Bad news for sport-utilities? Depends how you look at it; according to conventional wisdom most of them never venture far off-road. The fact is that vehicles such as the Ford Ranger double-cab featured here are bought as much for their image as their abilities.
It’s been two years since the Ranger was introduced to South Africa, and for one
reason and another we have not previously been able to satisfy the many readers anxious to read a test. The eventual fall of the dice resulted in us kicking off with the top-of-the-range turbodiesel double-cab 4×4 XLT.
In the past, Ford’s standing in the pick-up market has waxed and waned. Immediately prior to the Ranger, the blue oval entrant in the one-ton sector was the Courier. In reality a badge-engineered Mazda, the Courier did exhibit a certain Fordness here and there – such as the familiar burbling Essex V6 that higher-spec models used.
With Ford’s continued control of Mazda, it should come as no real surprise that the Ranger is also based on one of the Japanese company’s products. Its actual origins lie in the company’s product on the Thai market, with design input
from Japan and the USA. Incidentally, the Ford Ranger sold for many years in the USA bears no relation to this vehicle except, perhaps, in spirit.
The Ranger’s intention to appeal to the end of the market that prefers a more carlike bakkie is clear. The American influence is obvious in the beefy chrome grille, which mercifully is the extent of the brightwork. For the rest, the usual SUV addenda of wheelarch extension mouldings, bull bar (with spotlights) and rollover bar are supplemented by a substantial tubular side step and similar-style rear step bumper. Many pick-ups with tonneau covers are moving over to elasticated retaining cords, but the Ford retains the traditional rope type, though in this case with plastic eyes at the ends for taking up slack easily.
On the outside of the double-skinned loadbox are flimsy plastic tie-downs, contrasting with there are sturdy metal lashing eyes on the inner surface. We also have our doubts about the tailgate latch mechanism. Incidentally, the loadbox has an anti-corrosion floor panel, with joints designed to reduce edge corrosion.
The cab is functional without being austere. Tough cloth upholstery on seats and door panels, and hard plastic finishes on the facia, are typical in this category. A three-spoke sports steering wheel is less typical, and the front seats are of the sporty bucket type, albeit lacking firm support during cornering.
Despite its workmanlike origins, the stylists have made a bold and largely successful stab at creating less of an LCV look. The extended, sculpted curve of the instrument binnacle encompasses all the auxiliary controls, centre vents and centre hangdown section of the facia – if anything in this market sector can claim to be ÒcarlikeÓ, this is it. Convenience features include CD frontloader, air-conditioner and electric window lifts.
According to Ford, among the improvements over the Ranger’s predecessor are greater front headroom and shoulder room. And, in fact, comfort levels are very good. The easy-access cab provided reasonable enough accommodation to allow a weekend trip with five adults, and a loadbox packed to the gunwales, to pass off without a murmur of complaint, even from the three abreast in the back.
Driving position will suit most sizes, with tilt adjustable steering and a left footrest, and a decently sized footwell. Four head restraints are provided in total, the front ones being height-adjustable. However, location and operation of the switchgear fall short of a truly ergonomic layout, although, admittedly, this is not un-
common in vehicles of this type.
Stowage areas include a lockable glovebox, door pockets, front central storage area with two cupholders and lidded cubbyhole/armrest between the front seats. Unusually, the Ranger’s rear seatback folds down flat, providing a more
stable horizontal load surface than most if you need to carry large objects in the cab.
Among the security features are selective remote central locking, bonnet lock and spare wheel lock. There is also a “jumper lead” facility for connecting up to the battery in an emergency to allow the bonnet lock to be opened.
In unboosted guise, the 2,5-litre diesel would be more suited to a diesel’s typical workhorse role. In turbo form, there is no doubt that the outputs are geared to the requirements of the leisure market. Its peak power output of 80 kW is attained at 3 500 r/min; peak torque, 257 N.m, is available as low as 2 000. When compared with the competition it’s not outstanding in absolute terms, but considering that the Ford is smaller in capacity than the rest, these are impressive outputs. The nearly square 2 499 cm3 unit uses three valves per cylinder and dual balancer shafts.
Lurching away from standstill, the Ranger plods to a 15,79-second 0 to 100 km/h time, and on to a top speed of 155 km/h, which is par for the course. Although red-lined at 5 000 r/min, the engine maintains useful urge until close to that point, instead of dying away fairly early like some other diesels. The gearshift is acceptably weighted and precise, although a crunching on engaging third gear was noted.
Thanks to the healthily wide torque band, once settled into an easy high-speed lope on the long run just a slight dip of the right foot will launch the Ranger past slower traffic, compensating for its lack of pace off the mark. Fuel economy is good, with our flowmeter recording 9,90 litres/100 km at 100 km/h. Converted into our fuel index, that indicates 13,85 litres/100 km in overall driving. On an
84-litre tank you can expect a cruising range of comfortably better than 600 km.
Braking is good, if inconsistent, for a vehicle of this type. Our simulated emergency braking test from 100 km/h to zero resulted in a 10-stop
average of 3,58 seconds. However, the spread was overwide, from an excellent 3,3 seconds to an only fair 3,8.
Off-road, the Ranger is well equipped to take on anything that the average 4x4er is likely to want to experience. In addition to four-wheel drive, a differential lock, actuated by a facia switch, is standard on this top-line model. To switch from 2wd to 4wd, initially it is necessary to first stop and slot the usual secondary shift selector into position. After that, one can switch between the two modes on the fly, as long as the vehicle is moving at under 100 km/h. A convenient feature of the Ford’s 4wd system is the Remote Free Wheel (RFW). Engaging 4wd automatically locks the front freewheel hubs, which may be unlocked again by pressing a button on the facia when reverting to 2wd. Approach angles of 35 degrees and departure of 28 are around the class average, and maximum wading depth is 450 mm.
The turbodiesel’s characteristics, often a – relatively minor – drawback in trickle-along off-road work because of the lack of oomph just below where the boost begins to take effect, is fortunately less evident in this 2500, with gearing well matched to engine characteristics. To further aid low-speed driving a hand throttle is provided.
Extensive design work has gone into optimising the body and chassis. The Ranger uses what is said to be a unique overlapped and crossbraced square-section type of beam for its ladder frame construction, which is said to be more rigid than the typical H-beam. Greater rigidity equals greater precision and potential control, and consequent benefits to ride, handling and load-bearing. In addition, special cab-to-frame mounts restrict body shuffling. The cab itself has a hefty passenger safety cell, incorporating side impact beams in the doors, engineered in.
And the effect of all of this? We were particularly pleased by the way the Ranger handled travel over moderately bad gravel roads, potholed after heavy rains. Rigidity seemed impressive, with crashes and bangs from outside resulting in minimal complaint from the body.
Laden, the Ranger seems to “sit up” a little higher in front, as might be expected, but steering was not affected to any great extent, and stability remained very good. It is worth mentioning that the Ford is rated to carry a full ton in the back, provided that you are careful with the fuel load and have just the driver aboard. The chunky steering wheel feels good to the touch and enjoys a useful level of
assistance. However, the powered ball and nut system lacks precision and feel. One of our testers described the steering as “rather lazy”.
Suspension layout is nothing exotic: front independent double wishbones with
torsion bar springing and anti-roll bar, with rear live axle suspended by semi-elliptic leaf springs with bias-mounted rear dampers to reduce axle tramp.
