There are more pickups available than ever. Ford brought the Ranger back to the US, and we’ll receive the potent Ranger Raptor, which is available worldwide. A new video has it competing against a tuned Volkswagen Amarok and a tuned Mercedes-Benz X-Class in a series of drag races.
The two tuned pickups pack 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel engines. The VW Amarok makes 340 horsepower and 775 Newton-meters (571 pound-feet) of torque. The Mercedes X-Class is a tad less potent, pumping out 300 hp and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of twist.
Gallery: 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor
The Ford Ranger Raptor starts from a deficit. It has a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged gasoline engine that makes 292 hp and 583 Nm (430 lb-ft) of torque. It’s also the heaviest of the bunch at 2,454 kilograms (5,410 pounds).
In the first race, the X-Class got off the line first. The Ranger Raptor also got a good start, but the Volkswagen Amarok came back at the end, passing the Ranger for second place. The Mercedes took first while the VW stole second.
The second race saw the Amarok get a much better start than the first, quickly jumping into first place. The Ranger Raptor and X-Class couldn’t keep up, with the Ford taking third for a second time. The Third race had the X-Class and Amarok even at the start, but the Volkswagen inched ahead before crossing the finish line in first. The Raptor took third.
The Amarok completed the quarter-mile race the quickest, with a 15.2-second time. It took the X-Class 15.6 seconds, while the Ranger needed 16.4.
The first rolling race had the VW as the winner quite early as it left the Ranger Raptor and X-Class to fight for second. However, the start gave the Ranger enough advantage to win second place over the X-Class. A second rolling race with a slower start once again turned into a battle for second place, with the X-Class taking the position from the Ranger before crossing the finish line.
The brake test at the end compared the trucks’ emergency stopping power from 70 miles per hour. The Ranger Raptor lost by several car lengths, needing a lot more runways to come to a stop. The X-Class braked in the shortest distance.
