Mike Hagerty
Nov 19, 20223 min
Unless you've been living under a rock the past year and a half, you know the new Ford Bronco is a certified hit. Even if you have been living under a rock, there's a non-zero chance a Bronco has rolled over it.
Rock-rolling in Broncos is only going to become more popular now, with the arrival of the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor.
Like the Ford F-150 Raptor, the Bronco Raptor (or "Braptor" as it's often referred to), is meant to be powerful, capable and comfortable.
The Bronco Raptor is the most powerful street-legal Bronco ever, with 400 horsepower from a twin-turbo 3.0-liter engine not shared with any other Ford product.
It's 9.8 inches wider than a standard Bronco for greater stability while cornering at speed, built on a fully boxed high-strength steel frame with new shock towers for greater wheel travel, heavy-duty bash and skid plates along the underside, and reinforcements of the B-pillar crossbar and the C-pillar resulting in at least 50% more torsional rigidity in the body than in a standard Bronco.
The axles aren't standard-issue Bronco gear, either---they're competition-level units developed by Ford Performance, increasing the track width by 8.6 inches over the base Bronco. Ground clearance is 13.1 inches---an improvement of 4.8 inches over stock.
The three-mode 4X4 system has a higher-capacity clutch, and the High-Performance Off-road Stability Suspension (H.O.S.S.) features FOX 3.1 Internal Bypass Semi-Active Dampers (3.1-inch diameter) that are uniquely tuned at the front and rear and feature integrated reservoirs up front and remote reservoirs in rear. Suspension height sensors and other sensors at each corner monitor terrain conditions independently hundreds of times every second and adjust suspension tuning accordingly.
All of this rides on 37-inch B.F. Goodrich all-terrain tires, which, together with 13 inches of front wheel travel and 14 inches of rear wheel travel can make bumps, rocks and more feel like they're just not there. That, along with seven driver-selectable terrain modes (Ford calls it "Goes Over Any Type of Terrain", or G.O.A.T.), enables drivers to not just keep going, but keep going quickly( can I get a "yee-haw"?).
Our test vehicle was marked "NOT FOR SALE", and the window sticker that came with it had no pricing. It was also a 2022 model, and they're sold out, so let's use Ford's consumer site to come up with a price for a 2023 equipped like this one.
Base price is $73,780. That includes all the functional stuff we've discussed, plus RIGID fog lamps, automatic high-beam LED headlamps, a 12-inch touchscreen with 360-degree camera, a wi-fi hotspot, a molded-in-color hardtop and a storage bag for the front row section for said top.
As for extra-cost options, the Lux Package (Equipment Group 374A, which includes adaptive cruise control, a 10-speaker audio system, a heated steering wheel and a wireless charging pad) is $2,300. The keyless entry keypad is $110, the exterior Raptor graphic is $1,075. The interior carbon fiber package is $1,725, and the Code Orange seat belts (matching the exterior paint of our tester) are $395.
With $1,595 destination charges, the as-tested price of the 2023 Ford Bronco Raptor is $80,980.
And yeah, that's significant money. But there is no real competition for the Bronco Raptor (yet---Jeep has to be working on a response). And, if you think about it, given all the unique parts that are exclusively for this one model, it's a wonder the Bronco Raptor exists at any price.