What Do Real Ford Bronco Raptor Owners Love Most About Their SUVs?
J.D. Power’s APPEAL study uses survey data to gauge car owners‘ emotional attachment and excitement regarding their vehicles. The resulting information can be pretty valuable for new vehicle buyers, giving them a snippet of their user experience once they buy a car. As part of the APPEAL study for the 2022 model year, the consumer research company asked Ford Bronco Raptor owners to rank 10 categories from the most to least favorite. Now the results are out, and it’s pretty clear what owners love most about their SUVs.
The top-rated categories from the survey
The first-place winner is the vehicle’s exterior styling, while the second goes to the driving feel. Third place goes to setting up and starting the SUV.
The feeling of safety provided by the car comes in fourth place, with the powertrain just behind it. It’s worth noting the Bronco Raptor’s engine is a 3.0L EcoBoost V6 that can produce 418 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque. According to Car and Driver, it’s also paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Interior design, the infotainment system, driving comfort, and getting in and out of the SUV take the sixth through to ninth spots in that order.
Unsurprisingly, the Ford Bronco Raptor’s fuel economy is what owners like least about the car.
Possible reasons the 3 top-rated categories scored so high with Ford Bronco Raptor owners
With the vehicle’s exterior styling, one of the reasons it ranked high was the Ford Bronco Raptor‘s wider stance compared to other SUVs. It also came with a molded hardtop, molded door handles, configurable daylight running lights, and the option of upgraded Raptor graphics. Some of these features help differentiate it from other Broncos in the lineup.
Regarding the driving feel, the SUV has everything buyers need to feel confident behind the wheel. Examples include advanced four-wheel drive, selectable terrain modes, a potent powertrain, short stopping distances, impressive ground clearance, adequate suspension travel, and more.
As for setting up and starting the SUV, owners can configure the Bronco depending on what they plan on doing for the day. For instance, they can remove the doors and roof if they go off-road. Alternatively, they can put these features back on to reduce wind and noise in the cabin when driving on highways.
There are also different exhaust modes to play with, i.e., the Quiet mode, Normal mode, Sport mode, and Baja mode. The Baja mode is the loudest and adds some excitement when starting the vehicle.
What the expert review from J.D. Power had to say
According to J.D. Power‘s independent expert, the Ford Bronco Raptor is a tall, imposing SUV with dune-hopping and rock-crawling capabilities. It ranks last on the APEAL study for the compact SUV segment, but among Bronco fans and off-road enthusiasts, it has the rugged, truck-based utility and off-roading capabilities to keep them satisfied.
This speaks to the vehicle’s exterior styling and driving feel, showing why they were two of the top-rated categories from the survey.
The independent expert also highlights the same problem areas as SUV owners. Fuel economy, for instance, is not something you’ll get with such a capable off-roader, with the SUV managing a combined 15 mpg. This is from the 15 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on highways ratings.
As for getting in and out of the vehicle, it’s the second-least liked component of the Bronco Raptor. The expert review highlights the same issue even with the inclusion of standard running boards. However, for off-road enthusiasts, this is often something they have to deal with due to the higher ground clearance of their cars.
