Image: Fanie van Niekerk
The moment South African bakkie buyers had been waiting for arrived in December 2022: the Ford Ranger Raptor 3.0 V6 finally landed on local soil. Forget the excellent 2.0 Bi-Turbo diesel Raptor we got first – the new Ranger Raptor 3.0 EcoBoost V6 is the real fire-breather, and it’s built for everything from Gauteng highways to the toughest Karoo trails.
Under that aggressive bonnet sits Ford’s proven 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 producing a massive 292 kW and 583 Nm of torque – numbers you’ll see quoted on every 2025 Ford Ranger Raptor spec sheet in Mzansi. Power goes to all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic, full-time 4WD with a 2-speed transfer case, electronically locking rear diff, and a front Torsen limited-slip. Official Ranger Raptor 0-100 km/h time? Around 6 seconds flat. Yes, your double-cab just embarrassed a few hot hatches.
This is no showroom queen. The 2025 Ranger Raptor gets Fox 2.5-inch Live Valve shocks, a proper Watts-link rear suspension with coils, and 283 mm ground clearance. Wrap those 33-inch BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrains around 17-inch beadlock-capable rims and you have Ranger Raptor off-road ability that humiliates most full-size 4x4s on the market. Approach angle 33°, wading depth 850 mm, and the legendary Ranger Raptor Baja mode that turns the exhaust into a V8-style war cry while letting you send it across the Tankwa at triple-digit speeds.
Inside, the Ranger Raptor interior feels properly special: bolstered performance seats, red stitching, magnesium paddle shifters, a 12-inch portrait touchscreen, and a fully digital driver display. Yet it’s still a practical South African double-cab – 1 411 kg payload, 2 500 kg Ranger Raptor towing capacity (braked), and enough space for the family or the braai crew.
Fuel economy? Expect around 14–16 L/100 km if you drive like a human. Drive it like a Ranger Raptor 3.0 V6 owner and you’ll see closer to 25 L/100 km, but nobody buying the Ford Ranger Raptor South Africa is worrying about petrol receipts.
Ranger Raptor price in 2025 starts at roughly R1 270 000, putting it head-to-head with loaded Jeep Gladiator or Amarok Aventura models – but nothing else offers this level of Ranger Raptor jumping, crawling, or pure Baja-style madness.
Compared to the Toyota Hilux GR Sport, VW Amarok PanAmericana, or even the incoming Ranger Raptor vs Tacoma TRD Pro debates overseas, this Ford remains the undisputed king of performance double-cabs in South Africa. The 2025 Ranger Raptor exhaust sound alone is worth the entrance fee.
Whether you’re hunting for a Ranger Raptor for sale in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, or Polokwane, one thing is clear: the Next-Gen Ranger Raptor 3.0 V6 isn’t just the fastest, widest, and most capable bakkie on the market – it’s the one that finally made double-cabs exciting again. The Ford Ranger Raptor South Africa has arrived, and it’s here to dominate.
