The Ford Ranger is coming to the U.S. That’s good news for a lot of people who have been clamoring for a smaller pickup to complement the much larger F-150. But there’s the potential for better news on the horizon with the potential of a Ranger Raptor hitting the scene. The souped-up pickup made its debut in Bangkok last week, and there’s growing momentum that we might see it in American soil at some point in the future. Maybe.

Nothing is definite on Ford’s end, but the thought of a Ranger Raptor heading stateside is very intriguing for a number of reasons. Ford’s chief engineer, Jamal Hameedi, touched on a few of those reasons in a conversation with Australia’s Drive. “Raptors are a slam dunk for the US,” Hameedi said. “I think it would do really well in the states.”

“I think it’s certainly like it’s a baby Raptor, it depends what you’re looking for. There are a lot of people who just want that size in a pickup truck, and they don’t want anything larger.”

That’s arguably the biggest reason. Customers want some differentiation with their choice of pickups. The F-150 is always a popular choice, but there is a segment of customers who are turned off by how big the F-150 is. Slotting a smaller pickup with Raptor capabilities would be the perfect solution to give customers a choice of what they think is the pickup that best suits their lifestyle. That model could be the Ranger Raptor. Chevrolet has the Colorado ZR2 to fill that space. Toyota just introduced the TRD Tacoma Pro to do the same. Ford should have one too. It just so happens that it already does, but it’s not clear if it’s bringing it in the U.S.

If Ford brings the Ranger Raptor in the U.S., it’s likely that it’s going to drop the diesel engine that will power most Ranger Raptors that will be sold all over the world in favor of a gas engine. Blame stricter regulations and the declining demand for diesel-powered vehicles for that. If Ford can get around that small wrinkle, it should have no problem marketing the Ranger Raptor in America. Ford’s 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four engine is a good engine to use on a U.S.-spec Ranger Raptor. It’s already the engine that the standard Ranger uses, but there’s potential there to tune it to a higher output. The 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 mil in the F-150 would also be an intriguing option.

The Ford Ranger Raptor is never going to be as powerful as the F-150 Raptor, but its potential in the U.S. market would be too great for Ford to ignore. “It really is the best handling pick-up truck I’ve driven and not by an insignificant margin,” Hameedi said.

References

Ford Ranger

Read our full review on the 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor.

Read our full review on the 2019 Ford Ranger.

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