Ford’s New Desert-Racing, Rock-Crawling Bronco

It can race across sand dunes at "highway speeds."

Ford announced to the public its newest SUV, based on desert racing trucks and part of the Built Wild brand: the Ford Bronco Raptor. 

Compared to a base Bronco four-door, the Raptor is 9.8 inches wider, sits 4.8 inches higher off the ground and rests on 37-inch tires. Black fender flares cover the off-road tires. 

Ford said it can move across sand dunes at “highway speeds" and crawl over rocks, and is “the most powerful street-legal Bronco ever.” 

With a 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission, owners can shift gears utilizing steering wheel-mounted paddles. A manual transmission option is not available.

The vehicle carries a twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine capable of producing at least 400 horsepower. The exact horsepower number will be unveiled at a later date. 

Protecting the engine, transmission and other parts are heavy-duty metal plates underneath the four-door body. 

One of the seven driver-selectable modes features a tuned Baja Mode that activates a turbo anti-lag calibration. This maximizes performance over desert runs at high speeds. Also included are Trail Control, Trail One-Pedal Driving and Trail Turn Assist. 

The dark interior houses seats made from Black Onyx marine-grade vinyl and a rubberized washout flooring. 

For infotainment technology, a High Package includes SYNC4 with a 12-inch touchscreen and swipe capability, enhanced voice recognition and information on-demand. 

Interested buyers can place orders beginning in March, but Ford says a majority will go to existing reservation holders based on original reservation timestamps. 

CNN Business reports the starting price will be approximately $70,000. The vehicle will be available in the summer of 2022. 

More in Video