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TRAVIS LANGNESS: Ford is full steam ahead with the Bronco.
They've brought out this, the Bronco
Raptor, a high-performance version of the standard model.
We're going to put it through our instrumented test--
0 to 60, quarter mile, breaking, skidpad.
We're going to be the first ones to bring you
independent testing of the Bronco Raptor.
But first, what is a Raptor?
Well, it's the name that Ford applies
to their high-performance off-road vehicles.
So first, they did it with the F-150, their pickup truck.
And now they've applied the Raptor name to the Bronco.
[WHOOSHING]
So what does that mean?
It gets a high-horsepower engine,
all sorts of suspension changes, bigger tires, and extra power
under the hood.
I think I might have said that at the beginning,
but it's worth noting again.
Rest assured, we're going to bring you an off-road test
of this vehicle.
We're putting it up against an F-150 Raptor.
And we're going to see just how well it ranks in terms
of off-road capability.
But today is about the numbers.
We want to see if this can stack up
against a standard Bronco and competitors,
vehicles like the Wrangler 392, with its big old V8 up front.
But before we do that, be sure to click Like and Subscribe.
Hit that bell so you'll get the notification when our Raptor
versus Raptor video comes out.
And for a cash offer on your car today,
go to edmunds.com/sellmycar.
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This is Edmunds' long-term Bronco.
We bought it with our money for our fleet.
We're testing it for over a year and 20,000 miles.
And it's a perfect benchmark for what's
different between the standard Bronco and the Bronco Raptor.
Our long-term Bronco is a 2021 First Edition,
which means it comes pretty much fully loaded
with all the Bronco's features.
It also includes the Sasquatch package
that maximizes the Bronco's off-road capability
by adding lifted suspension, modified
fender flares, beadlock-capable wheels, 35-inch mud terrain
tires, a shorter final drive ratio,
and, among other things, locking front and rear differentials.
All of that gives the Bronco First Edition
some serious off-road capability.
But the Bronco Raptor gets even more.
Instead of 35s, it gets 37-inch tires,
and also gets a modified frame, big Fox shocks
and long-travel suspension, stronger axles
to deal with the increased power, more skid
plates and thicker skid plates, increased ground clearance,
a higher capacity clutch for off-roading,
wider fender flares, and unique body panels with vents
to let out some of that heat.
But the biggest difference between them is the engine.
In the standard Bronco, you get a four-cylinder, a 2.3 liter
turbocharged engine that puts out 300 horsepower, which
is respectable.
In our long-termer, we've got the optional 2.7 liter
V6, also turbocharged, which has 330 horsepower.
But this one, the Raptor, gets a 3-liter turbocharged V6
that's good for 418 horsepower.
It's a lot for an off-roader, so let's see
how they stack up head to head.
There are some differences between these interiors
that are worth noting.
Sure, both of these Broncos have the same size interior,
but the Raptor gets a special treatment.
There are unique logos, unique seats with extra bolstering,
a unique steering wheel, and access
to all sorts of cosmetic options, like carbon fiber
trim and orange seat belts.
It's not quite posh or luxury, but it gives the interior
a bit of extra flair, for sure.
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Our long-term Bronco with the 2.7 liter engine
went from 0 to 60 in 7.3 seconds,
crossing the quarter mile in 15.6 seconds
at 85 miles an hour.
While that's not super impressive,
it is pretty much average for the segment.
The Bronco Raptor, though, to find out just
how it performs at the track, let's
turn to our senior vehicle test editor, Kurt Niebuhr.
KURT NIEBUHR: Here we go, 0 to 60.
MAN (OVER RADIO): [INAUDIBLE]
[REVVING]
KURT NIEBUHR: Well, to nobody's surprise,
that is faster than our long-term Bronco, a twin turbo
V6.
This is a 3 liter V6.
It does sound a bit better.
Boy, these Broncos are noisy on the inside.
All right, we're going to try that again.
We're going to power brake it, two-wheel drive high.
I like a little wheel spin.
Sometimes you get some wheel speed.
You get some engine RPM speed.
And it goes a bit faster.
So we're going to do that.
Left foot on the brake really hard, right foot on the gas.
And here we go.
[REVVING]
Pretty smart.
A little quicker.
Still noisy, though.
Yeah, I don't think it's as fast as a Tremor,
but it's no slouch for something that's
off-road only, essentially.
But it's got enough power this thing would just
be a blast just bombing down some sandy wash, no doubt.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: The Bronco Raptor went from 0 to 60
in 6.3 seconds and did the quarter mile in 14.7,
crossing the finish line at 89.9 miles an hour.
It's certainly faster than our long-term Bronco,
but it's not exactly blazingly quick.
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KURT NIEBUHR: To be fair, it takes
a long time for any off-road vehicle to come to a full stop,
like any Jeep Rubicon, the Wrangler 392.
They're big.
They've got off-road tires.
Off-road tires are designed to be off-road, not on-road.
And that really comes through in handling
and in braking performance.
[REVVING]
[SCREECHING]
Woo.
Wow.
Lots of brake dive.
That's that off-road suspension, just like everything else.
You can feel how off-road ready the vehicle is by the braking
performance, by the nose dive, by the way it
bounces back up after it stops.
It is not out of control.
It doesn't feel bad.
It just doesn't perform the way I think
most people might anticipate.
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All right, Bronco on a skidpad, not its natural environment,
especially with 37 inch tires.
So we're going to kind of do our best.
[REVVING]
Lots of body roll.
I can hear the ESC--
Electronic Stability Control-- kind of fighting.
But it's OK.
It's manageable.
This has reasonably low limits.
I mean, this is an off-road vehicle, not
an on-road vehicle.
Yeah, I think that's enough.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: When it comes to braking in lateral G,
our long-term Bronco did a simulated panic stop
from 60 miles an hour to 0 in 146 feet,
and it pulled 0.72 Gs on a skidpad.
Now, that stopping distance might
seem average for something like a full-size pickup truck,
but it's not great for SUVs of this size.
And we give some of that blame to the off-road-oriented tires.
It's a similar story in the Raptor, which
is heavier, and stopped from 60 miles an hour in 149 feet
and did only 0.71 Gs on the skidpad--
not surprising from such an off-road-oriented SUV but not
impressive, either.
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The Bronco Raptor is the most powerful version of the Bronco
you can currently get, so it stands
to reason that it would be faster than our long-termer,
with its 2.7 liter V6.
But I don't think the story is in the numbers
between these two.
I think really what matters is how
this compares to the Wrangler 392 V8, its most powerful
offering with 470 horsepower.
That Jeep went 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds during our testing,
and it crossed the quarter mile in 13.3 seconds
at 97.4 miles an hour.
That's a hell of a speed for something
to be moving that weighs 5,200 pounds.
And this Bronco Raptor weighs a lot more, which
slows it down considerably.
So when you put it in perspective, sure, it's quick,
and it's quicker than the standard Bronco,
but it's not that fast.
When it comes to price, our long-term Bronco
is $62,600 and change.
But this Bronco Raptor, as equipped, is nearly $77,000.
That's a $15,000 price gap between the two of them.
And in terms of straight-line acceleration,
I'm not sure it's worth that extra cost.
Now, sure, it does go faster 0 to 60, quarter mile.
The braking is a little bit longer
because this one's heavier.
And handling's a wash because they both have
similar off-road tires.
But what I really want to see is if that extra power and all
the extra off-road equipment adds up
to a much better experience in the dirt, which
is why we're going to put this up against an F-150 Raptor
and see how things shake out.
For that video, click Like and Subscribe.
Be sure to hit that little bell below.
And for a cash offer on your car today,
go to edmunds.com/sellmycar.
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