Since all good stories start with ‘Once upon a time,’ perhaps it is the right way to start this one – Once upon a time there were two bakkies, the Ford Ranger Raptor and Ranger Platinum and both were determined to be the absolute top dog in the Blue Oval stable.
In the quest to achieve this lofty position the two chose vastly different paths, the Raptor getting all macho and aggressive, happy to show off its muscles at even the remotest chance. The Platinum, 'on the other hand Darren', elected to go in the opposite direction and seek fame by being subtle, elegant and far more gentle.
On paper this rather ‘chalk-and-cheese’ divergence makes comparing the two vehicles a bit of a non-starter. . . or does it?
Looking for your own urban warrior - check these out!
Both vehicles come with highly respected offroad credentials, be it in the beast mode of the Ford Raptor or the more genteel abilities of the Ranger that kicks off in XLT and Wildtrak specification and, since the Platinum builds additional luxury on the Wildtrak base it naturally inherits those same abilities.
These have all been well documented on this an many other forums so we decided to eliminate those as a factor and take a look at the pair as urban Rangers and what they are like to live with on a daily basis, doing more of the mundane and not attempting Gareth Woolridge impressions by hurtling down bumpy dirt roads to see if the Raptor suspension is as trick as Ford says it is. (It is, by the way).
Both vehicles are powered by 3,0-litre V6 turbo-charged engines, diesel in the case of the Platinum and petrol for the Raptor and the Platinum offers 184 kW of power at 3 250 r/min with 600 Nm of torque from 1 750 r/min, while the Raptor numbers are 292 kW at 5 650 r/min and 583 Nm at 3 500 r/min – in urban terms, not a hell of lot between them.
Both vehicles are extensively equipped with luxury and modern tech features as well as the full gamut of safety specification so, again, not massive differences happening there.
Ford Ranger Raptor
The big question revolved around a daily use scenario where your choice of Raptor of Platinum would also be your only car and not just weekend fun while you traipsed through the traffic of daily life in something small and nondescript.
The Raptor is a big vehicle sitting on 255/55 R20 wheels and tyres and is 5 360 mm in length, 2 225 mm wide, 1 926 mm tall with a 3 270 mm wheelbase and ground clearance of 272 mm.
The aggressive front grille and the bulbous tyres give the Raptor quite a menacing look on the road and the great upside of this is the fact taxis and other lane-dodgers do tend to treat it with high levels of respect and stay well away.
Ford Ranger Platinum
The Platinum rides on larger 255/55 R20 wheels and tyres and is 5 350 mm in length, 2 208 mm wide, and 1 886 mm tall on the same 3 270 mm wheelbase – lower (ground clearance is 237 mm) and slightly more compact, but still not a small vehicle and this is where the urban warrior really starts to take shape.
The standard test of the ability of a bakkie in South Africa is often how well it will mount the pavement at the local shopping mall – and both vehicles would simply devour any pavement with barely a burp, so that is hardly an urban test.
The true reveal comes with actually making use of the provided parking bays and we selected Sandton City and OR Tambo airport as the ideal venues for this, the former simply because is a de facto location to find gatherings of urban double cabs and the airport because the bays are narrow as is the space between the rows.
Insurance - no problem, just click here
However, before we get there. The Raptor blasts away from a traffic light with a glorious growl from the engine bay turning condescending smiles from hot hatch drivers into surly grimaces as they are left to wonder what the hell just happened. Snicking up easily through the 10-speed automatic gearbox it just keeps on picking up speed, the V6 gurgling with glee all the while.
A word of caution though – with tyres inflated according to Ford specifications, harsh braking to avoid the dolt who changed lanes without indicating, will produce a sizeable shift in dynamics and some bounce that, while manageable, can be nerve-wracking if unexpected.
The Platinum has a more linear acceleration pattern but is no less rapid and the sudden stop process is handled somewhat more elegantly.
The Raptor is actually very easy to handle and drive in an urban environment and the big vehicle feeling goes away quickly – until it is time to park and then being aware of the size becomes singularly important. With a rated turning circle of 13,2 metres the Raptor does not simply nip into an open bay.
Fortunately, both vehicles are fitted with a comprehensive camera array to assist and it well worth the while taking the time to learn how to manoeuvre using these aids (remembering to ensure the camera lenses are always kept clean),
With the Platinum’s 12,9 metre turning circle our test parking operations did not ever require a three-point kind of operation, whereas in a narrow lane between parking rows the Raptor had to be coerced a little more and while reverse parking, owners would be well advised to take cognisance of where the front of the vehicle is going.
Read more about the 'Y' of Ford Ranger
While the Ford Ranger Platinum is more specifically intended for urban users not likely to want to indulge in donga-diving and is unashamedly geared towards a luxuriously compliant drive, the Raptor holds its own in this scenario.
Naturally the diesel-powered Platinum wins in terms of fuel consumption with our test unit returning 8,7 l/100 km on the urban trail and the Raptor 11,9 l/100 km on the same route.
Two very different and very much the same urban warriors – a bit like Roger Moore versus Sean Connery as 007.
Colin Windell
Proudly CHANGECARS
