Ever since the Ford Bronco came back, there has been a lingering question in every enthusiast’s mind about the chances of a Bronco Raptor coming into life and Ford did promise a powerful and more aggressive version of the Bronco which was to be named the ‘Warthog’.
The Bronco Raptor is all set to come with a rumored 3 L EcoBoost V6 along with a beefier suspension setup, Fox LiveValve shocks, wider fender flares, and 37-inch tires. Recently, few new details about the upcoming Ford Bronco Raptor emerged online on the Bronco6G.com forum which tells us that the Bronco ‘Raptor’ is confirmed and will be in the market soon. It seems like a new body code named the Raptor has been added to the 2022 Ford Bronco’s ordering system along with some other information on the packages that might be available for the Bronco.
The Bronco Raptor certainly will be a four-door only SUV just like the F-150 Raptor that only comes in a Crew Cab body. So, if you were thinking of owning a two-door Bronco Raptor in the future then it’s surely bad news for you. The Bronco Raptor is going to be draped in some interesting colors which include Hot Pepper Red, Code Orange, Desert Sand, and the newly revealed Eruption Green. From what we could make out from the Bronco6G forum, the Raptor will come in a ‘373A’ package that is the base Bronco Raptor and a ‘374A’ package -a top trim Bronco Raptor that includes the Lux Package, heated steering wheel, Adaptive Cruise Control, and a wireless charger. Another spotting in the forum seems to be an ‘Everglades’ trim which might be a new trim added just for the Bronco Raptor.
As far as the Bronco Raptor goes, the biggest questions surrounding it seem to be regarding its powertrain unit. The current Broncos are available with two engine unit options which are the 2.3 L EcoBoost inline-4 engine and a 2.7 L EcoBoost V6. But both these engines are only capable of being inside the regular Broncos and not the ‘Raptor’. Since the F-150 Raptor has a 3.5 L EcoBoost V6 producing 450 horsepower that seems apt for the Bronco Raptor, rumors suggest that the Bronco Raptor will probably receive a tuned version of the 3 L EcoBoost V6 found in the 2022 Ford Explorer. Whatever the case may be, we can certainly be sure that Ford won’t settle for less when it comes to their Raptor models. Though we would have genuinely appreciated a V8 engine inside the Bronco Raptor’s hood, Ford might not go in that direction as they have already made sure the F-150 Raptor, which is one of their most powerful trucks, gets an EcoBoost V6.
If you have been wondering what would happen to the ‘Warthog’ name as the name had been rumored to be on the Bronco Raptor initially then there’s no need to worry, as Ford has trademarked both the ‘Raptor’ and the ‘Warthog’ names which suggest that there is a possibility of a Bronco Warthog in the future but in a different avatar. We certainly anticipated that the Bronco Warthog would have been the right name for the Raptoresque version but it seems Ford has some other plans.
There aren’t any data mentioning the release date of the Ford Bronco Raptor as of now but with the unveiling of the Ford Bronco R race truck at the 2019 SEMA event in Las Vegas, Ford had tried to convey that the Bronco Raptor was already in the works and we certainly can expect a launch right before 2022 or early 2022. With Ford already facing issues with delivering the very first batches of the regular Broncos, it seems clear that the Bronco Raptor won’t be delivered to customers soon after its launch which means there’s still a long time to go before we get to see some Bronco Raptors on public roads.
All we know is that the Ford Bronco Raptor will assuredly be a game-changer just like the F-150 Raptor was for the F-150 fleet. Bringing some performance and racing tech into the pickup and SUV segment seems to have worked for a lot of manufacturers in the past decades and the addition of the Bronco Raptor will surely boost the sales and fame of the Bronco brand and bring back the cult following that the early Broncos had.
