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2023 Ford Bronco Raptor Review: Big Tires, Big Power, Big Ugly
People clamored for a Raptor version of the reborn Bronco. Now it's here, but is it what we hoped it would be?
Ever since the new Bronco was announced back in 2020, people demanded a Bronco Raptor that would embrace the desert-destroying ethos of the now-legendary F-150 Raptor. Now that the Bronco Raptor exists, it seems to be almost exactly what everyone wanted, at least on paper. But does an SUV so focused on off-road performance really work as a daily driver?
First, the basics. The 2023 Ford Bronco Raptor is available exclusively with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 that produces 418 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque. Sure, this engine is smaller and less potent than the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 found in the F-150 Raptor, but the Bronco is smaller and lighter. The 3.0-liter V6 is paired exclusively with a 10-speed automatic transmission and on-demand four-wheel drive with both a high and low range.
The good news about this drivetrain is that it feels at home in just about every driving situation. On paved roads and in town? Lots of low-down torque makes the Braptor jump off the line. Off-road? You can easily throw huge roosts of dirt and sand. Unfortunately, however, as part of the Raptor treatment, Ford added a multi-mode performance exhaust, and let me tell you, it makes that V6 sound like ass in everything but Quiet mode. The combined engine and exhaust noise is toneless, droning and unpleasant, and the less of it I hear, the better.
Of course, the drivetrain isn’t exactly the star of the show. That honor goes to the Braptor’s High-Speed Off-Road Suspension System 4.0 suspension (aka H.O.S.S.). New hardware includes 3.1-inch internal-bypass Fox shocks at all four corners as well as revised suspension links and new shock tower mounts. This gives the Bronco Raptor 13 inches of front suspension travel and 14 inches of travel in the rear. Fun fact: At 77.8 inches tall, the Bronco Raptor is actually too big for Ford’s assembly line. To fix this, Ford created extra bolt holes in the suspension to essentially lock the Bronco into a lower ride height until it’s ready to roll out the door.
The result of this comprehensive rework, along with a big set of 37-inch BFGoodrich T/A K02 tires, creates a mix of incredible off-road capability and remarkably good on-road manners. I say remarkably good because, thanks to the reasonably taut suspension, the Bronco Raptor is not only not-terrifying on a twisty road, it’s actually fun. Sure, this SUV is huge and so wide it requires three federally mandated central orange marker lights, but it also doesn’t feel as though it will lose its composure should I take it up a canyon road.
In the dirt, the sense that I can go anywhere and do anything - so long as the trail doesn’t get too narrow - is almost overwhelming. The Bronco Raptor makes anyone look and feel like a superhero off-road, which is both a good and bad thing. It’s good in that you can get places you wouldn’t normally go, but you can also reach places you maybe shouldn’t go. For example, during my off-road day with the Raptor, I managed to pull an Austrian Pinzgauer out of a mud hole, which feels insanely impressive. Conversely, I constantly found myself threading the needle on tight trails trying not to rip the Raptor’s tacked-on fender flares off on a tree. With great capability comes great responsibility.
The rest of the Raptor experience is pretty normal relative to lesser Broncos. You can use it as a daily driver, though good luck parking anywhere in a busy city thanks to its size. The interior is rugged but comfortable, and the large 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system works great. I also like that wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard. Being that the Bronco Raptor has a removable roof, wind noise is very noticeable, and a metric boatload of tire noise only exacerbates that unpleasantness. Then again, this is really a case of “live by the sword, die by the sword.”
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