South Africans have made a habit of customising their Ranger double-cab bakkies, with even Ford recognising the demand for faux-Raptor kits by recently launching the cosmetically enhanced Fx4 package. And now British motorsport company M-Sport’s tuning pack for the 3,2-litre TDCi version of the big bakkie has become available locally.
Distributed by the folks over at Centurion-based Ford Performance Centre (seemingly in the process of rebranding from Laz Performance, from what we understand), the MS-RT package can be ordered in two flavours: one with added under-bonnet performance and one without.
The level one option (for the sum of R235 000) includes the aggressive MS-RT body kit you see in the accompanying images (which looks pretty similar to the limited edition VR46 offered overseas), plus a twin-pipe sports exhaust system, a styling bar, a 45 mm suspension lift-kit, a radiator plate, fuel tank protection, 18-inch alloys (wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion all-terrain rubber as standard), daytime running lights, matte black side-steps (with rubber tread), tinted rear windows, mudflaps, a tonneau cover, a load-bin liner, MS-RT decals, Nappa leather trim inside, a sports steering wheel and special floor mats.
Bumping up to level two, meanwhile, includes all of the above, but adds a performance upgrade that ostensibly boosts the 3,2-litre, five-cylinder turbodiesel’s peak outputs from the stock 147 kW and 470 N.m to a healthier 200 kW and 640 N.m. This is achieved thanks to a turbo upgrade, an uprated intercooler, a high-flow exhaust system and a (five-map) UniChip. This second option will cost you R315 000.
One, of course, can’t talk about customising a Ford without the issue of what impact it will have on your warranty. Any upgrade done to a Ford will void its drivetrain warranty and this level two upgrade will therefore have that consequence. However… as Ford Performance Centre has the Ford South Africa stamp of approval, this warranty is then replaced with an official “Ford Protect” comprehensive three-year/60 000 km drivetrain warranty, which is a year shorter than the standard four-year/60 000 km warranty. Basically then, you do lose the warranty the Ranger came with, but you do gain another, albeit a little shorter.
Head over to our sister publication, Leisure Wheels, for more details, images and a full driving impression of this tuned double-cab bakkie…
