It’s been nearly 15 years since Ford launched the original F-150 Raptor as a mass-produced desert racing truck. In 2019, around about the same time that the midsize Ranger was finally returning to the ...

Ford has been manufacturing vehicles under the "Raptor" nameplate since 2010. A name, by the way, that originated as a placeholder until the Special Vehicle Team (SVT) came up with something better.

Ford redesigned the Ranger pickup truck for the 2024 model year, pushing it into its fifth generation. I drove both the XLT and the Raptor, comprising two of the four models of Ranger available now.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Michael Teo Van Runkle is a journalist who covers the auto industry. The past decade-plus introduced an entirely unexpected era ...