Sam Krahn 
Right now, when we think of Raptor, our minds immediately go to the next generation Ford F-150 Raptor, set to debut tomorrow. But that’s not the only off-road performance vehicle that will wear the badge in coming years, as Ford has been caught testing the next-generation, 2023 Ranger Raptor. Better yet, they’re testing it alongside the Bronco Warthog, giving us a good look at some of the coolest Ford off-roaders arriving in the next few years.
You can view the photos by heading over to Autoblog.
The 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor prototype is covered in camo, but there are several clues we can gather from the photos. There’s the signature FORD block lettering on the grille, knobbly tires, skid plate and flared wheel arches give it away as a Raptor product. This Raptor tester doesn’t give us much of a look at what the next-gen Ford Ranger will look like overall, however, with only the headlight DRLs poking through the camo.
Overall, the design echos the new 2021 Ford F-150, and will bring a more truck-like appearance than the current Ranger.
Seeing the 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor testing with the Bronco Warthog could also confirm powertrain rumors. The Ford Bronco already comes with the 2.7 liter EcoBoost V6, and the Warthog is expected to come with an uprated version of that same engine. The nextFord Ranger Raptor is also rumored to use the 2.7 V6, and seeing them testing together means they could get the same high-output engine. Expect a nice power bump from the Bronco’s 310 hp. Although a Ford Bronco Raptor is expected later on to sit alongside the Warthog, there’s a chance these two off-roaders could also share some suspension parts too.
This also presents an interesting timetable for the new Ford Ranger and Ranger Raptor. The truck is being developed in collaboration with Volkswagen for their own Amarok pickup, and is expected to debut for the 2023 model year. Typically, as is the case of the F-150 Raptor, Ford will roll out the performance version of their trucks after the regular model, but we’ve seen prototype mules of both models testing at the same time. This could hint that multiple next-gen Ford Ranger models could debut simultaneously.
Expect that debut to happen in 2022, so Ford Raptor fans hoping for a smaller, more affordable Baja truck have a while to wait still.
