The demand for a hard-core, off-road version of its midsize Ranger pickup has always been present in the United States, but Ford stubbornly declines to sell them here, although they are present on other markets. Fortunately, Hennessey has come to the rescue.
Hennessey Performance is a company from Texas that has a long history of tuning Ford trucks. Now they got their sights set on Ranger. The 2.3-liter turbocharged engine has received a power bump, ramping the output to 360 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 90 and 130, respectively, compared to the stock model.
Hennessey claims that their version of Ranger gained more than two seconds accelerating from zero to 60, with 4.9 seconds. That is a Porsche 718 Cayman territory, for comparison sake.
Hennessey kept the stock 10-speed automatic gearbox, which was to be expected.
The off-road performance does suffer a bit, due to the fact that VelociRaptor uses Hennessey’s Stage 1 suspension tune, which only adds height to the truck, without any other benefits. That means there is no significant upgrade in off-road capabilities between it and stock Ranger, which is disappointing.
Fortunately, Hennessey is aware of that fact and is planning on adding more options: “We will offer a Stage 2 and Stage 3 with upgraded shocks with remote reservoir,” company founder and CEO John Hennessey said.
As far as the looks go, VelociRaptor is a beauty. It does have the looks to go with the ferocious name it carries. It also comes with Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system, complete with navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a Wi-Fi hotspot.
The price will be higher, with a tag of $64,950. That includes the donor vehicle. If you already have one, you can buy just the kit, which will set you back $19,950.
Velociraptor Ford Ranger Specs
Nina Smith 
Kim Marks