Ford Ranger 2022 review: Raptor X towing test

It’s hard to argue the Ford Ranger Raptor X is good value.

It is the most expensive version of the PX-series Ranger line-up, listing at $79,390 plus on-road costs (MSRP). Yep. You’re looking well north of eighty grand on the road.

The revised interior trim with red stitching matches the exterior sticker pack. (Image: Matt Campbell).

And you don’t even get all the good equipment available on some of the other Ranger models - missing from the Raptor X is adaptive cruise control and front parking sensors, which you get on Rangers costing $20,000 less.

However, the standard equipment on the Raptor X includes a wider body to house the distinct Fox Shocks dampers front and rear (with coil springs front and rear, too), as well as black 17-inch alloy wheels with 33-inch BF Goodrich KO2 Baja Champion all-terrain tyres (265/70/17), off road side steps, the F-O-R-D grille, as well as revised interior trim with red stitching to match up with the exterior sticker pack.

Standard equipment on the Raptor X includes black 17-inch alloy wheels. (Image: Matt Campbell)

You also get an extended black sports bar, LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, a tow bar, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, an 8.0-inch touchscreen media system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, keyless entry and push-button start, auto high beam lights and an extensive array of safety features - more on that in the safety section.

There's an 8.0-inch touchscreen media system with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. (Image: Matt Campbell)

Ford Ranger colours on other grades? Plentiful. On Raptor X? Only four to choose from: Arctic White, which is free, or the optional ($650) Conquer Grey, Shadow Black or Ford Performance Blue you see here. 

A little bit of historical context, here. Back in 2011 when the current-generation Ford Ranger launched, the most expensive model available was the $55K XLT. The Wildtrak pushed the envelope when it arrived in 2012 at $59,390 in auto. Then when the PXII facelift arrived in 2015, the top spec model skipped the sixty grand point, and it has been on the rise ever since. When the Raptor first arrived in 2018, it was $74,990.

We’ve covered this in multiple reviews of the Ranger to this point, but here’s the rub, because aside from the red trim and stuff, there’s not a whole lot different here.

The interior is great for the most part. The storage is good - cup holders up front between the seats, bottle holders in the front and rear doors, flip down armrest with cup holders in the back, map pockets, and you can fold up the seat base to allow for a large covered storage zone, too. Up front there’s also a good centre console bin for odds and ends, but there is no dash top shelf, and no pop out cup holders at the edges of the dash like in the HiLux or D-Max.

The FX4 Max gets electric front seat adjustment and heating. (Image: Matt Campbell)

The screen - an 8.0-inch unit with Ford’s Sync3 infotainment - includes sat nav, many of the onboard controls, Bluetooth and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It works well, and is easy to get used to. It might take you some time to get used to the fact that you have to look at the screen for some of the climate controls, but at least there are knobs and buttons to actually control things. 

The FX4 Max gets electric front seat adjustment and heating (but no steering wheel heating), and the seats are comfy up front and covered in a nice material. In the back it’s fine - at 182cm or 6’0” tall, and can comfortably sit behind my own driving position - but adults might find it a bit tight three-across. Child seat anchors? Yep - two ISOFIX and two top-tether hooks.

It’s the sort of ute that when you walk out the front door and see it in the morning, you’ll be happy to be getting into it. And likewise, at the end of the day, you’ll feel good going home in it.

It’s comfortable, composed, fairly quiet and definitely the sort of rig that you could live with, whether you need a ute or not. 

I actually prefer the way the FX4 Max drives, with its leaf-spring rear suspension offering a little bit more reassuring firmness. But the coil spring setup with multilink rear suspension in the Raptor X is softer, more subtle, and certainly deals with bumps really well.

It’s comfortable, composed and fairly quiet. (Image: Matt Campbell)

It’s designed for that, after all - I’ve driven these off-road, and you can positively plow through bumpy sections that leave other utes feeling jittery.

As we’ve come to expect, the Ranger’s steering is excellent - light and easy to twirl the wheel, and while it doesn’t have a huge amount of feel to it, it’s very livable. Just note, the turning circle is large. 

I said above that this is one of the benchmark motors in this part of the market, and in daily driving it shows why - there’s immense torque and effortless grunt when you need it, and it’s a helluva lot more refined than what you find in a Toyota HiLux or even the Isuzu D-Max / Mazda BT-50 pair.

However, there is some lag to contend with - the turbos can take a little while to get things moving from a standing start, and if you’re shifting between drive and reverse on an incline, just be aware that you may roll forward and then you might end up squealing those back tyres when things pick up. I did it a few times.

Once moving, the 10-speed auto can be a bit busy between gears, but I don’t have any issue with it trying to find the right cog to access the torque on offer. 

A word of advice - watch your shins while getting in and out of the cabin - those side steps are huge. 

So, that’s the unladen, unhitched driving impressions done. What about how it tows?

Watch your shins while getting in and out of the cabin - the side steps are huge. (Image: Matt Campbell)

The ANCAP rating for all current Ford Ranger models dates back to 2015. It got five stars.

But it’s falling short of plenty of its rivals - even the much cheaper GWM Ute has more advanced safety tech fitted than the top spec $80K Raptor X at less than half the price.

Standard is auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, lane keeping assistance, auto high-beam lights, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, roll-over mitigation, load adaptive stability and traction control with trailer sway control, tyre pressure monitoring, traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue monitoring and six airbags (dual front, front side and full-length curtain).

The ANCAP rating for all current Ford Ranger models dates back to 2015 when it got five stars. (Image: Matt Campbell)

You can’t get the Raptor X with adaptive cruise control, semi-autonomous park assist, front parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic, rear AEB, or a surround view camera.