The 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor is helping Ford expand the Raptor experience to SUV buyers while also adding some profits to Ford’s bottom line. But with the Ranger Raptor still not being offered in the U.S. we wanted to find out if the Bronco Raptor is a better purchase than the F-150 Raptor pickup, especially among certain customer groups.
Different Segments But Both Have The Same Mission
At first glance, the idea of such a comparison may seem absurd on the surface with the F-150 firmly in the full-size pickup segment and the Bronco clearly in the SUV segment. But look past the segment boundaries, and both models are striving to achieve the same basic goal with the duo striving to be high-performance entries for off-road enthusiasts looking to blast their way through trails and desert dunes.
The F-150 Raptor is arguably tailored towards providing comfort for passengers lucky enough to slip inside. All F-150 Raptor models come in SuperCrew form and that means having passenger room that makes the Raptor feel like a rolling limo on stilts especially for rear occupants. In contrast, the Bronco Raptor suffers from some of the limitations that define its SUV status. The Bronco Raptor is only available as a four-door, but the rear-seat room is not quite as spacious as the F-150 with the second row offering less space for taller occupants. The Bronco also has less sound deadening and that means more wind noise, but the ability to remove the roof and doors greatly enhances the driver’s connection to the environment.
Both models also come with turbocharged powerplants that benefit from modifications aimed at enhancing their ability to survive in rugged environments. The F-150’s 3.5 liter twin-turbocharged V6 has slightly more displacement than the 3.0 liter in the Bronco, but with Ford claiming that the Bronco Raptor has the potential to produce over 400 hp, look for the performance gap between the two to be very narrow. That’s especially true since both Raptors have the same configurable performance features so look for any discernible differences between the two to be focused in areas like curb weight as well as ground clearance.
Which One Is The Right Fit For Me?
The answer to that question will depend on what a buyer needs in a vehicle and the pricing involved. While Ford hasn’t released pricing for the 2022 Bronco Raptor as of this writing, look for the base price (before any markups) to have a slightly lower figure than the $65,375 that defines a base F-150 Raptor model. Both models come with a healthy amount of options, and this long list of options allow the duo to have a degree of personalization.
if we were looking to purchase one of the two, we would actually go for the Bronco Raptor instead of the F-150 version. The F-150 Raptor is a big truck and its size can make parking it a challenge in some situations. The Bronco version is less of a handful to park, and we suspect that the Bronco Raptor’s 360-degree camera will be a very valuable partner to have when it comes time to put the SUV into a space.
The removable panels and doors also allow the Bronco to give owners a higher degree of involvement with the surrounding environment while also giving listeners the chance to hear more of the 3.0 liter’s exhaust note in Baja mode.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.