2022 Ford Bronco Raptor Review: The Unnecessary Good

Design | Comfort | Technology | Performance | Safety | Fuel Economy | Pricing | FAQ

It's wide, imposing, powerful, and blunt. And driving down Woodward Avenue or any other paved road, for that matter, the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor is entirely pointless. The problem is, parts of it elevate the Bronco experience to such a degree that I totally understand why people want the Raptor, even if it isn't my personal choice of off-roader.

The new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, standard digital instrument cluster, meatier steering wheel, and updated seats play second fiddle to the fantastic suspension and 37-inch tires. But for the real world – you know, the place most BRaptors will spend 99.99 percent of their time – those are the quality-of-life things the standard model needs.

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• Exterior Color: Cactus Gray
• Interior Color: Black Onyx
• Wheel Size: 17 Inches

The standard Bronco has probably my favorite production design of the past couple years. The Raptor's exterior changes, then, had a lot to live up to. The comically huge fenders and ostentatious Raptor graphics are both polarizing, but the updated hood, trim-specific running lights, and traditional FORD-branded grille look great. And have amber clearance lights ever been uncool?

The cabin's changes matter if your only reference is the standard Bronco. The more substantial steering wheel and new paddle shifters look purposeful, and the digital instrument cluster is a dramatic improvement over the hybrid cluster in the base SUV. The Code Orange accents are all a bit much, though. And while the black leather upholstery on my tester looks and feels durable, I kinda wished my tester had the standard blue finish. It's far more characterful.

• Seating Capacity: 5
• Seating Configuration: 2 / 3
• Cargo Capacity: 33.4 / 73.0 Cubic Feet

The Raptor's front chairs are bigger and more supportive, with sizable bolsters. I sincerely hope Ford offers them as an option on the standard Bronco. The steering wheel looks better, sure, but the rim is a bit too thick and grew tiresome after a week. Wind noise remains an issue with Ford's removable roof panels, but the 3.0-liter sounds better, richer, and louder than the twin-turbo 2.7-liter it replaces.

The 37-inch tires produce more noise than even a Bronco Sasquatch's rubber and they make the steering even vaguer. The standard lane-keep assist helps, but the BRaptor is more tiring than any other Bronco. On the upside, I don't think there's any surface on this planet that could flummox the Raptor's long-travel springs and Fox shocks and still be called a “road.”

• Center Display: 12.0-inch Touchscreen
• Instrument Cluster Display: 12.3 Inches
• Wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto: Yes/Yes

A standard 12.0-inch display running Sync 4 mirrors what's available in other high-end Broncos. The big change, though, is in the instrument cluster, where a 12.3-inch screen takes the place of the standard Bronco's woeful hybrid dial/display setup. The new arrangement has crisper, cleaner graphics than the 8.0-inch display and is dramatically more adjustable without adding much more complexity. I sincerely hope Ford adds the digital cluster to all Broncos (either standard or as an option) in the next few years.

• Engine: Twin-Turbocharged 3.0-liter V6
• Output: 418 Horsepower / 440 Pound-Feet
• Transmission: 10-Speed Automatic

A 2.7-liter Bronco is plenty powerful, but the 3.0-liter feels far more natural for a performance application. Effortless low-end torque and a strong mid-range mingle with a richer soundtrack that's bassy in Sport and Baja mode and surprisingly subdued in Normal or Quiet. The 10-speed automatic, which drivers can control via a set of meaty Ford Performance paddle shifters shared with the F-150 Raptor and Shelby GT500, doesn't feel quite up to the challenge. Manual gear changes just aren't quick enough.

As for on-road handling, well, if you're flinging the BRaptor into turns on paved roads, you're doing this wrong. There's unsurprisingly a dramatic level of body movement, fore, aft, and from side to side, but the behavior is predictable and easy to manage. The steering, which feels vague going straight down the highway, feels more precise as the angle increases. Really, the Raptor isn't that difficult to hustle around, even if it's designed for much tougher conditions.

• Driver Assistance Level: SAE Level 1
• NHTSA Rating: Four Stars Overall
• IIHS Rating: Not TSP/TSP Plus

The Bronco Raptor comes standard with Ford's Co-Pilot 360 suite, which includes lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic high beams. Opting for the Lux package adds adaptive cruise control and evasive steering assist. ACC works well enough, although the Raptor is so damn wide and the steering is so nebulous that the lane-keep system both works overtime and never feels quite strong enough to be truly helpful.

• City: 15 MPG
• Highway: 16 MPG
• Combined: 15 MPG

• Base Price: $31,300 + $1,595 Destination
• Trim Base Price: $70,095
• As-Tested Price: $78,750

As the Bronco line's flagship, the Raptor is unsurprisingly quite expensive. Its $70,095 (including $1,595 destination charge) starting price is more than double that of a standard Bronco ($32,895). My tester added 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels ($1,995), leather upholstery ($2,495), the Lux package ($2,695), and flashy graphics ($1,075). As-tested, this is a nearly $80,000 vehicle.

And yet, the BRaptor undercuts its primary rivals. Its trim price is down $10,000 on a Jeep Wrangler 392 and the gap only widens when looking at the Land Rover Defender 110 V8 and Mercedes-AMG G63. It's worth noting, though, that the Raptor is quite a bit slower than all three of those. Still, the Bronco feels like a very strong value. It gives up none of the 392's capability while coming across as far more civilized, while the outright capability probably exceeds both the Land Rover and Mercedes.

Bronco Raptor Competitor Reviews:

• Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392: Not Rated
• Land Rover Defender V8: Not Rated
• Mercedes-AMG G63: Not Rated