Bucket Seat: Ford Ranger Thunder

Ford's Ranger has really been a breath of fresh air to the market which was largely dominated by Toyota's Hilux. The sales speak for themselves and the Ranger proved to be more than just "healthy competition" to the Hilux as in most months it outsold it! One of the key differentiators for Ford was the variety offered in the Ranger line-up and also making their double cabs more passenger friendly, which persuaded many who would look to an SUV, now looking at getting a bakkie instead. While at first glance, it would not seem like the most practical passenger vehicle around but I tell you what, after spending a week with it, it makes a good fighting case as you will soon learn. The new Ranger Thunder is currently a special edition Ranger and the range topping variant the Wildtrak is still available but for me, Ford have really thought out of the box to enhance the appeal for this bakkie over that of the Wildtrak. 

DESIGN

While the overall design of the Ranger remains the same, the Thunder has some great design tweaks to really make it stand out from the crowd. Ford say they made it as bold as a lightening strike in a storm and they're not wrong, with anew black mesh grille, unique multi-spoke 18" black rims and red racing detailing with accent coming through in the grille and signage on the side of the van. Other stand out design enhancements are the powder coated black roof rails, the awesome designed race sports bar with red detailing, black molded side-steps which are both functional and give the bakkie are more wider stance and lastly the 3D Thunder signage on the side and the back with red inlays. I was a bit disappointed to get a white Thunder as the launch colour is black, from the press images you can see why the Black looks so much more intimidating but when you're next to the bakkie, any colour will do it justice, that's the lengths that Ford has gone with these little elements that make this look so great. Even on the interior, the full ebony style interior has breaks with high-gloss plastics and red stitching, having that racing inspired look come through. 

PERFORMANCE

Offered in two engines, the old 3.2L TDCi or the new 2.0L Bi-Turbo engine in both 4x2 and 4x4 models, the Thunder can be customised to what you want. The model I had featured the new 2.0L Bi-Turbo engine which I prefer, its paired with a 10-Speed automatic gearbox which assist the engine in leaps and bounds, both on the road and off-road. Performance figures are actually more than the 3.2L, as this particular engine churns out 157kW and 500Nm of torque, that is 10kW more than the old Wildtrak engine. The car feels solid on the road and unlike the older 6-speed automatic gearbox, it doesn't find itself hunting for gears when faced with an obstacle. The Thunder just breezes through any situation and with the extra 4 gears, this helps a lot to lower the consumption. The four-wheel drive system also assists in this aspect on the road as well, transferring equal power to all four-wheels, easing to carry the load of this monster. 

COMFORT

Now, coming back to using a double cab bakkie as a passenger vehicle, is the Thunder a practical option? Well, the answer, as much as it bugs me a lot because I'm not the greatest fans of bakkies is yes. Ford have really ensured that all creature comforts that you would find in a normal passenger car was fitted into the Ranger Thunder. It features all-new leather seats for both front and rear passengers, it comes with red stitching to make it look bolder. The driver and front passenger get to enjoy heated seats as well as dual-zone climate control. The Ranger Thunder is equipped with an 8" TFT touch screen with Ford Sync 3 preloaded. This has Bluetooth connectivity as well as mobile applications such as Android Auto and Car Play. There is plenty of USB ports available in the front for charging or for phone connectivity. The driver instrument cluster also features two 4x2 TFT screens which alternate vehicle information as well as entertainment and navigation info, all controlled by the multi-control steering wheel which is also covered in that neat new leather and has the red stitching. On the road, the ride is pretty comfortable on the Ranger Thunder, even with the big wheels and rims, its a smooth and quiet journey while you're in the cabin. 

VERDICT

Overall I've been impressed with the Ranger Thunder, while it may look like a bakkie, it has so much going for it that makes you feel comfortable no matter what environment you're in. The loading bay is nice and spacious and has a bed divider in the loading box so you can separate your cargo and to ensure it doesn't get affected by the elements, it has a sealed roller shutter door which is lockable. The Ranger Thunder is a stylish yet practical bakkie, one which definitely has people turning heads and while there is many after market kits you can buy and add on to your Ranger now, I recommend keeping this one stock standard if you getting one. I mean it already looks so damn great, why would you want to go spoil all the hard work the men and woman at Ford have gone through to make yours looking like a freak of nature? You can't see me right now but I'm eating my humble pie, yes I am finally admitting you can use a bakkie as a passenger mode of transport but not just any bakkie, it has to be a Ranger Thunder!

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0L Bi-Turbo Diesel
Gear Box	10-Speed Automatic
Torque	157Nm
Power	500Nm
Cylinders	4
Price	R830,900

 

Bucket Seat: Ford Go Further Africa

This past Tuesday I was part of many local motoring journalists that attended the Ford "Go Further" conference which was held in Sandton at the International Convention Centre. For those who aren't familiar with what it is all about, well it's Ford's very own showcase of what they have in store for the upcoming year in terms of new models, projected figures, past year figures and have a party. Basically it's their very own motor show. Besides the local media, there was international media, local and other dealers from Sub Sarahan Africa as well as key clients of the company in attendance. So you can only imagine the magnitude of something like this. 

The conference kicked off with an exhibition with some of the current models in the Ford fleet, with passenger cars like the Fiesta, Fusion, Focus and the commercial line up as well. Guests had time to have an up close look at these vehicles while having a light lunch before moving onto the main exhibition hall where the main event was being held. 

The show kicked off with Ford's CEO for Sub Saharan Africa, Jeff Nemeth addressing the thousands in attendance about the past year in figures for the company, and then highlighting the way forward for Ford RSA and Africa as a whole. At last years Go Further event it was announced that Ford would release 17 new models over 2 years and so far 11 of those have been brought to the market, the following 6 were due to be unveiled at this years event which left many eager with anticipation over what they could be. 

First up in the small passenger segment was the Ford Figo, a well priced small hatch which now comes in sedan form as well. Lot of characteristics are form the current fiesta with the same stylish interior and front headlights baring a slight resemblance as well. Moving up a segment to the next release was Ford's all new B-Max who's launch coincided with the Go Further Expo, I will be doing a separate review of this vehicle on the blog soon. 

Next up was the big boys, Ford's past Everest model wasn't the best looking product from their stable but in terms of sales it didn't do too badly but couldn't compete with the ever popular models in the same segment from other manufacturers, however with the new look Everest baring the same design style of the new Ford Ranger, this one is looking mighty fine and can see it coming in as a strong contention to rival those from the east who seem to have dominated the SUV market over the years. 

Ford's Ranger has been a sensation in SA, it was the highest selling vehicle in SA at the beginning of the year, yes, vehicle not bakkie. Ford have built over 250,000 of them in South Africa and are planning on expanding operations outside the borders with a new plant being planned for Nigeria. South Africa will still play a pivotal role in supplying the plant with panels for the vehicles and thus will see more job creation in the SA market by the company. The new spec Ford Ranger was unveiled which see's the entire front and cabin being upgraded, making the van look more masculine with a bigger grille, square head lights and bulkier look. It's sure to break more record sales for a van when released. 

It was then time to see what Ford's Performance range had to offer, the big one last year was news that the Mustang was finally considered for the SA market with the product due to hit our shores before December, all orders have officially been open around the country but no indication of pricing yet which seems strange? This year it was announced that Ford will also be bringing down the topless version of the car as well. Having a chance to see the car up close, it really is an impressive machine and if priced well, will do very well in South Africa given not only it's incredible heritage but also the look and feel of the car. 

Like all major shows, it has to end with a bang and that was adequately brought by Ford's all new Focus RS. The hot hatch which is powered by Ford's 2.3 ltr EcoBoost engine produced 257kW of raw power. This is the 3rd generation of the RS model and the all wheel drive car features dynamic torque vectoring for class leading cornering speed and at-limit handling as said by the company. Lots of words but for this car it's all about what it can do on the tarmac. It sounds superb and looks the part with aggressive styling and a massive rear wing. It will be available in 4 colours, one of which is exclusive to the RS and will be hitting our market early next year.