Ranger Raptor 1800 mile update. Verdict: GO BUY ONE!!!!!

If you are thinking about getting a ranger raptor, the only thing you will regret is waiting! Sorry if the narration is not great at the end, i am tired and running on no sleep after my marathon flight to Estonia. Even if you just mute it, the video of the trail is awesome.

[@Deatomizer]

The Rangers and especially the Raptor Ranger sells like hot cakes in Australia. It actually out sold the Toyota Hilux last year. I took one for a test drive and I could not believe the power that motor puts to the tires. Nothing compares to the feeling you get when your in a Raptor and you get launched back into your seat.

[@flaberdoopin]

That is awesome to hear. The Hilux is a thing of stories around the world so it is amazing to hear that the Ranger took the top spot globally

[@ericd1632]

I just placed an order for one and I'm getting it for MSRP!! It's a small family owned dealership so no greedy markups! I can't wait!

[@flaberdoopin]

That is great to hear! Congrats and I hope you get delivery as fast as possible!

[@ericd1632]

@@flaberdoopin Appreciate it man and yes me too! It will be really tough waiting for it but I know it will be worth it

[@TheKougaMaster]

I see the Yankees logo. You order it near the NYC area? If so where at?

[@ericd1632]

@@TheKougaMaster Nah I'm originally from PA but live down in NC now

[@andrewvenditelli152]

Really appreciate all the work you’re putting into these videos. I’m in the market for a vehicle and have been keeping an eye on this truck. I haven’t found anywhere else on KZbin with this kind of thorough, real word, daily life, content. It’s incredibly helpful. Thanks you.

[@flaberdoopin]

Dude, comments like this are what motivate me to keep these videos coming. I am having a blast making the videos and I have a newfound appreciation for the social aspect of KZbin with all of the different conversations I had had with people in the comments!

[@seditious1627]

Thank you for all the real world conversational style reviews of this truck. Keep it up!

[@flaberdoopin]

Thanks for the support. I am having tons of fun with this thing!

[@gregoryjames7976]

Thank you for all the content.

[@flaberdoopin]

My pleasure!

[@flaberdoopin]

Absolutely. I love doing these videos and chatting with everyone else about this truck

[@MrDashpilot]

Thanks for the vids. For now I have to live vicarious through you. We got a brand new Bronco Badlands in 22. I promised the wife I’d pay it off before getting another vehicle. Hopefully I will put an order in early next year but you’re making it hard for me to be patient. Looks like so much fun.

[@flaberdoopin]

This truck is a blast but the Bronco Badlands is a beast! That thing would have done amazing on this trail! Smart move keeping the wife happy by sticking to the payoff plan hahaha

[@shmac96]

Please keep doing these videos on your truck. Im really curious to know, how someone who actually uses this truck off road, what the 'issues' will be 40, 50 and on will be. I subscribed in the hopes that you do that. My fiance and I were at a car show and it was the only truck that she liked and admittedly I liked it alot too especially since I was never a Ford guy but this truck is the beezneez. Great review! Thanks!

[@flaberdoopin]

I intend to keep the updates coming for sure! Going to be installing some lights and a tonneau cover soon and plan to get back out on the trails in the coming weeks as well! Cheers

[@shmac96]

@@flaberdoopin Awesome! Thanks

[@keithhunt3437]

Exited to see what cover u go with I’m currently deciding on which style I want. You know what else the Australian trim has, CUP HOLDERS that pop out of the dash on both sides! Thats something I’m seriously considering but I don’t think it would work because they drive on the wrong side 😂.

[@flaberdoopin]

Hahaha, crazy right hand drive vehicles. I will let you know what I am able to find regarding left side A pillar grab handle

[@jdfleetguy28]

Love all the great videos. I was thinking the same thing about trying to get the left hand grab handle from the Australian model. Please post details if you decide to do it. I would sure think the mounting holes and what not would be under that left driver side post. TFL did damage that low hanging hitch plug. Have you had a chance to look at the area beside the rear license plate up in the bumper, to see if the trailer plugs could be moved up inside the rear bumper?

[@flaberdoopin]

I did look around and it looks like moving it would be super easy. I’ll get a closeup video of it and post it when I get back to the states next week

[@chaleowin7732]

Like you I also have vehicle ADHD, often owning 4-5 at a time to fill all the roles I think I need filled. Trying to get down to a single vehicle... I'm always on the lookout for something that can race, off-road, tow, haul and be comfortable. The Ranger Raptor looks pretty good. Like you, I would love an R version....just because.

[@flaberdoopin]

A Ranger ST would be pretty sweet too, throwback to the 90s sport truck scene in California!

[@chaleowin7732]

@@flaberdoopin I live in the upper Midwest, so I need a truck that can handle 6 months of snow. It will be interesting to see what tuners will do. A V8 would have made it easy to throw on a supercharger and pushout 650hp+. Overkill? Yes, but you only live once.

[@flaberdoopin]

I love overkill... if they make a ranger with a V8 i'll be throwing my money at them!!!

[@chaleowin7732]

@@flaberdoopin Couldn't agree more.

[@joejr9653]

I'm chomping at the bit waiting for mine.

[@jdfleetguy28]

I hear ya, mine was supposed to have been here a month ago. It’s been at the final railhead for over week now waiting for transport to the dealer. I can’t wait.

[@BearMacTX]

@@jdfleetguy28 Lucky, ordered mine May 2023 and it's finally in production. Probably still have 2 months to wait, meaning I'll have waited a year since i put my deposit down. All for a Ford Freaking Ranger!

[@flaberdoopin]

It will be worth the wait for sure! Hopefully you will get a speedy build process and delivery

[@wisdumb47]

Mine will be built May 6th.

[@nihontoman]

thank you for this video! I though the same thing you voice in this video - this is basically a universal vehicle, damn capable in almost everything, the one vehicle to do a little bit of everything without too much compromises (other than the not so great MPG). This is why, when my father was buying a vehicle, I persuaded him to get the ranger raptor and even though he basically uses it as a daily driver in a smallish eastern european city, He is very happy with it. And yes, he already used the bed for some truck realated stuff which he wouldn;t have been able to do with his older audi. also, fun fact - the audi he drove before (a 2013 a4 allroad 2.0 tfsi) was only slightly more economical, giving about 1 mpg difference in heavy city traffic! I think that is a win for the ranger raptor.

[@flaberdoopin]

That is awesome to hear and I use my truck as a truck as well. Trips to the dump, moving furniture, hauling mulch and so on. Super cool that it can fit a full sheet of Plywood as well

[@ROC805]

Here in Australia there a company's that are doing coyote conversions.. they do fit.

[@jdfleetguy28]

That’s awesome! Would love to learn more about that conversion!

[@flaberdoopin]

Amazing!!! That would be the ultimate truck in my opinion

[@garys2157]

How do they actually fit without rat rodding it? Ford enlarged the T6 to get a v6 to fit, as the 2.7 and 3.0 v6, unless it's supercharged, seems like a slight backwards from the Raptor engine having a bit less power, sure Coyotes sound great with a exhaust.

[@ROC805]

Just look it up on KZbin.. there are a few videos... from Australia and New Zealand...just type in V8 Ford Ranger conversion

[@garys2157]

@@ROC805 Saw, a couple of few videos on the first gen Ranger Raptor, the first one they did some nice work, didn't need to cut the frame, bunch of custom parts they had to make, guy said the electronics were a pain. Prices start at Au$59,500+ to get almost the same performance of the current Ecoboost Raptor, they have listed available supercharged upgrade Au$21,250++over$30,000 more. Sounds nice, when I had my F150 Coyote was pretty quiet, unless you really stepped on it,

[@curtl1694]

Howdy you should go on Livestream with Dave at All Terrain Nation! You’re the only KZbinr that has the most details in North America on Ranger Raptor!

[@flaberdoopin]

I will look him up for sure. I’m completely knee to the online media sharing world but that sounds super fun!

[@itsjessee]

@flaberdoopin great idea about getting an A pillar and grab handle from an Australian or UK version Ranger Raptor. As an Australian RR owner I would very much like a US version to do exactly the same.

[@flaberdoopin]

You don’t have a grab handle on the driver side in Australia? I can ask at the dealer about the US part and let you know what they are charging

[@rentalcarman]

I have to agree with you regarding this being a near perfect vehicle. I have had the 4runner, explorer ST. regular Ranger, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Gladiator, and Bronco Wildtrak, Chevy Blazer, and this truck hits every one of the favorite things I liked about the others all wrapped up in one nice looking package. I do wish it had cooling seats though. Oh, real world problems.

[@flaberdoopin]

Dang, that’s quite a list of vehicles… I don’t feel so bad going through 19 cars in the past 16 years now haha

[@rentalcarman]

@@flaberdoopin I have actually owned 13 cars since 2019. In that group was also a Bronco Sport, a Nissan Frontier and a Nissan Pathfinder. Every vehicle has had its goods and bads in their own right. But I have to say that the Ranger Raptor really has been the best of all of them. Side question. I know that you confirmed the brake lights come on when using adaptive cruise control. Have you tested the auto hold feature to see if the brake lights stay on when you take your foot off the brake? I am undecided if I like that feature but have been hesitant to use it because of the unknown.

[@flaberdoopin]

@@rentalcarmanhaven’t confirmed in the ranger but I did have my wife confirm it when I had my Explorer ST so I am confident that it does, that said I’ll still test it when I get back to the states

[@flaberdoopin]

@@rentalcarmanand I am with you about each of those cars being great in certain areas while the art is the best across the board

[@garys2157]

​@@rentalcarmanThe brake lights stay on in my F150 with that feature.

[@huey271]

could you go over the shifter,buttons, the paddles and the parking brake, I have a 2019 and like having the brake lever

[@flaberdoopin]

For sure. I won’t be back home in the states until next week but I’ll do an interior button / feature review for sure!

[@thewatcher5726]

I don’t think the viewer hasn’t experienced any night driving on this channel how’s the lighting inside and outside the cabin?

[@flaberdoopin]

I did a video of the truck at night with a quick walk around. It is really nice and the auto high beams are really impressive!

[@flaberdoopin]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHKWlXljrZeFqLssi=vwhsEMgTwhSP2UG7

[@thewatcher5726]

Good catch, sorry about that probably should provide clarification here… A demonstration of night driving in the truck is what I should’ve typed…

[@flaberdoopin]

@@thewatcher5726oh, that makes sense! I’ll do that for sure!

[@RxngerRxptor]

Fuel is the problem in my opinion idc about it but yeah I keep it in the auto start stop feature

[@erikgutierrez3196]

Your videos inspired me to get a Ranger Raptor. In fact, I found one "in transit" and put a deposit down it. It has the exact specs that I'm looking for. I don't have the vehicle yet. When it's delivered to the dealership, I still need to transact on my trade-in and the actual financing. Maybe I'm being paranoid but is there anything that could kill the deal at this point? I really would like to pay cash in stead of financing. But, I know that dealers can make their money on financing.

[@flaberdoopin]

If you have a deposit on it, you are in good shape. You will love it. I don’t think you need to worry about the dealer making money on financing unless they are willing to come down on the price of the truck which I doubt they will. With interest rates what they are I just paid cash for mine after the trade, but that was a personal decision and there are absolutely perks to financing as well if your money is well invested

[@2151abell]

The Toyota's are very much over rated. The complaints about the shabby working locker connect is spreading like wildfire. At what their asking for them, Seriously ? Id take the Raptor anyday over the Taco.

[@flaberdoopin]

Right on, I just moved back to VA from Oahu where you will get publicly executed if you speak bad about the holy Toyota Tacoma but I do agree that they are over rated. Raptor is a way more fun truck but the Toyota is super reliable.

[@ironchung30]

Toyota all day, every day on reliability. It’ll easily outlast the range raptor by 200K miles… including the new 2024s.

[@flaberdoopin]

⁠​​⁠@ironchung30 that is quite the bold statement. Sounds like fanboy talk to me seeing as how this is the first Tacoma with the new drivetrain. I have heard from a lot of guys who upgraded their old tundras for the current model year that are quite unhappy they didn’t keep their old naturally aspirated trucks. I have had tacomas and they are alright but pretty dull to drive.

[@ironchung30]

@@flaberdoopin new drivetrain yes, but Toyota puts their engines to the maximum torture test for million miles before they put it out on the market. Not saying they’re guaranteed to be reliable but they very likely will be. I’m not a fanboy, just throwing out facts. I’ve already gave the ZR2 props and rooting for American brands to compete with Toyotas.

[@flaberdoopin]

I’m with you. I did like my Toyotas and knew that the motor would run forever but it was kind of dull to drive

[@jethrobodine4638]

Picking mine up tomorrow a non order and only paid 2k over

[@flaberdoopin]

Fantastic. Same thing I did, I got lucky without an order grabbing this one for 2k over as well

[@binostunts]

Awesome trail! Where is this? I’m in the DMV as well

[@flaberdoopin]

It is called Peter’s Mill Run out west by Edinburgh VA. If you ever want to meet at the trail let me know. It was a blast and always more fun with friends

[@Mark-ou8nu]

Have you seen an improvement in mpg in normal driving since the break in oil change?

[@flaberdoopin]

nothing that i have noticed with regards to fuel economy after the oil change.

[@kevinbradley8613]

Where is this trail?! I saw you bought this thing in Hagerstown, did you pay significantly over msrp? I’m not too far from there and I’m definitely interested in getting one of these. That trail looks like a ton of fun! Great video

[@flaberdoopin]

This trail is called Peter’s Mill Run out near Edinburgh VA. It is an awesome trail and if anyone wants to do a meetup out there I’ll totally go for that. I bought the annual pass for the trail.

[@Anonymous-sy2nh]

What’s your opinion on build quality versus your previous Tacoma?

[@flaberdoopin]

Tacomas are hard to beat but the Ranger is a solid truck for sure. I think the interior is quieter and more well appointed but I am comparing to a 2008 Tacoma so it probably isn’t a fair comparison

[@WilliamRoe-zo4dm]

Question can you keep it in Baja exhaust while driving on highway etc even though it says for off road use only?

[@flaberdoopin]

Yes, it will stay in Baja exhaust, nothing switches. It is just like when you buy certain aftermarket things that say for off road use only, just a legal disclaimer

[@WilliamRoe-zo4dm]

Got it thanks what’s your R mode setup just curious what you like ?

[@flaberdoopin]

i just have it set in sport mode across the board with auto start stop disabled... considering also having it always in 4A rather than 2H but haven't made that change yet.

[@WilliamRoe-zo4dm]

Same sport across the board for me but the Baja exhaust note sounds so nice!

[@NeverFollowTheCrowd]

D9 you have review videos On your old cars?

[@flaberdoopin]

No, I just started making Videos with this truck. I didn’t realize anyone would care what I have to say about my vehicles haha

[@Seashed]

What trail is that? I’m in NC.

[@flaberdoopin]

Peters Mill Run near Edinburgh VA. If you ever wanna go out and meet up let me know!

[@Seashed]

@@flaberdoopin thanks, just sold my 2door ‘23 Bronco Sasquatch and bought another ‘24 4Runner TRD Off Road, the last old school truck. I’ve driven 4Runner’s since 2000 and wanted to give the Bronco a shot. Nice, but no 4Runner. :)

[@flaberdoopin]

i am a huge fan of the 4runner... i just got back from Oahu where the state truck seemed to be Tacoma/4Runner... they were everywhere and there are some awesome trails on the north shore that were always covered in tacomas and 4Runners. i love my ranger, but if i wanted an off road SUV it would be the 4Runner for sure, and probably the 24 instead of the new 25 with the turbo 4 banger.

[@beeslandscaping]

Not paying 10.000 over Noway

[@cwqrpportable]

PLEASE pay $10,000 over…..please

[@andyh4464]

I’ve heard of people getting them at msrp, just gotta really shop around and possibly travel

[@The_Ren]

Had the exact one on the lot I wanted here in AZ. I’m not paying $15-$20k over period. Especially not for a Gen 1. Even last gen TRD Pros have held a $10k premium. I’m sure the next gen will be worse. You guys that paid 2k over let me know where you’re at. Have the money, will travel.

[@iwillcritiqueyou22]

@@andyh4464don’t u still need to pay duty importing vehicles into USA

[@andyh4464]

@@iwillcritiqueyou22 Not sure what you mean but this gen Ranger Raptor is built in the US its not imported

[@hipostang23]

Dealer markups and Ford production are the only reasons why this isn’t the best selling truck in class…

[@flaberdoopin]

It is a bummer but ford isn’t the only company that does it sadly.

[@Tehilliym]

Ford?? Lol.. no bro

[@flaberdoopin]

get what you like... some of us like fords and have had no major issues with them... i personally wont ever buy another Jeep or Chevy because of problems i have had with them... to each their own.