptor but has been re-engineered for the same suspension set-up as the Ford F150 Raptor with a five-link rear suspension with extra long trailing arms, a Panhard rod and 24-inch coil springs.
Throw in Fox Live Valve internal bypass shocks with electronic control technology and position-sensitive damping adjustability, electronically controlled base valves that allows up to 450kg of damping at desert speeds and 500 times per second readings from suspension height and other sensors and you pretty much get an off-road beast.
Unlike the F150 Raptor, the interior is quite snug but not uncomfortably so, it feels like the controls, pedals and centre console are closer to your limbs and provide more support when flinging it around.
It’s not unlike the Rangers that we’ve become accustomed to inside with a 12-inch touchscreen with Ford’s latest Sync4 system, a 12-inch digital cluster and pre-wired accessory plugs in the roof.
What’s it like to drive?
It gets marine-grade vinyl upholstery and rubberised flooring to make cleaning easier.
The organisers of the event had laid out a route to highlight the strengths of each of the Raptor vehicles and for the Bronco this involved technical rock climbing.
Because the United Arab Emirates is mostly desert we had to drive a fair way to get to the rocky bits which gave us an opportunity to see how the Bronco fares on tar.
Because of its wide track it’s stable and despite its size and large tyres it displayed a surprisingly sophisticated driving impression.
There’s obviously some road noise but it’s not intrusive and it’s easy to understand why the Bronco Raptor is so popular as an off-road beast and I could also easily live with it as a daily driver.
It's touted to get to 100km/h in under six seconds which I can well believe, but trying to explain that away to the local police wouldn’t have worked with a coke and a KFC.
Climbing up shoal covered inclines in 4L and in Rockcrawl Mode, the Bronco inches forward effortlessly without the tyres slipping even at road-going pressures.
It’s a mountain goat over large rock obstacles with a well calibrated throttle that allows you to gently maneuver its big body without any lunging.
What surprised me was how tight the turning circle was after we had traversed an obstacle with a sharp left turn followed by another slow hard right up an incline.
It is fitted with Trail Turn Assist which reduces the turning radius by applying brakes to the inside rear wheel so in a really tight spot it will come in handy.
Not for us
I think that the Bronco Raptor is an offroad SUV that would really resonate with South African enthusiasts, but alas it’s not to be.
There are no plans to bring out a right-hand drive model because it’s too expensive and there isn’t enough demand for the volumes to make sense.
And at $92 000 or almost R1.7-million without all the local taxes before it lands, it’s a chunk of change that only a handful could afford.