Ford Ranger XLT: Dominating the roads with power and style

In November 2023 the Ranger bakkie was the second most sold bakkie in South Africa, a testament to its popularity. Only the Toyota Hilux edged it in last month’s sales race. Export-wise it’s second on the list for November.

A growing lineup of Rangers and its proven success in sales and exports tells a story on its own, and it’s easy to understand why. The new Ranger is competitively priced, it has a strong road presence, it's equipped with tech and features, and most importantly it’s a capable utilitarian vehicle.

BizAuto test drove the Ranger Wildtrak and Wildtrak X in the past, and now we have driven the double-cab 4x4 XLT model. Here are our thoughts on it.

Drive

The 4x4 double-cab Ranger XLT has a 2l b-turbo diesel engine and a ten-speed automatic transmission. It’s able to produce 154kW of power and 500Nm of torque. Different drive modes are available: Normal, Eco, Tow, and Slippery. It’s also equipped with 2H, 4H, and 4L 4x4 drive options.

In the urban jungle, it proved to be relatively frugal (between 9 and 10l per 100km) during our testing period. Ford claims an ambitious 7.5l per 100km figure. The figure depends on driving behaviour, as we discovered during our testing period.

Frugality aside, the Ranger bakkies are now known to have lots of power and torque. We are happy to confirm that the XLT had enough power to do overtakes on highways without a lot of strain. It's suspension was on the softer side compared to the Wildtrak X, and is more attuned to the ride quality of the Wildtrak.

Something else that we paid attention to was the range. On a full tank, we had a range of 700km+, which is a decent amount. Highway driving mixed with bumper-to-bumper traffic during our testing period didn't cut the range down to a point where a refill was urgently needed.

Design

We think the new Ranger design looks the part, which greatly attributes to its strong road presence. This is evident by the number of pedestrians who gazed after turning their heads when we drove past them. The new Ranger has been out for a while and yet it still is able to turn heads.

Our test unit was in a beautiful colour called Blue Lightning, a far cry from the stand-out Cyber Orange on our Wildtrak test vehicle. This blue colour could partly explain strangers' fascination with our XLT test unit. But then there's also the fact the Ranger is just a big bakkie with American-esque design elements.

Other design cues include C-shaped headlamps, a large front grill, black skirtings and wheel arches, bi-turbo badges, a box-shaped front, and a low curved indenture line at the back with 'Ranger' written below it.

The interior is well-appointed as well. Bakkies honourably wear the badge of ruggedness but the latest models come with cabins that can be deemed semi luxurious. A good example of this is the latest high-end Volkswagen Amarok bakkie, which boasts a premium interior.

The same goes for the latest Ranger bakkies, which across the lineup are equipped with a blend of hard plastic and premium material. The XLT has a blacked-out interior with leather seats.

Features

• Towing capacity: 3,500kg
• Trailer light check
• Keyless entry and push-to-start button
• Ford Sync 4A
• 10" touch screen
• Six speakers
• USB and Bluetooth
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Rearview camera
• FordPass Connect

Safety

• Seven airbags, which consist of dual front airbags, side, and curtain aribags
• ABS with dynamic stability control
• Traction control
• Hill launch assist
• Cruise control
• Isofix child seat anchorage
• Hill descent control
• LED headlamps and LED daytime running lights

Price

- R782,100