For those tired of waiting for the Ranger Raptor’s debut in the U.S., you can now opt for Hennessy’s VelociRaptor Ranger and you may end up getting more power and performance.
The team at Hennessey took the Ranger’s stock 2.3-liter engine (the only engine available for the midsize truck) and increased the horsepower from 270 to 350. Torque shot up from 310 to 385 foot pounds.
“We are so excited to introduce our 2019 Hennessey VelociRaptor upgrades for the 2019 Ford Ranger truck,” said company founder and CEO, John Hennessey. “The demand for our VelociRaptor upgrades for the Ford Raptor truck has been incredible over the past 10 years. We are thrilled to be able to offer increased power, performance – on and off-road all packed in our exclusively branded VelociRaptor package.”
Hennessey’s Ranger, which pulls off zero to 60 in 6.1 seconds (an improvement of 1.3 seconds over stock) will blow the doors off the Australian and European Ranger Raptor. Still, you can’t fault Ford for trying to stir up the pot among its European readers with the following headline posted on its media site: “New bad-ass Ford Ranger Raptor is coming to Europe – Ulimate performance pickup breaks cover at Gamescom.”
With 210-hp and 369 pound feet of torque powering the overseas Ranger Raptor, it’s no match for Hennessey’s Raptor (though torque is close is with a 16 foot pound advantage going to Hennessey). The Ranger Raptor in Australia and Europe is powered by a 2.0-liter EcoBlue diesel.
Undoubtedly, a U.S. version of Ford’s Ranger Raptor would be significantly more powerful than its stock 270-hp engine, but for now VelociRaptor Ranger rules the day.
To help reach those better performance numbers, Hennessey’s Ranger gets increased air flow through a new high-flow air induction system, less restrictive and better sounding stainless steel catback exhaust system and ECU tuning for increased boost.
Besides the changes under the hood, Hennessey also upgraded the Ranger with their Stage 1 off-road suspension upgrade which provides a 4-inch lift. Combined with Hennessey’s 17-inch alloy wheels and upgraded BFG off-road tires, the VelociRaptor Ranger is nearly six inches taller than stock. Rounding out the off-road upgrades Hennessey has also upgraded the front bumper with LED lights and optional winch upgrade. A roof-mounted LED light bar is also available as an option.
The 2019 Ford Ranger equipped with the Hennessey VelociRaptor Ranger package stickers at $64,950. The VelociRaptor upgrade by itself is $19,950 plus vehicle shipping. Production is limited to just 500 units for the 2019 model year. Each upgrade comes with a 3 year / 36,000-mile warranty.
The Hennessey VelociRaptor Ranger is available directly from Hennessey or from select Authorized Hennessey Performance Ford dealers, including Brown Lee Ford from Nashville, Tenn. For more information, contact Hennessey Performance Engineering at 979.885.1300 or email at sales@hennesseyperformance.com.
