Called it! The Ford Bronco Raptor is coming in 2022.
I won’t go on an egotistical trip here (okay, maybe a small one) — but we had a good feeling for some time that the Ford Bronco Raptor would make its way onto the scene after the initial models debuted. All the way back in 2019, I among many others supposed, “wouldn’t it be great if Ford put a super-powerful engine in the Bronco, like with the F-150, and created an SUV Raptor?” And now, Ford Performance confirmed that they’ve gone and done just that. That helps round out the Raptor lineup, rather than adding Warthog as yet another moniker to Ford’s growing list of sub-brands like FX4, Tremor, Timberline, ST…you get the idea.
Here’s a look at what Ford teased on Tuesday:
If you expected to actually see something, you’ll be disappointed. Nevertheless, at least Ford finally came clean on the name — and that opens the door for a new round of speculation on what this new Bronco Raptor could entail.
Back in the day, I wondered if perhaps Ford would use a souped-up version of their 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 to create the Raptor. Now, we know that engine in fact made its way into the normal lineup, with 330 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque. So what could Ford Performance do here to set the Bronco Raptor apart from its competition? Even the spy video we caught a few months ago (check it out below) doesn’t yield too much insight into which powertrain Ford selected here.
What could we see?
I’m going to dash some hopes now, in that I don’t think Ford will use a V8 engine here. Sorry, but that just hasn’t been their M.O. with the F-150 Raptor, so I doubt they’ll do it with the Bronco either. We could see a 3.0-liter version of the EcoBoost V6 seen in the Explorer ST, which would bump up output to around 400 horsepower. As for torque, Ford Performance could tune that engine to put out somewhere between the 415 lb-ft we see in the 2.7-liter Bronco, and the 510 lb-ft that’s in the F-150 Raptor. Again, this is just conjecture, but going that route would establish a step up from the standard Bronco models, while still leaving some breathing room to market the F-150 Raptor as the top dog in the lineup.
Expect to see some chassis tweaks from the OG Bronco, including a likely switch over to Fox shocks from the Bilsteins found in the Badlands and the Wildtrak. Other changes we’ve seen include monstrously wide fender flares — good for putting some extra power and torque down — and some properly huge BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrain tires.
As for the ‘Warthog’ name, that’s not to say Ford couldn’t expand the lineup again down the road. Ford did say this is “one of the Bronco special edition vehicles that will be available in 2022.” As always, their team could have more reveals up their sleeve.
We’ll have to wait until Ford divulges more actual information to know for sure, but at least know we know with certainty to expect the Bronco Raptor sometime next year. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
This post is also published on TFLoffroad.com.