Enthusiasts hoping for supercharged Bronco and Ranger Raptors just got crushing news from Dearborn. Ford Performance chief engineer Carl Widmann killed those dreams with a blunt assessment, told to Road & Track: “I have not seen any plans for it.” The message is clear—no V-8 swaps, no R badges, no horsepower wars for the smaller Raptors.
Current Lineup Already Dominates Segments
Ford argues its twin-turbo V-6 trucks already outgun every competitor.
The reasoning reveals Ford’s calculated approach to performance positioning. Widmann characterizes the Ranger Raptor as sitting at the outer edge of its segment’s performance envelope, boasting “significantly more power than any other truck in its class,” according to Road & Track. His assessment gets even blunter: “Nothing else is even within 30 horsepower” of the 405-hp Ranger. He even suggests “the Ranger Raptor might even already have too much power.”
Numbers Tell the Performance Story
Weight differences and power figures explain Ford’s reluctance to escalate further.
The current specs support Widmann’s position, even if they disappoint horsepower addicts. The Ranger Raptor’s 405 horses push its 5,372-pound frame to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. The heavier Bronco Raptor needs 5.6 seconds despite packing 418 hp and 5,764 pounds of mass.
Both use twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 engines in different states of tune. Meanwhile, the F-150 Raptor R’s supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 delivers 720 hp and rockets to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds—staying in its own performance universe.
Ford Performance Offers Alternative Path
Factory calibration bumps power without new trim levels or engine swaps.
Ford hasn’t completely abandoned performance seekers. The company’s Ford Performance division already offers software calibration for both Raptor models, bumping output to around 455 hp and 536 lb-ft of torque. It’s not the V-8 transplant that social media speculation demanded, but it represents the highest factory-backed power level currently offered.
Product plans can always evolve, but Widmann’s message rings clear: the Raptor lineup has established roles, and those don’t include R-badged variants for the Bronco or Ranger anytime soon.
