Proudly South African Ranger Wildtrak put to the test
It took a while for Ford to launch the New Ranger in South Africa. Even longer for us to test it. Suppose that bit was written, but just this week Ranger finally toppled Hilux at the top of the sales charts. Just.
The bakkie that’s expected to disrupt the pickup truck world, this million buck Wildtrak V6 is the normal flagship of Ford’s most advanced Ranger range yet. There’s still the Raptor, but that’s extraordinary.
A million buck bakkie?
A million rand bakkie? Get used to it. It’s not the first and its certainly not the last, but is this flagship really worth the money? Let’s take a look…
First off, new Ranger is more than just a facelift. It brings load bay, suspension and chassis improvements, better functionality, and better access too. Set apart by bold design, Wildtrak’s aggro grille and unique C-clamp headlights certainly set it apart.
A subtle shoulder line runs over bolder wheel arches to a neat taillight each side of a Ranger embossed tailgate. Our metallic yellow-orange tester really looked the part, its power roller deck, side steps and hoop behind the cab add poise.
Wildtrak has flexible, modern, plush cabin
Swing the door wide to reveal a flexible, modern, and plush cabin. It gets Ford’s fully stacked latest Sync infotainment in an upright 12-inch touchscreen. Crisp new digital dials complete the package to deliver an awesome cabin on paper.
Get a bit closer however, and it seems a bit clumsy. Lacks Build quality; fit and finish too. Too many dash components bashed together let a great looking cab down. There’s ample place to store and even wirelessly charge your phone, and plenty places for goodies and essentials though.
Some of it may be a bit iffy and not all cups will fit in all holders. But there’s always the large centre console bin to leave stuff in. Larger door cards work well, and there’s more space in the upper dash glovebox, and even bins behind the rear seats if you really need it.
Why a portrait screen?
Not sure why a portrait screen, but infotainment is easy to use and en main uncomplicated. Enough knobs and buttons run the main functions, while screen menus do the rest. It does the job well, which is refreshing and even looks the part. Well, in Dark Mode anyway.
But why there are things like ‘Sketch’? For Clarkson to draw phallic pictures? Do cars really need that crap? Let alone a bakkie! We did enjoy New Ranger’s extensive driver assist tech though. Subtle in operation you can kill it off with one tap on a steering button. Bravo!
Loadability is another Ranger plus. The broader bak now swallows a Euro pallet, while the tailgate doubles as a work bench and there’s a tough bedliner under a power roller shutter. When open, those sidesteps behind the rear wheels make the bak easier to access.
Ranger Wildtrak has a 184 kW turbodiesel V6
Many will welcome this bakkie’s proven 184 kW 3-litre V6 turbodiesel driving a 10-speed auto with permanent all-wheel drive. We were however left a tad disappointed by its performance against the clock. Let’s just say we expected better.
8.5 seconds to 100 km/h and a 16.2 second quarter mile is indeed considerably faster than even our best 4-cylinder diesel bakkie mark. But it’s also almost a second off the old Amarok V6 and extinct Merc X350d. And even slower than a 10 year old Navara TD V6.
We also scratch our heads when we see that this V6 is 36 kW and 50 Nm shy of the same unit used in Land Rover applications. Is Ford concerned about that 10-speed box holding up between the extra grunt and a full 3.5-ton trailer load?
Ranger Wildtrak a splendid bakkie to drive
All that said however, the Ford Ranger Wildtrak is a splendid bakkie to drive. Nobody will ever notice the difference in output anyway. It is smooth, sophisticated, and pleasing to drive. Comfortable and very quiet too.
Also well-damped and positive off road, the little real bundu bashing we did was done with aplomb too. In time we trust we can test that better, too. All in all, once on the road, the Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 Wildtrak is a pleasure to drive, wherever you’re driving.
Ranger’s onboard systems, infotainment and logic are en main easy to understand and live with and the superfluous stuff is out of mind when you are not looking for it. Aspects like the auto headlamps work very well and bring SUV and carlike culture to the bakkie world.
New Ranger is truly proudly South African too
Never mind, New Ranger is truly proudly South African, a staunch contributor to an economy many of us struggle to understand and appreciate. Built at Ford’s Pretoria Plant this bakkie’s new turbodiesel V6 is also built at Ford’s Gqeberha engine facility.
Add Ford’s extensive backup, a great warranty and add-on options up to 200,000 km in the SA market, and the V6 Wildtrak becomes a most compelling option. Compelling enough to assure us that it really is worth that million bucks. As many others also seem to concur by those monthly sales. – Michele Lupini
Images & Testing Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 Wildtrak DC 4WD Engine: 184 kW 600 Nm 3-litre turbodiesel V6 Drive: 10-speed automatic 4x4 Load Capacity: 1,000 kg Max Braked Trailer 3,500 kg TESTED: 0-60 km/h: 4.02 sec 0-100 km/h: 8.50 sec 0-120 km/h: 11.81 sec 0-160 km/h: 9.98 sec 400m: 16.2 sec @ 142 km/h 80-120 km/h: 5.86 sec 120-160 km/h: 9.98 sec CLAIMED: VMax: 190 km/h Fuel: 8.4 l/100 km CO2: 222 g/km Range: 950 km Warranty/Service: 4y 120K/ up to 8y 200K km LIST PRICE: R996K RATED: 8
