Why you shouldn't hold your breath for a V8-powered Ford Ranger Raptor R

The Ford Ranger Raptor has become the hero model for the Blue Oval - proving both a critical and commercial success. But there is a limit to its appeal.

Back in late 2019, reports emerged that Ford Australia was considering squeezing a 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine under the bonnet of the ute to elevate its performance to the next level. While it was ruled out at that time as being too close to the end of the previous Ranger’s life, the introduction of the new generation gave fresh hope.

But that hope has now been dashed, with Ford all-but ruling out ever building a V8-powered version which would likely carry the Ranger Raptor R badge.

Trevor Worthington, the expat Australian who oversees all of Ford’s internal combustion vehicles, made it clear that he believes the Raptor’s new 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that makes 292kW/585Nm is more than enough for most customers.

“I’d never say never, but I think the step we’ve made up from the 2.0-litre bi-turbo to what we’ve just done, close to 400hp, I think the evidence I’ve seen on tape of people tearing it up in that vehicle, it’s probably what people are looking for,” he told CarsGuide.

This comes despite Ford offering the F-150 Raptor R in the USA with success. But Mr Worthington explained there is unlikely to be enough customer demand in Australia to justify the cost of engineering a V8 to fit into the new Ranger.

“To some extent, our view with the other Raptors we’ve done, we’ve really put the right, most powerful engine in them in the first place,” he said.

“A lot of you weren't happy when we turned up with a Ranger Raptor with a bi-turbo [four-cylinder diesel] engine. [But] for the vast majority of customers, that was exactly what they wanted, because they wanted range, 10-speed gearbox, all the performance they wanted.

“This time around we’ve put the 3.0-litre [V6] petrol engine in it, that will satisfy customers looking for more performance. So, Ranger, we think, has got the right performance engine, the Bronco Raptor has the same engine… I can’t see us putting another engine above those in, unless it’s a situation like the Bronco DR [Desert Racer] - which is not a road registered vehicle, it’s a race vehicle for a very specific outcome.”

Mr Worthington previously indicated to CarsGuide that Ford would consider a Ranger DR in the right circumstances, which could lead to a V8 eventually but only for competition - not public road use.

Mr Worthington, who is also in charge of Ford Performance, also said his preference isn’t to expand the use of the ‘R’ nomenclature into road-going cars beyond the F-150 Raptor R.

“We generally use the letter ‘R’ when we’re going to take a vehicle racing,” he explained.

“What you heard [at the launch of the new Mustang] around the Dark Horse R is a bespoke race version of that vehicle that’s not road registerable… The [F-150] Raptor R is kind of a unique circumstance, where we have an iconic vehicle, the F-Series Raptor, and it was being changed so much, so what do you call it? We called it the ‘R’ because it’s a very unique engine.

“I’ve got a conventional Raptor with 450hp, I’ve just had a Raptor R for three weeks and it’s got 700hp. So how do you signify that something really different has happened, so we called it Raptor R.”

So, expecting a Ranger Raptor R is unlikely, unless Ford follows through with its hope of seeing it take on off-road racing events like the Dakar Rally and Finke Desert Race.