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Launching only in North America, the 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor is set to be the most competent compact pickup on the market.

The Ford Ranger Raptor has managed to gain quite the following over the past few years as a remarkably capable off-road pickup truck. Even while the current diesel Raptor is an impressive truck, customers and critics seemed to have one gripe with it, which was that it definitely could have done with more power. Well, with the new Ranger Raptor, Ford has listened to criticisms and brought in an all-new truck based on the T-6 platform, and the truck shares its underpinnings with the new Ford Bronco. This would definitely add to the truck's off-roading chops. There is no doubt that Ford knows what they are doing when it comes to pickup trucks. After all, the F-150 has been America's highest-selling truck for decades now.

While the 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor was initially meant for Australia and some parts of Europe, Ford CEO Jim Farley announced via Twitter that the truck would also be coming to the USA and Canada. Why is that reason for excitement? Well, because the 2023 Raptor is simply a breathtaking truck with plenty of features and characteristics to write home about. In that vein, here are some awesome facts about the 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor.

Ford's Raptor models have always been focused on off-roading ability while remaining commendable on the asphalt as well. For the 2023 Ranger Raptor, Ford has added more off-road ability to the truck than ever before. The brand achieves this through suspension parts from Fox, in particular, the Live Valve shocks with an internal bypass.

The new suspension on the Ranger Raptor is bound to add more strength and travel than ever before. In addition to an upgraded suspension, the 2023 Ranger Raptor has heavy-duty underbody protection which gives added protection to the truck's underbody components, making it more capable than ever before on rough terrains.

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There's no denying that the outgoing Ford Raptor is an impressive truck by all means. However, customers and critics alike had one gripe with the truck—the diesel Raptor was lacking in the power department. Receptive as ever, Ford listened, and the new T-6-based Raptor will have its powertrain the same as the new Ford Bronco.

Under the hood, the 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor will come with a 3.0-liter V6 EcoBoost Engine, the same as the Ford Bronco. In the international market, too, the Raptor will now have a gas-powered engine instead of a diesel unit for the first time since the T6 truck went into production.

Year by year, screens inside cars have been increasing in size when it comes to both the infotainment systems, as well as driver instrument clusters. Keeping suit, the 2023 Raptor gets a gigantic, vertically-mounted 12-inch infotainment screen which is the star of the show the minute you enter the cabin. The truck also gets a fully-digital instrument cluster.

Large and supportive seats make the cabin of the 2023 Ford Raptor an extremely comfortable place to be for all occupants, while the upholstery exudes the toughness the truck embodies. Further enhancing the cabin are features like ambient lighting and a heated steering wheel, upping the ante on the plushness of the cabin.

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The new suspension parts of the 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor, particularly the Live Valve shocks with an internal bypass, are from Fox. These parts replace those on the current, outgoing model, which weren't as tailor-made for the truck, and were instead more of a general, stock part fitted on the truck. Ford Performance has worked on the internal bypass shocks this time around for the Ford Raptor, ensuring that the comfort and refinement of the suspension setup are unprecedented.

The Raptor-specific tuning of the parts for this year would result in the truck having perfect balance, stability, and off-road comfort. Moreover, the engine, which is a V6 EcoBoost petrol engine, is tuned by Ford Performance for the new Raptor as well, churning out 392 horsepower with 430 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Ford has ensured that the 2023 Ranger Raptor will be an absolute force to be reckoned with off-road, but the truck will be no slouch on the road either. Adding to the host of tech on the new Raptor, Ford offers seven different terrain modes on the truck, out of which three are city-specific. These driving modes on the 2023 Raptor include the Normal, Sport, and Slippery modes for the city, which tune the performance for regular commuting, when you're on the highway, or when the roads are slippery, respectively.

In off-road conditions, the truck has four separate terrain modes, namely Rock Crawl, Sand, Mud/Ruts, and a Baja mode. With a terrain mode suited to any fathomable driving condition one could throw at the 2023 Ranger Raptor, there is no doubt that the truck would be right at home regardless of the terrain in front of it.

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On top of the seven different terrain modes that the 2023 Ranger Raptor offers, the truck also comes with four separate exhaust notes. The different exhaust audio modes would control the exhaust note that the 3.0-liter V6 engine makes. The modes are namely the Quiet, Normal, Sport, and Baja.

The Quiet mode, as the name would suggest, keeps exhaust noise low and quiet, bearing in mind urban and neighborhood driving. The Normal mode would be a step above it, with the exhaust note remaining subtle, but still noticeable. The Sport mode is where things would get loud, with a more dynamic exhaust note which would announce the car's power. Finally, the Baja exhaust mode is intended for usage in off-road situations, where the truck is meant to shine. The Baja exhaust note for the 2023 Ranger Raptor will be the truck at its loudest and most vibrant.

An all-new tailor-made suspension setup, reinforced underbody protection, and 7 different terrain modes are still not the end of the list when it comes to the 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor's off-road chops. The truck takes things up another notch by including the Trail Control feature as well, which now helps the Raptor go head-to-head with rivals in the rock-crawling department.

The trail-control feature functions as a low-speed cruise control system in off-roading situations. The driver would simply need to set a speed at which the truck would keep moving, which would allow them to fully concentrate on steering through rocky obstacles without having to fiddle around with the throttle. The Trail Control system would take care of acceleration and braking according to the terrain, taking a load off the driver.

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The 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor is far from just an incremental yearly update. For starters, it now shares the same drivetrain as the Ford Bronco, and the truck will also now use a Teflon-infused oil, which Ford claims would almost halve the friction as compared to the outgoing Ranger. Furthermore, in a first for the Ranger Raptor, an advanced full-time 4WD system will be active.

The Ranger Raptor's 4WD system will host an all-new electronically-controlled two-speed transfer case on demand. In the Baja terrain mode which is the most off-road focused, the Raptor will also employ Ford's new anti-lag system, which keeps the truck's turbochargers spinning for up to 3 seconds after the driver takes their foot off the gas. This would ensure faster acceleration through corners and the gears as well. There is no doubt that Ford has made the new Ranger Raptor for those who love exploring the road less taken.

If it has wheels and an engine, Samarveer Singh is going to be obsessed with it. He is a budding Indian motorcycle racer, competing at the national level in his country in his very first year, chasing his dream around every corner of the racetrack. A touring enthusiast, Samarveer is forever stuck between the urge to constantly redline his bike, or save its clutch plates for longer.