Now that the winners of our annual Top 12 Best Buys awards have been revealed (grab a copy of the April 2021 issue of CAR magazine for the full article), we can take a look at the individual categories.
A big factor in CAR’s Best Buys awards is the legacy vote. If a vehicle has won nine times before – as is the case with the Ford Ranger – it’s going to need something exemplary to knock it off its pedestal.
So far, none of the Ranger’s competitors have been able to come up with the goods to pull it off. A Ranger Thunder formed part of our long-term fleet for the last six months and proved an indispensable and comfortable family car, as well as a rugged load-lugger.
Among other drivetrains, the Blue Oval relies on the latest 2,0-litre twinturbodiesel engine, updated tech and an excellent 10-speed automatic transmission that is the class of the field.
What’s more, the Ranger range houses the terrain-flattening Raptor, along with a host of cleverly conceived derivatives like the Wildtrak, Thunder and FX4.
