Ford Ranger Raptor V6 diesel, 3.5-tonne towing ruled out, FX4 Max unlikely to get name change

Ford Australia has poured cold water on the idea of a Raptor V6 diesel with 3.5-tonne towing capacity – or renaming the next FX4 Max even though it would share many of the Raptor’s key ingredients.

Ford Australia has all but ruled out a Ranger Raptor V6 diesel – or adding a heavy-duty edition that could tow 3.5-tonnes.

The new Ford Ranger Raptor is powered exclusively by a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine in Australia; in other markets it’s also available with a twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel. 

For now, Ford Australia says there are no plans to introduce a Ranger Raptor diesel V6 – and nor does the company intend to rename the FX4 Max successor as a Raptor HD (heavy duty).

Unlike the previous FX4 sticker pack, the Ford Ranger FX4 Max limited edition (pictured above) – introduced in the final year of production of the previous model – gained Fox shocks, BF Goodrich tyres, Raptor-style wheels, and the Raptor’s F-O-R-D grille.

Significantly, however, the FX4 Max had leaf-spring rear suspension (rather than the Raptor’s coil set-up), to retain the 3.5-tonne towing capacity of other heavy duty Ranger models.

As before, the new Ford Ranger Raptor’s towing capacity is limited to 2.5 tonnes because the suspension is designed to land safely after leaping in the air, rather than handle a heavy load.

In an interview during the media preview for the Ranger Raptor, the boss of Ford Australia, Andrew Birkic, told Drive: “We’re really thrilled with the customer response to FX4 Max. We think that did an amazing job last year. We’re really pleased that customers understood the engineering knowhow and upgrades that went into that model, while still maintaining its 3.5-tonne towing capacity.

“As far as whether the FX4 Max returns, we have nothing to share on that today. As far as whether it would wear a Raptor badge, we need to understand Raptor is a Ford Performance product and a separate vehicle in its own right. And we need to protect that.”

The Ford executive said the Ranger Raptor has “specific performance DNA, credentials and criteria. The team has set a high bar for that.”

“It’s a very unique vehicle in its segment and we have debates internally about what features go into products like the Raptor,” said Mr Birkic. “It’s finely balanced, it’s finely tuned, so the Raptor is in many ways in a class of its own.”

When asked if the Ford Performance division of the car giant would ever allow the Raptor named to be used on a TDV6 version of the Ranger with leaf spring rear suspension, Mr Birkic said: “We all protect the brand. We’re all custodians of the Raptor brand. We believe that vehicle gives us a competitive advantage.”

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