When a car maker unveils a new model at a video game fair, you know who their targets are with that model. In the case of the Ford Ranger Raptor that is a little strange, because the car in question is a hard-core pickup truck, a utility vehicle, and not a track car which is what we usually see at these shows. 

The thing about the 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor is though, this pickup truck is not really built for hauling stuff around. It’s built for fun and games on and off the road. But then you might argue that the video game generation is not really the outdoorsy kind that would appreciate the capabilities of a well-engineered truck. But that’s mission the point. Yes, the Raptor can do heavy offroading, but to its buyers it is more important that it looks like it can do heavy offroading, even if it really couldn’t. See, it’s the look that they want, not the substance.

That is probably why Ford Ranger Raptor is equipped with a fairly asthmatic 2.0?litre EcoBlue diesel engine that delivers 213PS and 500Nm of torque and features a 10-speed automatic gearbox. The more important features are the jacked-up suspension, rugged tires, offroad bumpers, and those cool, silver-painted underbody protection parts. Ford and Microsoft also today revealed that the new Ranger Raptor will feature in the new Forza Horizon 4 video racing game, which is good because that is where most of its fan will ever get to experience the vehicle.

“Forget everything you think you know about pick-ups,” said Leo Roeks, Ford Performance Director, Europe. “Our new Ranger Raptor is a different breed – a thoroughbred desert racer and extreme lifestyle off-roader that can toil with the best of them in the harshest of working conditions.”