This was going to be my new Ute.  The rumours were that it was going to have a new 3.6 litre Petrol engine with a lot more power.  The Ecoboost engine was meant to have 336kW and 690Nm.  The new diesel has 147kW and 470Nm.

We discuss with Robert Pepper, renowned 4WD journalist about -

• What has Ford done?
• Why has Ford done it?
• What is the Raptor all about?
• Should I by it?

We also look at the shocks, gearbox and the tyres.  At least with BF Goodrich tyres is a serious statement from Ford that the Raptor is meant to go offroad.

When first announced, people were putting deposits down on the Raptor without knowing the price, which is pretty amazing.  How will the reaction be once people know what the specs are going to be.

It will be interesting to see how the Baja mode works, it does sound like it will be a bit of fun to drive offroad, but the other question is where can we take one of these to really give it a good go and drive it to it's full potential.

We also talk about how some of the pressures of modern vehicle design are shaping what is possible for vehicle designers.  The smaller engine is part of a trend.  It is a bit of a surprise that it is a diesel.  We've spoken before about the death of diesel.

The reaction to the engine size has not been great, it will be interesting to see what the final price for the Raptor ends up as.  It will be more expensive than the Wildtrak, but just how much will be interesting to see.

Robert gives an example of how the comparing engine and gearbox pairings and how the performance of the new 10 speed gearbox in the Raptor will be really important to how powerful the Raptor feels.  The bi-turbo will also assist with off the line performance.

What is the future of big engine 4WDs and cars in general?

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