Ford Ranger Raptor to debut in February in Bangkok

The Ford Ranger will soon return to America, but for now we have to sit and wait while the rest of the world runs around in Ford's smallest pickup truck (except for Autoblog, because we couldn't wait forever). The wait is made more difficult knowing something like the Ranger Raptor is coming. While we've seen teasers and spy photos, Motoring in Australia reports that Ford has confirmed the new performance truck will make its global debut on Feb. 7 in Bangkok, Thailand.

While some people may have been hoping that the Ranger Raptor will get some flavor of Ford's turbocharged EcoBoost engine, it seems the truck will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel. That's smaller than the Ranger's 3.2-liter inline-five diesel, but it should deliver more power. Still, when the truck finally comes to America, it's likely to have a gasoline powertrain. The Chevy Colorado ZR2 is offered with both gasoline and diesel engines. Ford may take the same route. Look for the 10-speed automatic, though we can cross our fingers that a manual will be on offer.

We don't know many other details on the truck. Look for beefed up suspension, wider fenders thanks to a wider track and more aggressive front and rear fascias. Really, this is going to be a smaller version of the F-150 Raptor, and that's totally OK by us.