The press release from the tuners starts off amusingly, "Fact: a Ranger Wildtrak will show a Ranger Raptor a clean pair of heels – both use the new twin-turbo 2.0-litre but the Raptor weighs almost 150 kilos more and therefore has a lower power to weight ratio."
Fair enough and let's be honest, one of the biggest criticisms levelled at Ford's off-road trail basher is its choice of powertrain. The 2.0-litre twin-turbocharged motor is good but doesn't satisfy the bloodlust of the petrolheads (it's diesel to start with). RGMotorsport thinks it has the answer to the Raptor's straight-line deficiency. With the RGMotorsport Stage One upgrade, the Raptor's outputs climb from 157 kW to 180 kW, while torque goes from 500 Nm to 590 Nm.
With both hardware, likea hand-made intercooler, 76 mm RGM-Techniflow exhaust, downpipe, performance air filter, and software in the form of aUnichip X chip.Thatshould do the job of giving the Ranger Raptor the go to match the show.
RGMotorsport will sell you a Stage 1 Raptor upgrade for R33 000 and it comes with a 6-month/20 000km warranty. We're still lusting after a petrol-powered Ranger Raptor however…
Ford Ranger Raptor (April 2020) –R849 900
RGMotrsport stage 1 kit – R33 000
Mustang power for Ranger Raptor
Building the Ford Ranger Raptor
Ford Ranger Raptor (2019) Video Review
Ford Ranger Raptor – 5 Key Changes