Ford’s Chief Engineer Believes Four-Pot Diesel Is The Right Move For Ranger Raptor

The Ford Ranger Raptor is shaping up to be everything we’ve ever wanted from an off-roading oriented midsize pickup truck. While some enthusiasts may be confused by Ford’s decision to go with a 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine, the automaker’s chief engineer believes that it was the right decision.

In an interview with Australia’s Car Advice, Roland Ernst, Chief Program Engineer at Ford, stated that the decision to go with the small diesel engine and the 10-speed automatic gearbox is the “right choice to combine power and efficiency.”

The mighty pickup truck generates 210 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. While those figures aren’t even close to the F-150 Raptor’s output of 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque, they’re competitive for the segment. The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 has a Duramax 2.8-liter turbodiesel inline-four engine that generates 181 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.

The 2.0-liter diesel unit in the Ranger Raptor has been given some upgrades to ensure that it performs as needed in the pickup. “We’ve taken the standard 2.0-liter turbo that this engine started life as and refined the durability, upgraded the pistons and optimized the temperature range of the turbines for better performance with this engine,” said Ernst.

Once the engine was upgraded, Ford’s engineers also went through a lot of trouble testing it. “Once that was done, we’ve taken it through the toughest testing procedures we have in the Ford Corporation, including the peak pressures in the fuel system, the entire temperature range inside the engine, as well as the environmental testing in deserts and in freezing conditions in cold climates – and it passed with flying colors,” stated Ernst.

That should help ease some concerns that enthusiasts have about the motor. For Americans, rumor has it that the Ranger Raptor could debut with a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine. Consumers in the U.S. aren’t crazy about diesels, making the EcoBoost V6 a plausible option.

Either way, whatever engine the Ranger Raptor is sold with, your typical truck consumer wants the motor to fit the character of the pickup and to be durable enough to withstand years of abuse.