We’re in the midst of an off-road pickup truck craze, from the high-powered Ford F-150 Raptor to the distinctive Jeep Gladiator. However it’s not simply OEMs getting in on the motion, aftermarket corporations are cashing in on off-road upgrades together with Roush, which has an improve bundle for the 2020 Ford Ranger.
Visible upgrades abound, and the outside ones do their greatest to make the Ranger appear to be a Raptor. You’ll instantly discover the grille with huge “ROUSH” lettering within the center as an alternative of “FORD.” And as an alternative of amber marker lights, two units of LED working lights are fitted within the high of the grille. The fenders obtain darkish metallic painted flares that add somewhat little bit of width, and there are Raptor-esque LED markers on the rear. Roush provides a smattering of graphics across the truck and a few red-painted tow hooks, too. Inside, Roush matches customized diamond-stitched leather-based upholstery, Roush branding on the instrument cluster, WeatherTech ground liners, a customized key fob and an enormous badge on the sprint.
As for mechanical upgrades, they’re pretty delicate. The 18-inch Roush wheels are fitted with 32-inch all-terrain tires. The truck sits on Fox 2.0 shocks with matched Roush springs, which degree the journey top just like the Ford Efficiency levelling package. Roush additionally provides its personal cat-back exhaust that provides sound, however no energy to the Ranger’s in any other case inventory 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. For an additional $935, you will get a Degree 1 Roush Efficiency Pac that features an engine and transmission calibration together with a brand new consumption. It optimizes shift programming for efficiency and provides 47 horsepower measured on the wheels and 65 pound-feet of torque Our check truck was not outfitted with this, although. All added elements are below guarantee for 3 years/36,000 miles.
We solely had just a few hours with the Roush Ranger, so our drive was fully on the road. And as one would anticipate from the modification record, it doesn’t drive notably totally different to an everyday Ranger. The suspension does appear higher tuned than the manufacturing unit Ford FX4 off-road suspension, because it’s smoother and higher managed over bumps. It doesn’t add any extra physique roll, and the steering remains to be moderately exact with some delicate suggestions. There’s not a lot grip on pavement, although, in contrast with Rangers with much less aggressive off-road tires. As for the exhaust, it’s received some four-cylinder snarl, but it surely’s reasonably loud below throttle, and it could actually drone within the mid-rpm vary. Happily, in case you’re cruising on the freeway, it’s very quiet.
The remainder of the truck is rather like any Ranger. The turbo engine is responsive and has nice low and mid-range torque. The transmission is simply common, shifting comparatively easily, however not rapidly. The cabin is pretty quiet, although it feels a tad small, and the plastics really feel low cost. Roush’s diamond-stitched leather-based seats are a pleasant enchancment, although it will’ve been good to see Roush do some extra to spruce up the inside. The outside is a pleasant steadiness of extra butch cues just like the grille, and delicate adjustments such because the fender flares.
The difficulty is that these delicate upgrades price so much. The essential bundle is $12,750, which is then added to the price of truck that will likely be transformed. Our check instance was based mostly on a Ranger XLT Crew Cab with a base MSRP of $42,515. Along with the essential Roush bundle, Roush fitted non-compulsory extras together with a $1,800 mattress cowl, entrance and rear lock bins costing $400 every, and a $250 off-road utility package. All-in, the truck had a value of $57,980. That value can climb greater, since Roush has quite a lot of different choices together with a cargo administration system, chase rack with LED gentle bars, and extra aspect stripes. And naturally you possibly can spec out an much more costly base truck to have transformed.
Because it so occurs, our check truck price about $2,000 greater than a base Ford F-150 Raptor, which begins at $55,150. And the Raptor is a much bigger truck, with way more energy and off-road functionality. Now, not everybody desires a much bigger truck, however you will get extra efficiency and nonetheless pay much less cash by constructing out your Ranger with official Ford elements. We managed to equip a Ranger XLT SuperCrew 4×4 very equally to our check Roush truck. It included fender vents, exterior graphics, huge fender flares, a retractable mattress cowl, ground liners, cat-back exhaust, and the Ford Efficiency Package deal 2 that options Fox shocks, matching springs, blue tow hooks, off-road all-terrain tires, and an engine tune that brings output to 315 horsepower and 370 pound-feet of torque. Whole price? $48,075. There could also be some minor charges related to putting in the efficiency bundle, however probably not sufficient to eclipse the Roush check truck. It does lack the diamond-stitched leather-based seats, lock bins and 18-inch wheels of the Roush, however you possibly can repair all that with the cash you saved, and have a higher-performance truck.
So there’s nothing unsuitable with the Roush Ranger, it simply doesn’t seem to be an excellent worth. However in case you actually just like the appears and the Roush title, it’s a wonderfully nice, if dear, pickup.
Replace: Added observe about obtainable efficiency pack from Roush, although the efficiency pack was not fitted to our check truck.
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