It's long been a rumour, and now new spy shots and information out of Australia suggest that Ford is indeed hard at work on a high-performance Ranger Raptor.

CarAdvice has published fresh images (view them here) of what appears to be a Ranger Raptor prototype – something the publication first spotted as long ago as 2015 – testing Down Under, reporting that the production version will likely hit the market in 2019, along with the rest of the next-generation range.

Interestingly, the bakkie CarAdvice spied was right-hand drive, with the publication pointing out that it employed a Watt's linkage (pointing to a coil-sprung rear end?), increased ride height, discs at all four corners, aggressively flared wheel arches and off-road tyres.

So, what's under the bonnet? Well, CarAdvice says that, according to its photographer, the Ranger "sounded very similar to an EcoBoost V6 F-150", which suggests that the brand's 3,5-litre EcoBoost six-pot may well be on the cards, presumably detuned slightly for the Ranger. Of course, the US automaker also has a 2,7-litre EcoBoost V6 in its stable.

Currently, if a buyer in this segment is looking for a V6-powered double-cab, the only options are the range-topping version of the recently facelifted Volkswagen Amarok and the petrol-powered 4,0-litre Toyota Hilux (although the upcoming Mercedes-Benz X-Class is also expected to be offered with a six-cylinder mill, albeit without tuning from AMG).

Original article from Car