Ford Ranger 'Seeker Raptor GT' | Spotted
Brawny, go-faster pick-ups are all the rage. The Seeker Raptor GT gets you halfway there
As was mentioned in our coverage of Jeep's new "Desert Rated" Gladiator Mojave last week, big sporty trucks are capable of generating the sort of counterintuitive appeal that has even the most sophisticated crowd day-dreaming about breakover angles and hydraulic bump stops. (Un)fortunately, they aren't particularly practical, affordable or even necessary on this side of the pond - although the same could be said for many of the more conventional performance cars that grace these web pages.
If a beefed-up truck is what you're looking for, odds are it'll be for the aesthetic which takes precedence over any sort of dune-jumping, river-fording or rock-crawling ability. After all, you hardly need uprated shocks, a reinforced sump guard or 14 inches of suspension travel to drive to the gym. Which is where things like today's Spotted come in.
Don't let the Raptor name fool you, with just 160hp from its 2.2-litre diesel engine - rather than the 213hp offered by the real thing - this isn't one of those. Being a 2016 car it was likely named in honour of its F150 big brother, long before the concept of an official Ranger Raptor reached these shores. Does it even matter, though?
Ford's own take on the concept hardly offers the same sort of remarkable performance gains found in that F150, taking a leisurely 10.5 seconds to reach 62mph. And it starts at over £48,000. This will see to the same speed in 11.8 seconds and set you back considerably less than half that, while being just a bit of black marker on the front grille away from offering a similarly menacing style.
Built by Seeker, which claims to be the UK's largest pick-up truck styling company, with over 45 projects in build at any one time, there's much to like about the GT Retro Edition. For starters, it's based on a standard Ranger double cab, for many years now the go-to option for UK pick-up buyers. It'll push, pull and carry pretty much anything a civilian user can throw at it, all whilst offering seating for four and a half and familiar Ford cabin architecture and build quality.
Then there are the aftermarket additions. Modifications including - but by no means limited to - a lift kit, widebody arch kit, black out pack, side steps, roll bar, bed liner, Shelby-style racing stripes and chunky off-road tyres, which combine to deliver precisely the same ultra-aggressive look you get with Ford's OEM equivalent. What more do you need? They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but that doesn't stop people from doing so. And whether or not it has the go to match the show, the Seeker Raptor's dust jacket tells exactly the story its designers intended.
SPECIFICATION - FORD RANGER
Engine: 2,198cc, turbocharged in-line four
Transmission: 6-speed manual, 4x4
Power (hp): 160@3,700rpm
Torque (lb ft): 385@1,500-2,500rpm
MPG: 39.8
CO2: 185g/km
Recorded mileage: 41,000
First registered: 2016
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £18,995
All that said, vive la difference!
I have serious respect for anyone buying an F150 or Dodge Ram with a V8, but these "wannabe" pick-ups seem like a poor substitute that will usually be attached to your rear bumper until there is a bend and/or a clear dual-carriageway!
A sheep in wolf's clothing.
If it's based on the 2.2 LTD, likely to have leather interior. Like was said. The fuel consumption would be horrendous with that tires, not to mention the road noise on tarmac. The Fords are some of the best looking pick ups out there at the moment and way cheaper than an AmarokI ran a lightly used 3.2 Wildtrak as my business daily back in 2018 but I just couldn't live with it and traded it after 6 months. No more than 20mpg even driving it like Miss Daisy. Semi spirited would see 18mpg. It sounded like a Sherman tank on cold start up and always sounded like a bag of spanners when giving it some. Would scare you into a change of underwear in the damp with the back end stepping out too easily...2 tonnes plus
The chassis had started to rust after 6 months. I have know chassis to be repaired under warranty on less that year old ones. On a positive as it wasn't all bad. The heated seats were amazing. It had a heated screen, very handy for the North East. Nice driving position for gawking into passing cars or at lights 
The Sync 3 was ok, and I only lost £500 quid during my ownershipThe Ranger can look smart with a decent arch kit and some other bits though. I did drive one a year or two ago and, in Wildtrak trim, it was quite a nice place to be. A big old lump though. Not the sort of thing I would want to park in the local supermarket car park.
But that's because I drive an F150 King Ranch 3.5 Ecoboost with 470hp, which I bought 2 years old with 17,000mls for £28,000 - £20k less than a new Ranger Raptor. Not to brag; I just want to illustrate how much better it is than a European Ford pickup.
It's 8 times the truck, a metre longer and looks nowhere near as try-hard, but you can start it from the remote, it has every bell & whistle ever invented and when people they see it, they go "woah". I've put 25,000mls on it and reliability has been perfect. The acceleration bends the planet around you, and it does 24mph, which is like 2mpg less than the 3.2 diesel Ranger.
So what I'm saying is - if you have new Ranger money and want to impress people, just get an F150.
I have serious respect for anyone buying an F150 or Dodge Ram with a V8, but these "wannabe" pick-ups seem like a poor substitute that will usually be attached to your rear bumper until there is a bend and/or a clear dual-carriageway!
A sheep in wolf's clothing.
Weight wise they are similar or less than most of the big SUVs and saloon cars these days.
It looks better than a standard limited, but is trying way too hard.
We bought an L200 barbarian in the end over a ranger. It's thirsty (but I think that's the autos fault), but generally better than I expected it to be
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