Manoli Katakis 
The 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor should be revealed any day now, as its set to begin production by summertime. This high-octane bruiser of an off-road SUV is expected to come with 37-inch tires, Fox Racing shocks, and a high-output EcoBoost V6 engine that should give the Jeep Wrangler 392 a run for its money. Prior to the official confirmation of the Raptor name, there was another: Warthog. It was seen in job descriptions, on parts, on prototypes, and so on. But at the end of the day, it was the Raptor name that stuck.
Why would Ford go through the trouble of filing to trademark the Warthog name? Why go through the trouble of the “BRRRT” easter egg on the camouflage wrapping on prototypes, which is still used to this day? To get a few answers, I recently sat down with Mark Grueber, marketing manager for the Ford Bronco, and he was willing to talk a bit about the upcoming Raptor.
Ford Bronco Raptor Name Chosen Over Warthog: Why?
“People have a general sense of what a Raptor is,” said Grueber. “There’s a ton of equity in the Raptor name now that it’s been out in the market place a dozen years, and I think it’s easily understood what that brand means. And that’s what most important. It was developed and intended to be a Raptor.”
The “Raptor” brand cachet started with the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, which kickstarted the off-road performance truck craze, eventually seeing entries such as the Ram 1500 TRX and Chevrolet Silverado ZR2. Its base engine was a 5.4L V8 with 320 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque, while an optional 6.2L V8 offered 411 hp and 434 lb-ft. The 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor – now on its third generation – produces 450 hp and 510 lb-ft from a high-output 3.5L EcoBoost V6. It’s capabilities are so great that Ford engineers had to redesign its obstacles and ramps during testing.
“I do think it’s a unique time in the automotive space right now,” Grueber continued. “My first exposure was as the F-150 brand manager, and I helped launch the original Raptor… nobody saw it coming, and when it came you couldn’t get it for years.”
With the introduction of the Bronco Raptor, it will be the third addition to the Raptor family, and the first SUV. The other two are of course the F-150 Raptor, and the Ranger Raptor. Once only available outside of America, the next-generation Ford Ranger Raptor is expected to be sold here in the ‘States, and is expected to incorporate much of the hardware found on the Bronco Raptor, as the share a similar platform, and will be built at the same plant in Michigan.
Grueber previously told MC&T last month that a reservation process for the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor has yet to be finalized.
We’ll have more details on the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor very soon. As for whether or not Ford will just leave the Warthog name on the shelf, the company hasn’t abandoned using the name just yet, based on USPTO filings. So we’ll have to keep our eyes open and our ears on the ground for any signs of things that go “BRRRT”.
