Decidedly saucy Bronco Raptor makes a statement

This review first appeared in the April 2023 edition of the Cruisin' News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

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Sacramento, California -- Some vehicles just take you where you want to go.  Others do the various work and life chores with competence.

And then there's the tested Ford Bronco Raptor Advanced 4X4 sport-utility vehicle.

It makes a statement.

And that statement includes words such as brash, bold, saucy, spicy and muscular.

This is a vehicle you can see coming from a mile away.  Monster black grille, boulder-swallowing skid plate, wide-shouldered stance, riding on 17-inch all-terrain tires. Once parked, it draws a crowd, especially with the bright orange paint job my ride was wearing. Mine was further spiced with a funky pop art study in black-and-gray design on the back end.

With a twin-turbo V-6 matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission, Ford calls the vehicle the "most powerful street-legal Bronco ever."  With premium fuel, the horsepower rating maxes just short of 420, and torque tops out at 440 foot-pounds.

For me, that translated to a satisfying rush in dicey urban traffic and on wide-open freeways.  The Bronco is a noisy bull of a machine, and those rock-crushing tires can be heard above the engine's note.

But here's the thing: I didn't come close to testing the limits of the Bronco, as outlined by Ford.  The automaker's generous stream of words praise the vehicle's ability to climb over rocky surfaces and tackle dusty desert roads. I agree, that's what it was built to do.

Ford made the decision to aim for a specific audience.

“We had to build the Bronco Raptor. It’s our ultimate vehicle for hardcore off-road enthusiasts who demand something more,” said Carl Widmann, Ford Performance chief engineer.

It's good to know that going in: This is not a silky-smooth freeway glider.  It's a rough and ready trail tamer.  And with the tester priced at $81,085, you want to make the right call.

For weekend off-road warriors, this Bronco is a dream come true.  They don't necessarily care about squeaks and rattles and fuel mileage ratings of 15 miles per gallon in the city and 16 mpg on the highway.

They're more inclined to know that a Bronco Raptor can vault over a large rock at a 45 degree angle and climb a steep desert dune like a hot knife through butter.

That's the statement the Bronco Raptor makes.  For the off-road fan, that means fun.