Ford Ranger Raptor vs Jeep Wrangler Rubicon - off road legends tested | Autocar

Who doesn’t love a good bit of off-road fun? We certainly do, and you’re somewhat spoilt for choice at the moment when it comes to cars that you can take off of the beaten track.
You could always go with the Jeep Wrangler. One of the most iconic 4x4s of all time, this one’s in Rubicon guise, which means that it will go pretty much anywhere you point it.
However, while it might be able to go wherever you want it to, it can’t do it very quickly, which is where the Ford Ranger Raptor comes in. The twin-turbocharged V6 under the bonnet produces 288bhp, but it also has a seriously impressive baja-style suspension setup that lets it fly over rough terrain.
Join Matt Prior and Matt Saunders as they pitch this pair against each other to find out which one is the king of the hill.
New videos are uploaded to Autocar each week. Don't miss a single one. Subscribe now: smarturl.it/autocar
Visit our website at www.autocar.co.uk
Autocar, the world's leading motoring magazine and website, delivers industry-leading news, the most in-depth car reviews and opinion from our team of experts. Our presenters include some of the world's top motoring journalists who have unrivalled access to the world's fastest, rarest, most exotic and most exciting cars on some of the world's best roads and race tracks.
Follow AUTOCAR here:
LIKE Autocar on Facebook: bit.ly/2Jzyvh1
FOLLOW Autocar on Twitter: bit.ly/2JzABgT
FOLLOW Autocar on Instagram: bit.ly/2TIgvFI
Check out our full video catalog: bit.ly/1UfAOCH
For car reviews you can trust, subscribe to Autocar: smarturl.it/autocar

[@lonedriver82]

That Raptor though.....it looks absolutely epic, I love it.

[@nyakuiralu419]

Why do people think we like to see their faces 90% of the time, instead of the vehicle.

[@ernieschultz7638]

These guys have managed to make even a ranger Raptor boring ..

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

BTW- LOL - You clearly drove like grandma in that Jeep. It bounced like crazy at low speed. Not even close. More laughs. Raptor killed it. Watching the two of you try to pretend it was close... epic. 😊

[@AwesomeBob]

I just can't. I've watched the first five and a half minutes of this video with two of the most boring people on the planet have the most boring conversation possible in trucks indented to be anything but boring. Who approved this script? I'm falling asleep.

[@AlexSmith-jh1yc]

thank you so much for your great work, guys!! i will open a can of cold beer, and will watch it properly.

[@johnr2632]

I owned a Wrangler - brilliant vehicle. Fabulous off road - helped many out of muddy fields in their SUVs and cars. Motorway driving is superb, very comfortable for eating up miles and gets 40+ MPG at around 65mph on the motorway. My next car is the Ranger Raptor though as the space for a roof tent on the load bay (with a rack over it) and the space in the load bay for all my astrophotography gear is a real winner. For the Uk it is by far the better lifestyle and outdoor hobbyist vehicle. Hard to beat the Wrangler for pure off road though. I've seen them climb rock faces.

[@congoliab]

Love you guys, but you're sort of dropping the journalism ball lately I have to say. I come to learn about the truck from reporters who have supposedly researched them before they go on camera. But lately it seems to be conversations where you're asking each other questions about the vehicle you're reviewing. I realize that can be a more engaging "natural conversation" way to present information, but here's the thing....I expect you to actually HAVE THE INFORMATION!!

[@maxencehellebuyck5319]

Nice video! Next one should be LR Defender 110 vs Ineos Grenadier in a serious offroad test! 😅

[@johnsim3722]

Would have been superb to have the New Defender doing the same tests. I've had one off road and I suspect it would be exceptionally good. Raptor is excellent for going fast over a longer distance off-road, which really would be the question if the New Defender could keep up with air suspension doing the work?

[@NoNo-jh3yt]

U Oi

[@NoNo-jh3yt]

U I

[@seadoomania]

The defender is still broken and at the workshop

[@johnsim3722]

@@seadoomania Didn't break when I took it off road. And the D300's engine is one of the best I've ever driven.

[@perfectdiversion]

In Australia our Ranger Raptors have nearly 300Kw which is almost 400hp so not sure if the 288hp claimed in this video is wrong or the regions are varying a lot in terms of power

[@trentattewell6109]

@Rhys, it's correct. They've had to massively knobble it in Europe and the UK to meet the latest emissions regulations. PPFs now etc. Pathetically sad.

[@iBlogGadget]

The UK ones just have less power due to emissions rules.

[@perfectdiversion]

@@trentattewell6109 makes sense. Damn them! Should be an easy tune to get the power out of it

[@jonthecont]

Yea Eu screwing us over as usual

[@joeblow1711]

I’d be getting it tuned and sorting that out quickly if I lived over there, how annoying.

[@ZachGrabill]

Man, wish the RR was available in the US. The F-150 is too wide for a lot of trails in the Appalachians where I wheel and camp.

[@ananayjoshi]

Hi curious question do you see the tribal people of appalachians? Are they dangerous?

[@ZachGrabill]

@@ananayjoshi lol! No dude. It’s a bunch of people in $85,000 rigs. It’s yuppie camping. We’re talking Shenandoah and George Washington National Forest.

[@jemery3]

It’s supposed to be coming to the US finally

[@iBlogGadget]

Coming to the US this year.

[@raptorrungreece]

You guys need to study your cars more. What you say most of the time is far away from reality.

[@TOPPOSCHRIS]

To the point👏👏👏

[@Ihateironyanddumbusernames]

Locking BOTH diffs and low range for that? I would just put it in 4high and forget about it. But i wheel often in the rocky mountains so what do i know

[@IanBrewster]

Raptor new and old are absolute beasts 😅 show more off roading and less talking tho

[@oni-one574]

My brother has a Rubicon. I will acquire a ranger raptor. Together, we will be unstoppable.

[@TheRdwyer]

Not sure its fair to compare, one is a high speed sand dune runner the other a rock crawler, I owned a Jeep JK Rubicon, not sure the welds would survive the shocks would no doubt bottom out, on a high speed run in the outback.

[@bruceklassen8261]

Good video, but you should’ve gone gladiator Rubicon versus the pickup

[@stubbybutt8839]

Think you could do a little research. The diesel variant is not available it Australia. You were just guessing how the raptor suspension works. very unprofessional

[@staysikth]

These two always gimme that Toby Flenderson vibe.

[@davek8386]

Kind of a pointless test... The Raptor is built for tearing up tracks, rally stages, dunes, beaches ect at full attack... you barely got it out of 4th gear 😅 if you're going to drive like these guys a standard Ranger will be fine

[@paulgrima3003]

Boring. Could only get through half the vid. Two presenters who need to do a little more research before reviewing a car. I think they would be better presenting antiques road show.

[@obsidian....]

Need the B-Raptor for an actual comparison...

[@dnice362]

Anything with the raptor name attached to it has the looks

[@ericks-py9qy]

Nothing like a mean rubicon !!

[@Brucey865]

Think I’ll play this at night to bore my kids to sleep

[@gen1c8rs88]

When the Ranger Raptor comes to the US it will have 255/75r17 tyres 😣😉🤔

[@tcpiha]

First and last time I’ll be watching what a load of dribble tbh the wrangler does not even come close to the Raptor end of story.

[@rich7447]

It depends what you are using them for. The Raptor is a pre-runner and the Wrangler is a crawler.

[@gradientO]

Can't get over how wide the Raptor looks

[@oleblack423]

That ranger is a beauty

[@zoltrix7779]

Can't imagagine a huge market for tru off road vehicles in the UK, farmers perhaps?

[@bonetawana8336]

It's the Rubicon for me😊

[@kregowski]

You know, kind of, sort of, I guess....

[@Enessy13]

You guys need to work on your voice levels. You start talking but then drift off into whispers by the end of your sentences..

[@TerribleTimes]

288hp v6 ? my 2.3 litre I4 ranger supposedly has 290hp! . . .

[@trentattewell6109]

Yep emissions regs have ruined it.

[@jonthecont]

been fucked by Eu greta crowed mate

[@wizzylizzy69]

400 in Aus, SA, and America. You guys bowed down to the greenies and now you must reap what you sow.

[@protestagain]

If I own a farm, I would buy an Ineos Grenadier before bought of these two.

[@wizzylizzy69]

So everything can fail? They are shithouse.

[@No-thing-ness]

It would be great to not see inside the cabin so much and see the actual car

[@trevorwesterdahl6245]

Wide truck? Sheesh! Yes, not a go cart called a car, but it is quite the sweet spot. In the U.S. it's average. Too funny😂😊

[@rich7447]

It's a small truck in the US. Average would be a half ton, not a mid size.

[@GavinEarnshaw]

As a 4x4 instructor for real world professional 4x4 (i.e. driving as part of your job under PUWER) in the UK I have serious problems with treating 4x4s as a rally cars. There are few places you can drive fast off-road. Sustainable off-road driving is slow and careful. 9.20 you even say about doing it properly. Hooning is fun but should only be done somewhere safe. Problem is as you mention someone who doesn't know what they are doing can do lots of damage. I spend lots of time having to teach slow control as too many people see speed and the Clarkson effect. I see pics of roll overs, crashed and broken trucks. I have taken Raptors off road and while they look a long way off the ground they hit the centre ridge in ruts worse than an old Discovery on standard tyres. The Raptor is too wide for most UK off-road places. I realise that I am dealing with a small minority of real world users. Those I've had at our site with the ordinary Ranger have complained about its size in UK towns, villages and country roads. The Raptor is even wider.

[@obsidian....]

By default you should treat the vehicle in the way it was designed to be treated. IE Raptors are for Baja and Jeeps are for two tracks... . Not sure why that deserves any contrary opinions. . Edit: FWIW, the Ranger Raptor isn't really a true "Raptor" anyway... It would be in the same vane as someone who acts like a BMW M340i is an actual M3

[@obiwun32]

As someone who was a rally driving instructor and competitor at WRC and national level in Australia, I can say the Raptor is bloody awesome. I have the Aus spec with 392hp and admittedly I have the room to let it move around on the tracks near me, not like the mud bog in this video. 2H in the slow and tight sideways stuff and 4H Baja mode ESC off for high speed gravel driving feels really good. A few weeks ago I drove some local sand dunes, one has a 250m vertical climb and the Raptor really humbled a lot of 4x4’s in the area. Nothing like it.

[@GavinEarnshaw]

Note I am talking about UK - places like Aus, US and SA have lots of gravel tracks where the speed aspect is great and the Raptor suited for it unlike the Jeep. The problem is the majority of drivers see speed as the answer to off-road. I know you have to make videos interesting and so often this is taken about mud flying, zooming through water etc. You only have to look at the Facebook and YTube misuse of greenlanes to see what I mean. I have spent most of my life in parts of the UK where many roads are single track with passing places. My clients with these big vehicles say they are a problem on these roads - especially when meeting other traffic. One guy had to sell his X7. When our hedges grow (not allowed to trim during bird season) he found many roads he couldn't fit down without scratching it. Same for new Range/Disco etc.

[@obiwun32]

@@GavinEarnshaw Good points, Raptor not as compelling for UK applications, its a shame because it really is a fun vehicle that can pull off the pick-up duties too. I like to hit some high speed tracks then fill it up with firewood and have a remote bbq, its a great day out. Or load up the mountain bikes and go shuttling or launch my boat off the beach :) Width issues aside, I really enjoy the Raptor for low speed technical off road driving too. My wife has Land cruiser 300 series, we had a Land Cruiser 200 and in my family my dad has a new Defender, TJ wrangler and has owned Disco 1, 3 and 4 and my sister has a Jimny. With the exception of the TJ Wrangler my Ranger Raptor has easily got all those cars covered on the blue and black graded low speed technical tracks in my area (dry rocky trails, sometimes steep). Factory twin locked with 33" tyres and huge rear suspension travel really make it capable.

[@GavinEarnshaw]

@@obiwun32 I agree, if I *had* to buy a new 4x4 I'd go for the Raptor probably has best suspension. (My old 90 has fox dampers as all the others harder damping). But width here in the UK countryside makes all the new stuff an issue. Even our car parks are an 'adventure' as the spaces still for 1970s cars 🙃

[@autopia8802]

Ford ranger raptor

[@LukeKraus360]

How the hell does America not get this ranger raptor with the same engine the bronco raptor has its wild to me

[@LukeKraus360]

Maybe we’ll get it with the next gen

[@brianjensen5200]

It'll be the same engine in the us, probably same 400hp both braptor and rraptor

[@MrMe1280]

It'll be here in just a couple months and built in Michigan

[@Ihateironyanddumbusernames]

I think its because ford protects the f150 raptor. The rr would steal sales from it

[@rich7447]

@@Ihateironyanddumbusernames Mid size pickups are not all that popular in the US.

[@user-eo8yu9ex6j]

top!

[@anthonysmith4072]

Can you guys speak quieter please? I can still barely hear you. Thanks

[@l3oGg]

It must be the Bronco not the ranger

[@victorrice4589]

Yeah the Raptor has nearly 400hp… just a little off with your stats cool cool

[@rich7447]

Not in Europe. The Euro models only get 288 hp.

[@torresalxndr]

Just the fact that the Jeep engine is trash and their steering box is made out of cardboard oractically, sells me on the Ranger Raptor. Jeeps used to be great, now they are just show pieces for people that don't go offroad without major upgrades.

[@MrMe1280]

You should be comparing this to the gladiator not the wrangler. This is apples to oranges not apples to apples

[@ajbarboza1348]

well these two are Jeep lovers lol

[@matttimms3407]

Why have two people talking about a car but don’t knew if it has something or not. Had to stop watching it because it annoys me

[@justonpreble4083]

🤬My local dealer in the USA wants a $1,000 non refundable deposit and has a $30,000 markup over MSRP for a Ranger Raptor! LOL 😩

[@rich7447]

The 2025 model year is supposed to bring more availability in the US. Ford is pretty screwed up right now. I have been waiting for my F450 order since the 2022 model year.

[@ikoahmad2922]

👍👍🏻👍👍🏻

[@markdean3217]

Really really not interested in the off road stuff, I want to know what I they like on the road for real world driving. How often does anyone do off road as shown. Can I cruise on the M25 without ear muffs or do 150 miles in one go or take my Honda civic instead ❓🤷🏻‍♂️

[@markdean3217]

Silly comment, nowhere do I mention about fuel economy, only what is it like on M25 and over a long journey for example a 150 mile journey, implying is it an everyday vehicle.

[@markdean3217]

@markyes I refer you to my previous comment.

[@markdean3217]

@markyes oh dear

[@rich7447]

I have a Wrangler Rubicon 4xe in the US. On road real world driving, it is pretty good. Handles snow and wet roads well, corners reasonably well at legal speeds and has a lot more interior space than a Civic. The 2L on its own is a little weak for something that weighs 4,400 lbs so it takes a while to get up to highway speed (0 to 60 is a little over 7 seconds vs the 4xe at around 5.5 seconds). Here a 150 mile drive isn't really much to talk about, but my daughter and I took it on a winter road trip. Our driving days were Baltimore-Washington DC area to Plymouth MA (470 miles) to Quebec City QC Canada (416 miles) to Kingston ON Canada (370 miles) back to Baltimore-Washington (470 miles). We hit storms for almost all of the driving and the Wrangler did well. Averaged around 22 mpusg. For mid-distance (400 to 600 miles) it is more comfortable than a Civic. I wouldn't want to do more than about 10 hours a day since it isn't as comfortable as a full size pickup/SUV.

[@michaelteret4763]

Yawn

[@josephlugo5707]

That’s a stupid comparison. You should have compared the Jeep Mojave with the ford.

[@Joftaky]

🥱😴

[@kikes2200]

Raptor is better all rounder hands down

[@CarazyDiamond]

I yawned three times during this vid. You gus were talking as two women would discuss trying to save their 8 date recalling their reaons for their past faiures.

[@ones81]

Completely agree 🥱

[@josephchona1825]

Agreed. Really boring review. Guys can do a lot better to actually present the review rather than filming their behind the scenes chit chat and calling that the video!

[@torbinzix1]

I think that's the point, these videos are aimed at the adinoidal anorak geek that wants something different from every other YT channels. For sure check out Car wow, autotrader, throttle house, top gear, donut media, if you need someone shouting at you and everything said needing to be trivialised ✌️😅

[@CarazyDiamond]

@@torbinzix1 could be a valid point. However, I’ve never seen geeks lost and looking for answers which were already there on the press briefs provided with the cars for the review. At times car companies do ask the media if it's going to be a solo review or a comparison and accordingly, they fill up the requirements. (is it this or that? Huh was it, and not sure)They aren't investing anything there, correct?

[@torbinzix1]

@@CarazyDiamond TBF I was playing devils advocate, I like your original comment and still agree with you... I don't particularly mind the video, but can definitely see what you're saying

[@theracer6882]

Autocar makes the most boring car videos on KZbin

[@vorant77]

Let the jokes commence about Fords new gay "Rump Ranger" model with a Turd-blow engine.

[@bigdave10477]

2 great cars with the most boring video ever. Awful.

[@waynejewell-sw8qg]

these video was about you two . very poor overall . learned nothing .

[@Marnus911]

most boring review of this car that i have seen.

[@mikesuahtla9826]

Mate you ducked up from the very start. The raptor is 392hp not 288

[@adamheazlewood3412]

The Raptor is de-tuned in the UK mate 👍🏼

[@mikesuahtla9826]

Sorry mate I have since found that out. What a shame for you guys not to experience what we have. Most fun I have ever had in a 4wD

[@mikesuahtla9826]

Sorry mate I have since found that out. What a shame for you guys not to experience what we have. Most fun I have ever had in a 4wD

[@mikesuahtla9826]

Sorry mate I have since found that out. What a shame for you guys not to experience what we have. Most fun I have ever had in a 4wD

[@mikesuahtla9826]

Sorry mate I have since found that out. What a shame for you guys not to experience what we have. Most fun I have ever had in a 4wD