We began seeing Ford Bronco Raptor test vehicles not long after the Bronco's reveal back in 2020. Spy videos confirmed a lack of V8 noise fairly early in the process, and with the hardcore Bronco now official, we know it features Ford's twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6. Still, with the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 packing a gutsy V8, many folks might wonder why Ford didn't opt for a V8 of its own under the Bronco Raptor's hood.
There's certainly evidence to support a V8-powered Bronco, and not just because its main competitor offers one. The Wrangler Rubicon 392 belts out 470 horsepower (350 kilowatts), whereas Ford is promising over 400 hp (298 kW) from the twin-turbo V6. Blue Oval engineers would have to give the EcoBoost some significant tweaks to beat Jeep in a power battle, but lest we forget, Ford already offers a V8 in the Bronco DR. Ironically, power output for the 5.0-liter V8 is also ambiguous at over 400 hp, but the Bronco DR will only have a production run of 50. And also, isn't street legal.
