When I get an outrageous vehicle, I like to play the does-it-fit-in-Chicago game. I take it through my garage, parking lots and ATMs – just to see how it fares. While the Ford Bronco Raptor may seem like an illogical city vehicle – it actually does well in an urban environment, which makes it a great weekend warrior as well as a daily driver.
Ford Bronco Raptor in tight spaces
One of the first things I did was try to park the Ford Bronco Raptor in my Chicago garage. While I knew the length wasn’t going to be a problem, I was concerned about the height and the width – especially since I share the garage with a neighbor.
What I discovered is the Bronco Raptor, as you’d expect, has an amazing turning radius, which allowed it to make the tight backward turn into my garage with finesse. The problem, however, were the fender flares that popped out about 6 to 8 inches over the “normal” edges of the vehicle. So, I had to be extra careful as I navigated both the edges of my garage and the corner of my neighbor’s SUV.
These fender flares were also problematic in drive-thru’s, drive-up ATMS and parking garages. I kept thinking I had extra space when I did not and nearly bumped more than one ticket machine or drive-up window when accidentally ignoring the proximity alerts. It only took a couple times of me sticking my head out the window to realize those beeping sounds were going crazy for a reason.
Helpful tech
In addition to the beeping alerts, I couldn’t have co-existed with Chicago during my test week if it weren’t for the excellent cameras. Both the back up and 360-degree view had nice clarity and detail – once I realized that the black box around the edges of the top-down view indicated the area filled by the fender flares. I even used the cameras when traveling slowly down city streets to ensure I was staying out of the bike lanes.
I also appreciated the wireless Apple CarPlay and the audible alerts that kept me from getting too close to the back wall of my garage or the side of the ATM machine.
The bottom line
Though I’ve jumped the Ford Bronco Raptor in the desert during a visit to the Bronco Raptor Off-Roadeo, I appreciated time with the vehicle on the home front because it shows just how livable it is on a daily basis. It proves you can have your cake and eat it, too. It provides hellah fun for a weekend off-road warrior, but transitions into a daily driver quite nicely.
For a couple of close calls and to see the tech IRL, be sure to watch my city review video below.
