Does Ford have plans to slap the Raptor badge on its new Everest? Well, the Blue Oval brand certainly hasn’t ruled out the possibility for an Everest Raptor…

Now that the wraps have come off the box-fresh Ford Everest, there’s one burning question on the minds of go-faster off-road enthusiasts all over the country: will this new generation of SUV gain the Raptor badge?

It’s a pertinent query considering the new Everest again rides on the same (albeit modified) T6 platform as the latest Ranger. The bakkie line-up, of course, recently gained a flagship Raptor variant complete with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 EcoBoost petrol engine boasting a whopping 292 kW and 583 Nm. The Bronco, too, has already been given the Raptor treatment, inheriting the same mighty powerplant.

Is anEverest Raptor in the works?

So, will this six-cylinder, petrol-flavoured lump be dropped into the bakkie-based SUV, too? After the reveal of the new Everest, chief platform engineer Ian Foston suggested to Australian publication CarExpert that there hadn’t been much demand from customers for a high-performance version of the ladder-frame SUV, saying “we haven’t had a massive calling for it”.

If an Everest Raptor comes to fruition, it will offer formidable performance on and off-road.

Still, as Foston pointed out to Drive, should enough customers make enough noise on the subject, Ford would certainly be open to listening.

“There’s nothing to share today, but we’re always listening to our customers,” he said, adding that the company believed there was already “a good balance of off-road capability” in the range of standard variants.

Indeed, the flagship engine in the new Everest range takes the form of a 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 unit, which Foston claims helps to make it “super capable” in extreme off-road situations.The newcomer will be available with a permanent four-wheel drive system, a locking rear differential, underbody protection and a claimed wading depth of 800 mm, not to mention what will surely be plenty of low-down torque courtesy of that brawny turbodiesel mill. In addition, the SUV will be available with Ford-approved ARB off-road accessories (as pictured above) in certain markets.

Still, if you’d be prepared to stump up for an Everest Raptor and would prefer to experience that stonking V6 petrol engine in a seven-seater SUV rather than a bakkie body, best you make your voice heard. Ford says it’s listening, after all…

Buy a Ford Everest on Cars.co.za

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