The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor has huge fender flares that hide coil-overs with 2.5-inch adaptive Fox Live Valve shocks. The rear gets the same shocks with piggyback reservoirs. It has front and rear locking differentials and a 67.88:1 crawl ratio.
If those terms don’t make sense to you, you’re not alone, and you’re not wrong to think maybe you still want a baby Raptor. You might benefit from some off-road lessons.
Even if you’re a seasoned off-roader with a preferred crawl ratio, you probably won’t turn down the chance to spend a day behind the wheel in the high desert terrain of Utah with a veteran off-road instructor helping you find ways to have more (and safer) fun.
It’s called Ranger Raptor Assault School, though hopefully, no actual assaults will occur there. Ford will use it to offer a day of off-road training to everyone who buys a Ranger Raptor.
The Baby Raptor
The Ranger is all new for 2024, with handsome lines, a wider wheelbase (Ford says 4×8 drywall sheets lay flat in the bed), and a restrained interior with a portrait-mounted touchscreen. But the big news is the introduction of the Ranger Raptor.
Raptors are high-speed desert runners – off-road versions of Ford vehicles with some of the most sophisticated suspensions ever fitted to a truck or SUV. The Ranger Raptor is the smallest and most affordable of the lineup. It starts at $57,065 (including the mandatory $1,595 destination fee).
That price gets you the same twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 found in the Bronco Raptor, good for 405 horsepower. It rides on 33-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO3s, with 10.7 inches of ground clearance and all that suspension.
Plan a Trip to Utah
Knowing how to use this gear is probably vital to enjoying it. So Ford will throw in one day of training at the Ford Performance Racing School in Tooele Valley, Utah, with every purchase.
According to Ford, the curriculum “includes a variety of challenging terrains and maneuvers to build knowledge, confidence, and off-road skills. These include rock crawling and Baja runs, climbing, side hilling, descending, and braking.”
You have to provide your travel and lodging, but meals are included — and you don’t have to bring your new truck.
