Ford Ranger Raptor proves itself as a proper Golf GTI killer

The results are in as we reported previously. The Ford Ranger Raptor’s 0 to 100km/h time of 5.84 seconds was good enough to destroy any double cab bakkie.

But what if we delve into our road test archives and see what else falls by the wayside when put up against this mental 292kW/583Nm bakkie? Well, I can tell you there are some interesting victims coming your way!

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Hot hatch killer

Every hot hatch manufacturer wants to earn the title “Golf GTI killer” and very few succeed. But I can report that VW’s benchmark Golf 8 GTI is the first victim of the Ford Ranger Raptor with a time of 5.88 seconds. Renault’s mighty track weapon − the Megane RS 300 Trophy is next at 5.90 seconds. Then it’s the legendary Ford Focus RS that manages the benchmark sprint in 6.02 seconds.

The more niche two-door coupes were not spared in this impromptu fun data shoot-out. Going down first was the premium Audi S5 Coupe with a 6.02 second run.

Nissan’s once production race car 370 Z Coupe is dispatched when it musters a time of 6.04 seconds. And then its Ford’s limited edition Mustang Bullitt Coupe with a 6.24 second run.

Because, we have two decades worth of test data on all sorts of cars, it’s not only hot hatches and coupes that chokes in the Ford Ranger Raptor’s fumes.

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Ford Ranger Raptor takes down SUVs

The first luxury SUV in the firing line is BMW’s sleek X6 M50d with a 5.85 second run, followed by Audi’s first performance SUV in the S Q5 with a run of 5.94 seconds. The final step on the podium this time is taken by the very popular and loved high-performance 5.0-litre V8 supercharged Range Rover Sport with a run of 6.08 seconds.

I thought it would be fun if I had a look around for the three most bizarre, out of left field, sort of victims to compare our latest Ford Ranger Raptor to. For me, this sees the sleek and very niche Lexus LC 500 first up with a respectable time of 5.88 seconds.

Next up was Chev’s once all-conquering king of the roads Lumina SS 6.0-litre V8 with a 6.01 second run.
The final victim is the ultra-luxury Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Sedan. It would probably never admit to even bothering having a dice with a bakkie, but we have the numbers. It came in with an equal and still very rapid run of 6.01 seconds.

Poking the bear

These numbers are all very close. To put even more air between the Ford Ranger Raptor and the competition, I decided to give the Ford Ranger Raptor some high-octane fuel and bring the rating of our rather weak 95 octane fuel up to 98 octane and above. This is what you get at the pumps overseas.

And did this quirky experiment work? Oh yes!

With the onboard computers now given the green light to let the Ranger Raptor have all the boost and timing it can handle, our mental bakkie went even faster and rattled off a 0 to 100km/h time of 5.57 seconds. And the list of victims gets even longer.

As a small sample, this updated list now includes the Subaru Impreza WRX STI Sedan with a time of 5.63 seconds, Jeep’s chassis-bending SRT 8 with 5.70 seconds and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo that completes the exercise with a run of 5.79 seconds.