Ford Ranger XLT review

Henry would be proud of the new Ford Ranger and rightly so!

After driving an XLT Double cab for almost 5,000km over a variety of terrain it’s quite clear that while this is no Model T, it’s a functional, comfortable, safe and quite snappy-looking ute that does the business. 

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Importantly for much of our day to day activities, it tows the Fishing.net.nz 6.1m Extreme with ease, handles well and has all the tech fruit we’ve come to expect in today’s vehicles.

Under the hood

A 5 cylinder 3.2L diesel engine coupled with a 6 speed auto transmission delivers 147kW and 470Nm at 1500rpm which means plenty of grunt and pull. It is spec’d to lug loads of up to 3.5 tonne or carry 1 tonne in the roomy tray and that translates to the Ranger being a practical workhorse whether you’re at work or at play. 

Interior

The interior is in keeping with the latest trends in design while being functional and comfortable. It’s roomy, even for longer legs and there’s plenty of space for 5 pax (and a few rods, rifles or other important kit).


 
A clear, clean dash layout is the feature of the display for the driver and the Ranger features state of the art the mod cons including Bluetooth for your smartphone which is so simple to set up you don’t need to get the kids to help. With an i-phone and using the voice recognition ‘Siri’ function, it’s totally hands free for in and outbound calling. A new 8” touchscreen with Ford’s SYNC2 technology features in the higher spec versions and the LED display gives GPS navigation, music, dual climate control and on the right of the speedo a whole heap of other info like fuel consumption and revs with an easy to use, four - way toggle button on steering wheel. The cruise control is also easy to use and is adjustable in 1km/hr increments which is really handy for motorway driving when your speed can creep up without you noticing.

Safety and air bags

Side curtain air bags and stability control are additional safety features welcomed in the design. According to Carbuyer.co.uk, The Ranger is actually the only pickup to get the full five-star crash-safety rating from Euro NCAP (even the Navara and Amarok only managed four). 

The Ranger comes with seven airbags, traction, control, stability control and anti-lock brakes as standard, as well as an emergency braking system. On the safety front there’s a stack of active and passive safety gear including six airbags, stability control, trailer sway control, load adaptive control, roll-over mitigation and anti-locking brakes with brake assist earning the Ranger a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

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On and off the road

Road holding and cornering is firm and with the latest technology to assist like Electronic Stability Control, in the driving department you feel in control and safe. It’s fair to say the suspension is firm around town and that’s the result of a traditional leaf spring rear suspension setup – consistent with that of other utes in the same class and required to deliver reasonable load-carrying capacity. It can take a day or two to get used to but overall it’s a very comfortable ride. 

The Fishing.net.nz Ranger sports 265x50R20 wide, all terrain tyres on the big rims and the performance is excellent. 17” alloys with 255/65R17 tyres are standard and ventilated discs on the front and followed up with the rear drums means heaps of stop when it’s needed too. The Ranger also has Active Brake Limited Slip.
 
On soft sand or off-road 4WD is available with a flick of the wrist and in high and low ratio. Diff-lock and hill descent control are available for the gnarly stuff. The steering is well tuned for easy low-speed manoeuvring and is equally at home on the open road. 

The 6 speed auto is smooth and seamless. For towing or those twisty-turny roads, the tiptronic sports mode is a real cracker and makes light work of what could easily be hard-going in any lessor vehicle. The Kopu/Hikawai and Tairua/Whitianga roads are routes I drive frequently with either of our 6.1 or 7m Extreme project boats in tow and the ability to manually select/hold a particular gear gives optimal performance. It’s a nice change to feel relaxed traversing those roads with a reasonable sized rig.

At 2200kg, the Ranger is no lightweight and fuel consumption in my ute has been 10.3L/100km over 5,000km. That has included a reasonable amount of around town running and idling along in the turgid Auckland traffic as well as towing the NZ Fishing Media Boats.
 
It no great surprise the Ford Ranger has sold so well and is leading the pack currently - like the ads say – it looks the business, it does the business, it is the business!

Summary of Features of the Ford Ranger XLT

Cruise control, operated from buttons on the steering wheel. Bluetooth audio connectivity with voice control. An AM/FM radio with single CD player, USB input and iPod integration.

Air-conditioning, power windows, power-adjusted external mirrors, and headlamps that switch on automatically when it’s getting dark.

Adjustable lumbar support on the driver’s seat, which can help keep your lower back comfortable.

Hill launch assist, which operates the brakes automatically to help you start from rest on a slope.

Electronic stability control, which can help control a slide and avoid a crash. This is mandatory on passenger cars, but not on commercial vehicles such as the Ranger.

Trailer sway control, which helps when towing to prevent the load oscillating from side to side.

All 4WD and High-Rider Rangers come with a locking rear differential, which helps them go further in difficult off-road conditions (by maintaining drive to the wheel with most grip).

Two airbags, immediately in front of the driver and front passenger.

Front-side airbags – which protect the bodies of the front occupants in side impacts - and side curtain airbags – which protect the heads of front and rear-seat occupants in side impacts – are also standard on all but one version, for a total of six airbags.

An 8.0-inch touchscreen and a 230-volt inverter, which allows you to run household electrical equipment.

Grant Blair

 

First choice

Two years ago I was looking for a new tow wagon for the magazine so test drove a number of the utility vehicles on the market. This wasn’t just a matter of going for a ‘run’ up the road and back. For the ones I was most interested in, I put our then project boat, and Extreme 750 Game King, on the back and went for a drive.

The ‘new look’ Rangers had just been released and the company ended up leasing an XLT model on my recommendations. Why I chose the Ford over the opposition was the footprint, as well as towing, and just as importantly, stopping ability. The Ford has a five-cylinder motor poking out plenty of horsepower and torque, which over the others, all four cylinders, pushing out not dis-similar horsepower from smaller blocks.

In short, I was more than happy with the vehicle’s performance, especially with a boat in tow.

Circumstances changed and two years down the track I found myself revisiting the vehicle scenario and a chance meeting with the team at Pacific Motor Group, Whangarei’s Ford dealership and a deal for two sponsored Ford Ranger XLT’s was struck.

These are the facelift models and while many of the features remain unchanged, there are some subtle differences.

The gearbox is smoother, especially through the lower gears and a new electric powered steering system makes for fingertip control. I love the eight-inch touch screen display that gives me everything from stereo, blue tooth, GPS and climate control at my fingertips. 

Another feature I really appreciate, especially on those long night hauls back from a day’s fishing with the boat on behind, is the ‘load leveller’ function which enables me to adjust the headlight angle so as not to annoy oncoming traffic. Another nice feature is the 12-volt plug located in the tray which enables me to run and charge the Balex Auto Boat Loader system fitted to the Voyager trailer under the Extreme 700 Game King. The other feature I would not be without is the backing camera. The Ford Ranger XLT is a ‘big’ vehicle and the backing camera with its directional indicator makes getting in out of those tight Auckland parking spaces much easier, not to mention hitching up the boat!

Our ‘trucks’ with their black livery and chequer plate lids, roll bars and 20 Mamba rims and all-terrain 265/50R20 tyres, are real eye catchers as well as being genuine work horses.

Grant Dixon

Disclaimer: Pacific Motor Group provide two Ford Rangers for NZ Fishing Media editorial use.

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