The Ford Bronco Raptor made it to the final round of Motor Authority’s 2023 Best Car to Buy contest because it’s one of the most fun cars money can buy. It’s so much fun, we couldn’t resist the $69,995 sticker price, which seems almost affordable these days.
Editorial director Marty Padgett found the Ford Bronco Raptor (we’ll call it the Braptor here) funny at the end of the pavement, saying it would drown in the dirt and threaten all terrain. He is right.
2022 Ford Mustang Raptor
The Braptor looks like a grown-up Tonka truck, with boxy lines, a wide stance and ridiculous fender flares. These flares are necessary to cover the long-travel Fox remote tank dampers and 37-inch BFGoodrich K02 all-terrain tires. The Braptor’s stance is 8.6 inches wider than that of the standard Bronco, which is over 7 feet wider. It’s as wide as a Ford F-150 Raptor pickup, and almost the width of an average parking space. The width means that, like a semi-heavy or heavy-duty pickup, it needs marker lights to meet federal regulations. Combine these with the factory-installed rigid fog and running lights, and the Braptor looks terrifying in the rearview mirror at night.
With 13.0 inches of ground clearance, 13.0 inches of front suspension travel and 14.0 inches of rear suspension travel, the Braptor can roll almost anywhere in its path. It’s too tall for an assembly line, speed bumps and curbs aren’t for it, and it tricks drivers into turning everyday obstacles like train tracks into jumps.
2022 Ford Mustang Raptor
Inside, the Braptor is loaded with the Bronco’s familiar 12.0-inch touchscreen, hard buttons and knobs for climate control functions, and a large drivetrain mode selector dial. But Braptors go further than any other Bronco, with a 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster and thickly bolstered Recaro front seats, available in blue. Yes, for that open-air experience, the doors and top still come off.
2022 Ford Mustang Raptor
Under the hood sits a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 rated at 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The transmission is the highlight of the powertrain, with quick, clean shifts executed so perfectly in Sport and Baja modes that they wouldn’t be out of place in a sports car.
But Braptor isn’t perfect, and it’s not for everyone.
This width can be a challenge in parking lots, parking garages and even home garages.
Its exaggerated looks appeal to your inner bro, but it’s not a life choice everyone is willing to make.
2022 Ford Mustang Raptor
It’s also down two cylinders compared to the competition. While quick enough, it won’t throw you back in your seat like the V-8-powered Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392. At 5,733 pounds, it doesn’t even come off the line like the two-door Bronco Wildtrak, which has a smaller 330-horsepower turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6, but is about 1,000 pounds lighter.
Will the Braptor’s off-road fun factor be enough to earn it three hot hatchbacks, a luxury electric car, a sports sedan, and the successful return of the iconic nameplate? Will the Ford Bronco Raptor be Motor Authority’s best car to buy in 2023? On January 4th we’ll reveal the winner, along with the winners of our sister sites, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports.