A fresh report out of Australia claims the next-generation Ford Ranger Raptor will be offered with a twin-turbo V6 petrol engine.
Whether such a powerplant would be offered outside of North America, though, remains to be seen.
According to CarAdvice, the Blue Oval brand will ditch the current Raptor’s 2,0-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel mill for a version of the twin-turbo 3,0-litre V6 petrol unit used in the Explorer ST in North America. In the Explorer ST, the V6 generates a healthy 298 kW and 563 N.m, delivered to all four corners via a ten-speed automatic transmission.
The question is, will Ford also offer the next-gen Ranger Raptor with a diesel option? Well, a separate report from May 2020 claimed the flagship version of the bakkie would gain a 3,0-litre V6 turbodiesel unit (generating 186 kW and 600 N.m) from the F-150.
We’d speculate the oil-burner will be offered in markets such as Australia and South Africa, while the rumoured petrol option will be made available in North America (though the Ranger is currently offered in the United States, the Raptor-badged model isn’t).
Either way, these latest rumours suggest the Dearborn-based firm will heed the call for more power from its Ranger Raptor, which in its current four-pot guise makes 157 kW and 500 N.m…
