The long-awaited 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor is finally here, and it’s more than just a tarted-up Bronco with some pretty bolt-ons. Ford took inspiration from Ultra4 race trucks and went all out to develop a rig capable of both high-speed desert running and slow, technical rock crawling. What’s more, Ford says it’s better at towing too.
The Raptor name first appeared on the now-legendary Baja-bashing variants of the F-150. For the Bronco, Ford turned up the wick and threw in a dash of rock crawler as well. The biggest change is visual, with the Bronco Raptor standing 9.8 inches wider than the normal Bronco. This comes by way of upgraded axles that were developed for the Bronco DR race truck. The solid rear axle has gone to a semi-float Dana 50 Heavy-Duty AdvanTEK with 235-millimeter ring gear. Up front, the Dana 40 AdvanTEK front-drive unit gets a 210mm ring gear and upgraded half shafts The two make for 8.6 inches of added width, and the box flares make up the extra bit.
On the suspension front, the Bronco Raptor is equipped with the Fox Live Valve system that we know and love from some of our favorite UTVs. In this instance, the kit has Fox 3.1 internal bypass shocks. New control arms keep everything in place, and ground clearance is a healthy 13.1 inches. Underneath the truck lives the Raptor HOSS 4.0 setup which has a fully boxed, high-strength steel frame. Ford says this plus the other added bracing improves torsional rigidity by upwards of 40 percent.
Ford could have left the Bronco’s engine alone, but where would the fun have been in that? Under the hood lives a 3.0L EcoBoost engine that Ford claims will make more than 400 hp. A 10-speed automatic transmission is the sole gearbox available. BFGoodrich 37×12.5R-17 All-Terrain KO2 tires are tasked with putting the power to the ground and the wheels are beadlock-capable. To prevent breakage with all of these heavy components, the transfer case has been upgraded and features a 3.06 4×4 Low mode which allows for a crawl ratio of 67.7:1.
For those who are looking for a Bronco to tow their ATV or UTV, the Bronco Raptor ups the game here as well. Thanks to the benefits of the components Ford included, the Bronco Raptor has a towing capacity of 4,500 pounds to the standard model’s 3,500 pounds. This is a substantial jump and makes towing a few machines on a trailer much safer and easier.
We also know that Ford is building an F-150 Raptor R in the near future with a V-8 under its hood, and wouldn’t count out the possibility of a Bronco Raptor R down the line as well. Even so, the standard Bronco is no slouch, and the Bronco Raptor looks promising. It’ll be available this spring solely as a four-door, with prices expected to start just shy of $70,000.
