2023 Ford Bronco Raptor Review

Jul 30, 2023

2023 Ford Bronco Raptor Review

The new 2023 Ford Bronco Raptor, part of the Ford Bronco lineup, stands out as a top-notch, off-road vehicle influenced by ultra4 off-road racing. With nine models in the range, valued between roughly $35,000 and $85,000, the Bronco offers diverse options for different terrains.

The Raptor, being the premium choice, showcases a fusion of retro styling and modern engineering, and while all Broncos are aptly suited for off-road conditions, the Raptor model is lauded as an extraordinary, albeit potentially excessive, choice for tackling any off-road challenge.

Shop for a new Bronco on CarGurus: https://cargur.us/XxHSg

Similar Test Drive Reviews:
Bronco vs Wrangler:    • 2021 Ford Bronco …
Jeep 392 Xtreme Recon:    • Bigger, badder, b…
F-150 Raptor R:    • 2023 Ford F-150 R…
Jeep Wrangler 4xe:    • 2023 Jeep Wrangle…

Read our review of last year’s 2022 Bronco: https://cargur.us/XMY4k

Presenter: Mark Takahashi
Cinematography: Phil Shuyler

#bronco #raptor #broncoraptor
---------
0:00 The Ford Bronco Raptor
0:26 The Bronco Lineup
2:31 Off-Roading
4:11 On-Road Impressions
5:48 Interior
7:43 Rear Seats
9:17 Cargo Space
10:02 Verdict

Content

0.12 -> when the new Bronco debuted in 2021 it immediately became one of the most desirable Vehicles out

5.64 -> there it combines retro cool styling with modern engineering with fantastic results

12.12 -> what we have here is the top dog in the lineup the Bronco Raptor which is inspired by ultra4 off-road

19.26 -> racing before we get too deep into this review do us a favor hit those like And subscribe buttons

24.06 -> below to get all of our latest reviews the Bronco lineup is incredibly diverse with nine distinct

30.42 -> models to choose from starting with the base model for around thirty five thousand dollars suggested

36.18 -> retail to up to eighty five thousand dollars for this Raptor all Broncos are great at off-roading

42.18 -> and picking the right one for you depends on what kind of terrain you plan on tackling any

47.46 -> of them can easily conquer the challenges this off-road park has and to be honest this raptor

53.64 -> is definitely Overkill here I'm wondering if we'll even need to get into four-wheel drive

58.92 -> so let's talk about what makes this Raptor special first off these tires these 37-inch BF Goodrich

66.9 -> ko2 Tires are beefy and they're pushed out for a wider track that's almost 10 inches wider than the

73.2 -> regular Bronco now this stance it reminds me of a linebacker that's hunkered down ready to pounce

79.44 -> that white track means you need these huge fenders to cover them but unlike the regular Bronco

85.08 -> they're not intended to be removed then you have these cool heat extractor vents here that remind

91.2 -> me of the gills on a shark cool underneath our specially designed Fox shocks and the suspension

98.46 -> has 13 inches of travel up front and 14 inches in the back now these short overhangs allow for

104.34 -> an approach angle of 47.2 degrees and a departure angle of 40.5 degrees I mean I'd have a problem

111.3 -> climbing something that steep and of course the Raptor receives additional frame strengthening

116.4 -> underneath under the hood is a twin turbo 3 liter V6 that makes 418 horsepower and 415 pound feet of

123.78 -> torque that's a big jump from the 300 horsepower four-cylinder or the 330 horsepower 2.7 liter

130.26 -> turbo V6 to be honest I think anyone would be fine with any of these engines I had the four cylinder

137.1 -> last week and found it way more than adequate plus it's the only engine Choice that's offered with a

142.32 -> manual transmission and it has a dedicated crawl gear a 10-speed automatic is standard on all other

148.2 -> Broncos along with a two-speed transfer case all right so here we are on our first obstacle

153.96 -> which is a fairly challenging climb now I'm pretty confident so I'm going to attack this in regular

160.56 -> two-wheel drive to see what happens I might need to engage four-wheel drive but we'll find out

166.44 -> oh nice big whoops no we're going to four low okay here we go and it's really easy you just

175.08 -> push the button it tells you what to do tells me to shift to neutral tells me that it's shifting in

180.6 -> progress but it's giving you all these prompts so you feel like you have a coach right next to you

186.78 -> here we go oh yeah that's much better yeah we're just powering up this slow

193.44 -> and steady kicking up some dirt here and there and it's doing it

200.28 -> let's try something else too let's try the sway

203.28 -> bar disconnect there we go now we've got more traction

210.78 -> and another thing that's really helpful are these trail cams giving me a good view and telling me

216 -> exactly where the front tires are going to be placed when we get to the top and when we do crest

220.92 -> there's no surprises I know exactly what's on the other side

224.28 -> so yeah that's off-roading done smart another cool function is the trail turn you just hit this

230.1 -> button right here it only works in four high or four low but what it does is it breaks the inside

234.96 -> rear wheel so you can turn much sharper check this out it's like we're pivoting doing donuts

243.42 -> red that's especially helpful on a tight Trail where maybe you don't want to do like a multiple

248.52 -> point turn brilliant as accomplished as the Raptor is off-road it's also important to note

254.76 -> how it behaves on pavement I'm pleased to report it's good despite the huge chunky tires and soft

262.14 -> suspension it's easy to drive on the highway the steering feels way more precise than the

268.02 -> Jeep Wrangler and it tracks straight without any real effort the ride quality is bouncier than your

274.32 -> typical SUV but it's not really a problem especially when you consider how well this

279.84 -> does off-road you'll feel some residual rebounds every now and then and you certainly don't want

285.36 -> to take a corner like you're driving a Mustang but it should easily exceed your expectations

291.72 -> and wind noise is noticeable at highway speeds but what do you expect this thing is built like

296.76 -> a brick you'll also hear some creaking from the roof here and there but that's also not so bad

302.52 -> and it's much quieter than something you get in a Wrangler the one thing I'm constantly aware of is

308.34 -> a Raptor's width it really fills the lane and on a narrow City street it feels like I'm piloting a

315.36 -> 747 through the Grand Canyon now the shorter two-door Badlands Bronco I had last week was

321.06 -> much easier to drive in those conditions and was way more maneuverable than you'd think I will say

326.88 -> though that visibility out the front is excellent this roof pillar here doesn't get in the way of

332.1 -> anything but the view of the back is terrible I really only see the third brake light in the spare

337.62 -> tire you definitely will not see a cop back there which just word of warning there's also a lot to

343.92 -> talk about with the interior so we'll find a spot to pull over and talk about that next the Broncos

349.26 -> interior is just as distinctive as its exterior design you have this wide upright Dash with

355.14 -> these substantial handholds at each end supporting trims come with an 8 inch touchscreen but this is

360.9 -> the 12 inch screen you also have a lot of physical buttons that you don't normally get in modern cars

366.6 -> and I like that but there are so many buttons and they're all labeled with these pictograms

372.42 -> and not with words so you might have to consult the manual a little more often than you'd think

378.54 -> or better yet attend one of Ford's off-rodeos to get all the instruction you need to get the

385.5 -> most out of this Bronco as you'll also notice you have these hand holds down here for the passenger

391.02 -> and you'll see these torque bolts that signifies that it's removable and customizable so anywhere

397.74 -> you see a Torx bolt on the Bronco means that there might be an aftermarket part or solution

403.2 -> for that now you also have some good cup holders a wireless charging pad a big Center bin here and

410.22 -> these netted pockets in the door those come in handy because let's say you're doing some mudding

415.62 -> or forwarding some water that water is not going to pool inside of a pocket it's going to drain out

421.56 -> of the net so that smart design especially for the way this car was intended materials quality well

427.92 -> it's industrial got a lot of hard plastics here and there but that's to be expected from something

433.32 -> that needs to be durable at the same time though it looks attractive they're well grained they look

439.02 -> good and they are actually well built there's not a lot of creaking from the interior itself

444 -> but you will hear some from this hard top roof from time to time as far as seat Comfort goes

450.9 -> yeah these are built for long distance Comfort but they also have these Deep Side bolsters

455.4 -> here for when you're off-roading being tossed side to side so it's a good mix of support and

460.92 -> comfort but let's check out the other seats too here in the back seat well I'm pretty

466.92 -> elevated this is quite a bit higher shoulder height wise to the front seats which means you

471.72 -> get a really good view out the front which is great if you're doing some serious off-roading

476.58 -> now that does kind of cut into Headroom I'm only 5 10 and I've probably got two and a half inches

482.64 -> or so before I start hitting the headliner but I do have plenty of leg room and space under the

488.34 -> front seat for my feet now you also notice that there's some different things going on back here

493.56 -> you have these grid patterns on the back of the seat back and that is intended so you can strap

499.44 -> those Molly luggage accessories right on there then you also have these netted bags and a little

506.4 -> Center armrest here here in the center you have window switches because they're not on the doors

511.14 -> just like the front seat all the window switches are in the center console because you can remove

516.3 -> these doors and just go free wheeling like an open Jeep besides that materials quality is about what

523.62 -> you'd expect it's actually kind of padded here in the door which is nice because you're probably

527.52 -> going to be banging into that every now and then otherwise yeah you've got some hard plastics and

532.92 -> also usb chargers and a household power outlet now getting in and out of the back seats is obviously

540.24 -> way easier with the four-door but I like the two-door because it's just more Compact and has a

546.66 -> much better breakover Angle now the problem though it's really hard to get back into these seats so

553.68 -> what would you get the two-door or four-door let us know in the comments below here in the

558.54 -> back we have 37.1 cubic feet of cargo space and that's pretty big and when you look at the space

564.54 -> it's really accommodating now you do have these rollover Hoops here that might get in the way but

569.58 -> you can still fit some really bulky stuff back here the rear seats do fold but they don't fold

575.58 -> flat and I wish I knew that before I went camping because it turns out you really can't sleep back

580.68 -> here with that three or four inch step up so I ended up sleeping in the front passenger seat

585.9 -> which was not ideal so something to keep in mind but you can always get one of those over Landing

591.54 -> platforms and set up a 10 on top now folding the rear seats isn't all that easy either there it's

597.48 -> a really long reach to get inside so it's best to actually walk around to the back doors and

601.98 -> flip them down there so does it make sense to get a Bronco if you plan on doing any off-roading the

608.46 -> answer is a resounding yes the entire lineup has strong all-terrain capabilities yet they don't

614.34 -> sacrifice as much in the way of comfort and everyday drivability which one should you get

619.2 -> well that's a trickier question you probably don't need something as accomplished as the Raptor but I

626.76 -> wouldn't blame you for wanting one it's freaking awesome it has all the trick off-road parts that

632.7 -> most adventurers will ever need and as an added bonus It's all under warranty as any off-roader

639.24 -> rule of test there are plenty of great aftermarket enhancements that'll void your warranty honestly

644.88 -> for the kind of fishing and hunting I do I'd get the Black Diamond two-door the four-cylinder

650.7 -> manual transmission and the Sasquatch package not that I've given this much thought it's

656.34 -> sticker for around fifty two thousand dollars but there are also those pesky dealer markups

661.86 -> the entire Bronco stable is priced similarly to its most direct rival the Jeep Wrangler but the

668.76 -> Wrangler gains an advantage in regard to fuel economy it's rated at 22 to 23 miles per gallon

674.52 -> for the four-cylinder a few MPG less for the six cylinder and a lowly 14 MPG for the brawny

681.12 -> V8 model the Bronco is estimated at 20 MPG for the four cylinders 17 to 18 for the six cylinders and

689.1 -> about 15 for the Raptor the Jeep does also have a 25 MPG Diesel and a plug-in hybrid though other

697.98 -> Alternatives include the outdated Toyota 4Runner and the more expensive and luxurious Land Rover

703.08 -> Defender honestly I take the Bronco over all of those in a heartbeat it's not even a decision but

710.52 -> what would you do would you go for the Bronco and if so which Bronco would you go for let

715.38 -> us know in the comments below as always thanks for watching and we'll see you next time [Music]

728.94 -> foreign

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln7gpvw9gYo