Ford Ranger Raptor spied testing stateside

- Ford testing the Ranger Raptor near it’s headquarters suggests a probable debut in the American market.

- The test mule was in the RHD guise with new body decals and the pickup was running a diesel motor under the hood

- The Ranger Raptor is already on sale in markets of Australia and Thailand, with no announcement for American debut yet.

Ford had already revealed the all-new Ranger Raptor earlier this year in the Australian market with production commencing in Thailand. Until now, the carmaker has made no announcement of the pick-up’s American debut but it was rumoured that Ford will return the Ranger badge to the American soil. And now, we got our first sighting of the Ranger Raptor testing near Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.

The Raptor-spec mid-size pickup is expected to follow the standard Ranger to the American market. The test mule was wearing new decals on the exterior right from the rear door of this twin cab all the way to the tailgate. The Raptor logo was also slightly different from the one seen previously. This could mean that Ford is either preparing an optional style pack for the Australian or Thailand version, or this could be an all-new American package.

Another thing reported by our spy sleuths is that the prototype had a distinct diesel clang. This means that it was powered by the same 2.0-litre turbodiesel which powers the international models producing 210bhp and a colossal 500Nm. It comes mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. If the Ranger Raptor does make its way to America, this should be the default engine choice for the pick-up.

The standard Ranger is expected to make its comeback later this year as a 2019 model. So it should not come as a surprise if the Blue Oval made its debut next year instead. However, we’d have to wait for a confirmation about the diesel motor which could simply be replaced by an EcoBoost gasoline unit.