Bucket Seat: Ford Ranger Stormtrak

With Ford revealing to the world the next-gen Ranger and the Ranger Raptor, everyone is waiting impatiently for the local launch dates but while we still have some time before the next generation of one of the countries most loved bakkies, we still have some great models of the current range on offer. As per the norm with most out going models, brands tend to start releasing some special edition models to lure customers to take advantage of the model before the stops production for the new model. The Ranger Stormtrak has been released to do just that, while it was launched towards the end of last year, I recently got to spend some time with this rather impressive double cab bakkie and here's how it went.

DESIGN

The Stormtrak follows the lines of the range topping variants in the Ranger stable, such as the Wildtrak and Thunder with an aggressive look that is achieved with a blacked out front grille and door handles, posh side skirting, large black 18-inch rims and very sporty livery with the Stormtrak badge large and embossed on the front doors and tail gate. Other design elements include some coloured vents in the grille and black mud guard fitting on the front bumper. Finished off in a nice metallic Rapid Red colour the Stormtrak really did stand out from the rest and was quite the attention stealer. The car has a lot of presence so it demands attention, both on the road and when parked. Looking at the interior, not much has changed in terms of design but the finishes have been spruced up to give it a different look and feel to the normal Ranger line up. Red stitching  adorns the dash and steering wheel to give it that premium yet sporty guise, there's a good mixture of leather and suede in the cabin, again adding to the sporty nature of the car. Stormtrak insignia has been stitched into the front seats. Other noticeable additions include the Ranger name plate on the side skirts and Stormtrak name badge on the passenger side of the dash. 

PERFORMANCE

The Ranger Stormtrak is powered by Ford's latest 2.0L BiTurbo motor from their engine line up, it's probably my favourite engine from their offering with it producing 157kW and 500Nm of torque from the smallest displacement motor in the line-up. This is assisted massively by the 10-speed Automatic gearbox which is a married made in heaven with this motor. It would have been fun to have paddle-shift as well but then again, I'm the same guy that said its an overkill in a competitors model which had it. The Ranger's ability on the road needs no re-introduction as it's sublime on tarred surfaces but it really comes alive on the dirt roads. I had the opportunity to do some exploring with the Ranger Stormtrak on the outskirts of Northern KZN, taking the roads less travelled through picturesque escarpments at some hairy heights. While my passengers were left aghast at some of the conditions, I was quite comfortable behind the wheel of the Ranger Stormtrak, knowing exactly what this vehicle is capable off and it handled every hurdle with ease. The Ranger off-road system is one of the easiest to operate and even a novice can figure it out. 

COMFORT

While this is a double cab bakkie, the cabin is quite spacious with enough room to seat four adults comfortably. The driver and front passenger get dual-zone climate control and seat heating, the rear passengers get single zone climate control which is controlled by the front passenger. The seats are very comfortable, with extra padding to ease out the bumps you'll experience when traveling off-road. The car comes with the lastest Ford SYNC 3 interface which has built-in mobile apps with 3x US ports for connectivity, Bluetooth, which is displayed on an 8-inch colour TFT screen. The car is equipped with a 6-speaker system that is pretty decent for a van.  Other handy standard features include active park assist for parallel parking as this vehicle is quite big. PDC sensors in the front and back plus a rear camera. LED Headlamps with daytime running lamps, side steps, roof rails and one which I really like is the automated tail-gate cover which is remote controlled. Sateywise, the Ranger Stormtrak comes with Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Assit with pedestrian detection, Distance Alert, Autonomous emergency braking, Lane Keep Alert System and Auto High Beam Control. 

VERDICT

Overall, the Ranger Stormtrak really is the complete package when it comes to your luxury double cab offering. While the price may be an eyebrow raiser, seeing the list of equipment that comes standard might just give you some understanding behind it. Even with the next Gen Ranger due sometime this year, there will still be a market for this model, seeing that with increase in pricing for just about everything, this model might suit the pocket for many who can't justify spending their money on the newer model. It really is a well put-together bakkie and one can easily see why it's giving SA's number 1 selling bakkie, the Hilux such a hard time in the market since its introduction. The Stormtrak is a well rounded package which looks the part and in my opinion doesn't need any extra cosmetic modifications like what most owners are doing on the market. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0L BiTurbo
Gear Box	10-sepeed automatic
Power	157kW
Torque	500Nm
Top Speed	210km
Price	R855,200

 

Bucket Seat: Ford Everest Bi-Turbo Limited AWD

When it comes to SUV's in the SA market, the two heavyweights which battle for market dominance in-terms of sales figures, are the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest. While both are very similar in overall aspects, Toyota did have the upper hand with more engine variant offerings than Ford with them only having the 2.2L and 3.2L liter diesel options, but recently Ford South Africa have introduced their new 2.0L Bi-Turbo Diesel which is set to stir things up for them as the Everest is already a great offering and with this new engine variant it can only do good things for the brand. I had the opportunity to spend a week with the new Ford South Africa Everest 2.0L Bi-Turbo as well as take it on a cross country trip from the coast to Johannesburg to see how it goes, here are my thoughts on the car. 

DESIGN

To me the Everest has always been the best looking 7-seater SUV on the market and it still remains that with this new model receiving subtle styling enhancements but the overall looking remaining very much the same. It goes with the saying, don't fix something if it ain't broke and Ford reservedly did so. The car has that American charm to it, even though it features the Ranger front end but sporting a different grille, the way the car is sculptured with added bulk on the wheel arches, flowing lines along the side to give the side profile a very professional look before tying in perfectly at the back with the longitudinal lamps. The car is very classy and even more so in this Frozen White paint work. The model specification I had was the top of the range Limited which has 18" rims, a lot of chrome accents, ventilated brake discs up front and a whole lot of safety features. The inside also remains very similar to the previous model, pretty much the same set-up as the Ranger but more softer materials to give it that family/ luxury feel rather than that of a bakkie. 

PERFORMANCE

As mentioned, this is Ford's all-new 2.0L Bi-Turbo Diesel engine, it's teamed up with a new 10-speed automatic gearbox which combined with the performance from the engine make it a dream to drive. The old 6-speed automatic wasn't too bad and performed well with the 3.2L diesel engine but with the 2.2L it had it searched for that perfect medium but now with the 10-speed box it knows the ratios to produce the optimal performance when needed and it helps with the fuel economy. The 2.0L Bi-Turbo diesel engine produces 157kW with 500Nm of torque, with the Limited being all-wheel-drive, this torque is transferred to all four wheels and makes the car quite quick off the start on tar roads. Ford say the claimed fuel consumption to be 7.6L to the 100km, a figure that I didn't get close to on my long distance trip but then again with all the road-works on the N3 it would have been difficult to achieve this but still, keeping that figure to under 10L per 100km in a big vehicle like this, with a full load was pretty pretty impressive. 

COMFORT

So with this being the Limited model, it comes kitted out with all the nice stuff, leather seats for ALL 7 seats, my favourite party trick from this model is the automatic folding third row seating which you can control from the luggage compartment. The third row folds flat to give you even more luggage space if required. Upfront you have seat heating for driver and front passenger, the large infotainment screen with Ford's SYNC 3, this model did not have Apple Car Play or Android Auto preloaded as per  normal but there is an option for you to do that via Wi-Fi, yes you can make a Wi-Fi hotspot via the car for the entire cabin which is also pretty cool. The second row seats is as luxurious if not more than the front, they get their own zone climate control with controls at the back. Being a big vehicle you're going to need some assistance getting around so it comes with front and rear PDC's as well as a rear view parking camera. The cruise control took me a while to figure out, but once it was activated it was smooth sailing from there as it has active cruise control which slows down if it sensors the car in front of you slowing down. It has blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning as well should you stray across and not notice, which is easy to do in a big car like this. 

OFF-ROAD

Being a fully fledged off-roader, I was hoping to take it out off the beaten track but unfortunately didn't get the time to do so but you'll be pleased to know it comes with all the bells and whistles for this application.  From Hill Descent Control, Hill Launch Assist, Roll-Over Mitigation, EBD and ESP. The jog shuttle dial system for selection of road conditions make it easy for anyone to use. The front suspension is independent with coil spring and anti roll bar, while the rear being coil spring with Watt Links. The transmission is 4WD with electronic locking rear differential, with final drive 3.31. 

VERDICT

Overall this new offering from Ford which becomes the range topping model did no wrong while I had it. It's honestly still one of the best 7-seater SUV offerings on the market and while it does have stiff competition, there will be key differences which the Ford has that will win it over from the opposition. It offers a great ride, fantastic build quality and the equipment that comes as standard is great. While being a sizable car, it doesn't take you very long to get used to the size of the car when driving it around. The cabin is spacious and with the panoramic sunroof, it just gives you that illusion of it being much bigger. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2L, Bi-Turbo Diesel
Gear Box	10-Speed Auto
Torque	500Nm
Power	157kW
Consumption	7.6L/100km
Price	R819,400

 

Bucket Seat: 2017 Ford Kuga - First Impressions

The past two days I found myself in the picturesque Eastern Cape driving the all new Ford Kuga. Now for those that are on the popular social media platform Twitter, you would have noticed that there was some heat coming from many about the launch, I myself was a recipient and to say my mentions were "lit" is an understatement. Now the thing about social media, it's fluctuates on trends so obviously when launching a new product, the more your product trends, the better, unfortunately due to the bad rep of one of the first gen models of the Eco, in particular one engine type, many just used this as an excuse to jump on the band wagon and make some jokes about it. Which some were pretty funny but the rest were really cringe worthy with zero substance to them. Many actually lacked any knowledge of what really happened first time round but saw the opportunity to part of the conversation but for all the wrong reasons. In any case, the launch went down a treat, their hashtag trended which was their aim and as they say, there's no publicity like bad publicity as many took notice that there was a new Kuga in town. 

While the Ford brand did take a knock from the negativity around the recall, the actual customers with the defected vehicles were well received from Ford. Phase 1 recall achieved a 92% completion and Phase 2 is currently at 62%. To continue to show their clients how much they mean to them, during Phase 2, the customers were given the new Kuga to drive while their cars were in, they were given the first opportunity to sample the brand new model before any motor journalist in South Africa. This was a first from a manufacturer and definitely one to instill confidence in their clientele. 

Getting back to the actual reason I was in the Eastern Cape, the car! The new Kuga has had a full revamp from outside to in, top to bottom and it looks ace! The main new design feature is at the front, as Ford call it, this new trapezoid grille is "the Face of Ford". It already has been prominent on some of the other models, namely the Ecosport and Everest and now it adornes the Kuga. The whole car has a new sleek look to it with cleaner lines, sharp new front head lights, and moving to the back the rear lights are more stockier than before but has the angular look take from the Focus. The car is available in three packages, Ambiente, Trend and Titanium, each adding more to what the other has to offer as you move up. Moving onto the interior, everything is well laid out as per the previous model, the two main things previous owners of the Kuga will notice is the large touch screen display and the hand brake which is now replaced with an electronic brake, thus making way for new storage spaces in the cabin for stuff like keys, mobile phones and it even has a dual USB port with fast charge capabilities. The instrument cluster was a bit of a let down for me as it's almost carbon copy of the older models, I was expecting something similar to the Everest or Ranger. The leather seats have a new grade of leather, giving it a premium feel and the cabin is really spacious with enough room for four adults to sit in comfort. 

While the looks are good, the Kuga also has a bunch of technological advancements added to the car. The one thing that strikes you is the large 8" touch screen display, it's also cleverly placed in the center console of the car so that no light reflection would alter your vision of it. The Kuga comes with Ford's new SYNC 3 which has navigation! Finally! It works really well and is voice activated, so you can speak to SYNC 3, tell it where you want to go, or what you want to listen to and bam! it's done. Ford really needed SYNC to rival the other brands out there, it will do wonders across their model line up and while the maps might not be as detailed as others, its a start. But the other good thing about SYNC 3 is that is Apply Car Play and Android Auto capable, so if the SYNC maps isn't your thing, plug in your phone and let it do the navigating. Other cool tech in the car is part of the driver alert package which includes things line lane assist which notifies you when you drift out of your lane. Collision detection, which also ties into the active cruise control and will break automatically should it detect a car suddenly slowing down in front of you and also has a function to detect when you're sleepy and gives you a warning to pull over for a rest and something to drink. 

Moving to the engines, while there are just three engines to chose from, petrol being the all new 1.5 and 2.0 litre EcoBoost engines and the 2.0 litre TDCi turbo diesel engines, the Kuga has 7 derivatives which are listed below. I had the opportunity to drive the 1.5 EcoBoost Petrol and the 2.0 litre TDCi with AWD during the launch. The 1.5 motor sure did pack a punch, while not the quickest of the line, on the open road it picked up power with ease. With the automatic gearbox, you get paddle shifts as a standard on the Kuga so should the need arise, drop down a gear to source that extra power. The diesel engine on the other hand, the torque is crazy, ample power, awesome handling and great fuel economy. Definitely my favorite from the line up. Overall the new Kuga is great all round car and for the pricing, its a damn good deal and it is even cheaper than the out going model. I know this isn't the best pun to say about it but it is quite poetic, as the new Kuga really is the Phoenix that is rising from the ashes of the previous model.  It ticks all the right boxes, I can't wait to get one to drive around for a week so I can tell you more. 

Recommended Retail Prices:

Ford Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost Ambiente 6MT FWD                     R368 800

Ford Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost Ambiente 6AT FWD                       R381 900

Ford Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost Trend 6MT FWD                           R406 400

Ford Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost Trend 6AT FWD                             R427 900

Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi Trend 6AT AWD                                    R483 900

Ford Kuga 2.0 EcoBoost Titanium 6AT AWD                        R497 900

Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi Titanium 6AT AWD                               R506 900

All models come standard with Ford Protect, including a four-year/120 000km comprehensive warranty, three-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance and five-year/unlimited km corrosion warranty. A five-year/90 000km service plan is included on the TDCi models, with 15 000km service intervals. The petrol Kuga models have 20 000km service intervals, and are sold with a four-year/80 000km service plan.