Ford Ranger Raptor vs Jeep Wrangler: which is best off-road?

If you privation to cognize however bedewed it’s been, inquire a husbandman – or, failing that, the proprietor of an off-road driving centre.

I consciousness similar I’ve been acold and damp to the halfway since October, but no, I’m told it has been truthful adust that utmost 4x4 drivers – mud-pluggers to the extremity – person recovered the quarry that we’ve travel to already insufficiently challenging, adjacent though it’s lone the commencement of March.

As they’re not wading up to their eyeballs, they present won’t beryllium blessed until it’s lukewarm capable to spell rock-crawling by time and barbecuing by night.

But I don’t know. Two hours later, erstwhile I food a beforehand numberplate retired of a h2o trough that has 2 feet of gloop the aforesaid consistency arsenic a decent leek and murphy soup, it inactive feels convincingly bedewed to me.

We’ve been having a spell astatine getting these 2 cars stuck, see. They’re 2 of the astir susceptible off-roaders connected the marketplace astatine the moment, adjacent if mud isn’t needfully astatine the forefront of their minds.

But which 1 is best? Read connected to find out...

Quick links: Ford Ranger Raptor: introduction - Jeep Wrangler: introduction - Our car's specifications - Off-road performance - Interiors - Verdict and wide specs

Ford Ranger Raptor: introduction 

The caller car, and the crushed we’re here, is the Ford Ranger Raptor. It has already impressed america successful Spain, crossed a immense adust ranch wherever determination was truthful overmuch abstraction that I could vie with colleagues to spot who would get the astir aerial underneath the wheels.

I’ve since had a spell successful the UK, too, and got connected beauteous good with it – but I deliberation wide, unfastened territories are wherever it shows its abilities astir convincingly. And you consciousness little of a berk than you bash connected the M25.

There’s a Baja enactment among its driving modes for bully reason. The Baja California Desert, connected a Pacific-side Mexican peninsular, is location to rallies that carnivore the Baja’s name, the astir celebrated being the 1000 (actually astir 800 miles), into which Ford entered a banal Ranger Raptor past year.

But the archetypal improvement squad had adjacent bigger expanses successful mind.

It was engineered by Ford of Australia, a state wherever 1 mightiness person a workplace the size of Oxfordshire and, if it turns retired that there’s a spread successful a rabbit obstruction connected the different broadside of the spot and 1 needs to spell backmost to the barn to cod a brace of pliers, a V6 pick-up motortruck is the astir timely solution.

The cardinal to its show lies successful its dampers. Made by Fox, they were initially conceived to fto Polaris contention buggies spell rallying.

They’re exceptionally quick-acting, truthful they tin 1 2nd beryllium ultra-absorbent implicit high-frequency inputs and rippled surfaces and then, erstwhile they observe they’re maxed retired and that you indispensable beryllium airborne, they tin stiffen up successful a infinitesimal for the inevitable landing, earlier ticking backmost into fast-input mode.

The velocity astatine which they spell betwixt these states and each kinds successful betwixt is remarkable.

The previous Ranger Raptor’s suspension was likewise Aussie-built, but it would instrumentality you a portion to get from tract to the workshop, due to the fact that the lone motor option (in the UK, astatine least) was a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel.

Rather much gratifyingly, this clip it’s a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6, which, adjacent though it has been sanitised from 400bhp successful Australia to 288bhp present truthful that it meets our emissions rules, is overmuch much similar it.

Particularly arsenic it makes 362lb ft of torque from an accessible 2300rpm. And portion a 0-62mph dash of 7.9sec would springiness a rabbit plentifulness of clip to bargain immoderate veg and mooch backmost done the spread done which it came, I’m not definite I would privation my 2454kg of pick-up motortruck to spell overmuch faster.

Jeep Wrangler: introduction 

At astir £60,000, the Ranger Raptor doesn’t person galore nonstop rivals, but erstwhile it comes to off-the-shelf 4x4 ability, there’s inactive thing similar the Jeep Wrangler, which happily besides starts astatine £60,000 these days. Goodness, erstwhile did that happen?

It doesn’t bash the aforesaid happening arsenic the Ford, but it does bash amazingly bully things, peculiarly astatine little speeds, and Jeep has looked aft this exemplary fantastically good implicit the decades.

It’s each inch arsenic well-defined and honed a merchandise as, say, the Porsche 911, deftly evolved with large continuity and truthful palmy that successful a bully year, Jeep volition sell a 4th of a cardinal of them.

It’s imaginable to reason – and successful a erstwhile job, I erstwhile did – that it’s the azygous top conveyance exemplary enactment of each time. Yes, the Ford Model T was the archetypal that could beryllium built successful immense numbers and the Mini’s transverse motor layout was jolly innovative, but they weren’t driven disconnected the backmost of a glider connected D-Day, were they?

Still, determination are large differences successful however the Jeep and Ford bash things. Nosing done the Wrangler’s specification expanse is simply a joyful if analyzable experience. 

Which 4x4 hardware you get depends connected which mentation you specify, and it changes considerably the Wrangler’s off-road credentials (although each versions are capable).

Jeep Wrangler vs Ford Ranger Raptor: Our car's specifications 

Ours trial Jeep is simply a Rubicon, which sits apical of histrion successful the UK. The motor is simply a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol making 268bhp, driving done an eight-speed automatic gearbox, with 2WD high, 4WD precocious and 4WD debased ratios.

There are coagulated axles beforehand and rear, coil springs and Tru-Lok physics locking differentials beforehand and back.

In the US, Jeep’s radical accidental that Wranglers “stay banal for 5 minutes”, but this 1 inactive is, and it’s moving connected 255/75 R17 BFGoodrich Mud Terrain tyres.

You tin besides get a abbreviated 2dr Jeep if that matters oregon adjacent spec mill upgrades to amended your 4dr.

The Ford's specs are much straightforward. There is simply a diesel option, but fixed it doesn’t get the fancy dampers and it’s hardly cheaper, I’m not definite wherefore you would bother.

The V6 has a 10-speed auto, 2WD high, 4WD precocious and 4WD low, positive locking beforehand and rear differentials.

The rear axle is coagulated but the beforehand suspension is via wishbones. You can’t slacken the anti-roll bars, but the dampers volition astatine slightest loosen close off, depending connected what you’re doing. And it has precise akin BFGoodrich rubber.

The Ford is bigger than the Jeep successful the archetypal lawsuit due to the fact that it’s a pick-up, and it has worse attack (32deg) and departure (24deg) angles, but its crushed clearance of 272mm is astir arsenic bully and its breakover space is somewhat better, astatine 24deg.

Jeep Wrangler vs Ford Ranger Raptor: Off-road performance 

The Ford’s wade extent is simply a terrific 850mm, but again, Jeep tin bash you a snorkel. These clearances matter.

You tin archer a batch astir wherever a car volition oregon won’t spell disconnected roadworthy connected the ground of them. So the Jeep noses into banks little often connected attack and drags its process overmuch little frequently, but you get a wince-inducing graunch portion cresting a brow astatine beauteous overmuch the aforesaid clip successful both.

The Jeep turns much tightly and seems to articulate its axles more, which is nary large surprise. 

You tin disconnect the anti-roll bars if you privation to marque the astir of the articulation implicit unsmooth ground, and the applicable assemblage and instrumentality angles for broaching obstacles are 43.9deg approach, 22.5deg breakover and 37deg departure. It has 274mm of crushed clearance and a 760mm wade limit, and each these alteration if you adhd immoderate options.

Ultimately, implicit the close kinds of rock, it volition spell a spot farther than the Raptor – oregon surely with a spot much ease.

This worldly is what it is built to do, positive it’s large amusive to bash it in, being much engaging, much compact (4.79 metres agelong and 1.87 metres wide), overmuch lighter (1903kg) and easier to spot the edges of. You tin adjacent instrumentality disconnected the roof, doors and windscreen without excessively overmuch effort.

It’s a amusive manner wagon, and if I lived successful the States, I mightiness good daily-drive one.

But the Raptor copes conscionable good present too, girth speech (it’s 5.4 metres agelong and 2.0 metres wide). And connected 1 way astir the edges of this quarry, it’s conscionable astir imaginable to transportation it into its preferred sphere.

The way is bumpy but consecutive and third-gear quick. So we’re selecting Baja mode connected the dampers and giving it afloat beans.

From the outside, watching its assemblage enactment comparatively level portion its big, dense wheels ripple up and down is earnestly impressive.

Jeep Wrangler vs Ford Ranger Raptor: Interiors 

Inside, you cognize you’re being pitched around, yet it’s casual to support some a relaxed speech and grip connected the steering wheel.

Try the aforesaid successful the Wrangler and you volition find some endeavours much strained.

Going slower, there’s much head-tossing transportation to the body, the steering bucks much and the upwind is knocked from your lungs mid-sentence.

This isn’t what it’s for. And it would beryllium unfair to instrumentality a popular astatine it due to the fact that of that.

Jeep Wrangler vs Ford Ranger Raptor: Verdict and wide specs 

Ford makes the Bronco to rival the Wrangler. The Raptor is simply a antithetic benignant of 4x4. They mightiness some beryllium apical of your shortlist, depending connected wherever you live. In the UK, I consciousness I could much easy get successful the Jeep’s portion and bask it much often. But you mightiness good not.

1st. Ford Ranger Raptor

V6 brute is much optimised for high-speed hoonery, but has a furniture of refinement to marque it much accommodating than the Jeep.

2nd. Jeep Wrangler

Ruthlessly susceptible off-road and nicely honed implicit the years, but it can't lucifer the Ford for refinement