While such tasks might seem menial for a Ranger, it should be noted that the mulch brought the Raptor’s unique Watt’s link rear-end suspension toward its 758kg maximum payload. After that, I picked up a load (according to the mulch man, it was a bit over 500kg) of decomposing garden litter. That’d cost me twice as much as piling everything into one trip. The penny pincher I am, I wasn’t taking two level tubloads of rubbish to the dump. Inspired to an early spring clean, I took to the yard to get things looking sharp while I still had the pick-up. While the Fox dampers soak up the bumps, the traction control loosens, the throttle sharpens and it’s wildly entertaining to drive on any surface reminiscent of that gruelling desert dash. A lot of development – including local – went into creating this beast, and plenty of that was focused on perfecting what happens when you engage that Baja mode – its moniker a reference to the great Mexican desert race of the same name. That’s what the Blue Oval chucked down our throats from the moment it first told us that it had a performance-focused ute coming – and with good reason. That’s its desert-busting, hump-jumping setting that allows the big unit to launch off the crest of any convenient sand dune. If Ford could only tell you one thing about its Ranger Raptor, it would be that it has Baja mode. Raptor is bred for the desert, but keeps its cool in the mountains too Without a mate to assist, that would have been a stretch too far, though now that I think about it, a hard cover might bring the benefit of being an excellent wangler repellent… Update #4: Snow-go zone In both instances, I would have had to remove the hard lid, then store it somewhere where it wouldn’t fall over or be damaged. But the second task was trickier.Īt first I thought this a glaring oversight – especially as the Ranger Wildtrak is armed with a lockable rolling hardtop as standard – though unless you need to lock up tools or other valuables, this month’s experience shows a hardcover might be more trouble than it’s worth. The first time was to move some pool-fence palings, which proved all too easy. Until recently I’ve taken them at their word, but twice this month I’ve had to call upon the Raptor’s utility.

“Beauty, mate, cool ute,” is often the parting remark as the keys clatter across my desk. So far my Raptor has helped three people move house, been twice called upon by our sister title 4X4 Australia to ferry about some off-road wheels and tyres, and has been a regular at Bunnings where all sorts of hardware has been stuffed into its tray.Īt least the wanglers are grateful. “Can I borrow the Raptor? You’ll be okay to drive my Citroen C2, yeah?” “Oh good,” comes the whip-crack follow-up. “Mate, are you up to much this weekend?” is an all-too-familiar, and seemingly innocent, opening gambit. They’re crafty, these folk, these ‘borrowers’, these ‘favour askers’, so you need to know what you’re looking for, but no-one is more finely attuned to their tricks than a ute owner. You can spot a wangler from a great distance. Plus, let’s be real: this isn’t your typical dual-cab. Over the next six months, I’m hoping the Raptor can finally shed some light on the whole dual-cab thing. Which is precisely why I wanted to be its custodian. Who cares if your ute can clamber up a boulder? And enduring hours of muddy ruts and inching down slippery slopes at 4km/h is about as thrilling as hopping inside your dryer to share a spin cycle with a bowling ball.Īll of this makes me the least qualified person in the Wheels office to run the latest addition to our fleet – this rather ostentatious Ford Ranger Raptor. This involved several attempts at hardcore off-roading, but all this managed to do was deepen my confusion. This does make me feel like an American trying to understand cricket, though I have tried to grasp the allure of the pick-up. They’re too heavy, too thirsty and too clumsy. I can appreciate them in a detached kind of way, and understand that they’re exceedingly popular and thus exceptionally relevant to the average Aussie, yet they hold zero appeal to my rational side. You see, I’m just not a dual-cab ute kind of guy. Complete with Julian Assange-in-a-crowded-supermarket levels of discomfort.

No, this is more deep-sea-tuna-on-top-of-Uluru kind of territory. FISH OUT OF water doesn’t quite cut it here.

Coyote drive in reviews