Next-gen Ford Ranger revealed at NAMPO
Bakkies, braai and beer – South Africans love nothing more. Where better for Ford South Africa to publicly unveil its new Ranger pick-up than the heart of bakkie country, the NAMPO Harvest Festival. While the covers were also pulled off the Everest, it’s the former that largely provoked a tyre-kicking and under-bonnet inspection frenzy at the Ford exhibition area.
Already teased at the end of 2021, the new Ford Ranger is the product of a near-R17bn investment assigned to Ford's Silverton Assembly Plant (R15.8 billion) while R600 million was allocated to Gqeberha's Struandale Engine Plant.
The fruits of this investment? More than 1,000 additional in-house jobs are created over the spread of Ford’s investment with an increased vehicle assembly capacity of 32,000 units annually to 200,000. The Struandale plant, on the other hand, will be building 21,000 units of the new 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine annually. The investment also serves to further refine the assembly lines for the current 2.0-litre turbodiesel and 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engines to accommodate the next-gen Ranger’s design changes.
‘Merican-inspired Truck
“Ford has listened to the wishes of its customers when it penned the new bakkie”
It's pretty hard wrapping one’s head around these numbers, though, so how about something more tangible; like the styling of the next-gen Ranger? Well, for those ‘Merican truck lovers and even aftermarket-kit aficionados, it’s good news since Ford has listened to the wishes of its customers when it penned the new bakkie.
As Max Tran, chief designer of the Ranger said: “The journey started even before we put pen to paper with our first sketches. We were not just trying to create a good truck but wanted to create an exceptional one that inspired owners every time they saw their Ranger in their driveway.”
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Tran further stated that they looked at the Ford Ranger as the F-150's brother – hence the muscle truck disposition. This is further evidenced by the C-clamp style headlights while this prominent theme also trickled into the rear styling of the new pick-up. To create an even more imposing presence, the bakkie’s wheelbase has seen a 50 mm stretch while its track has also been widened. To accommodate these changes, Ford says its designers pushed the front wheels to the corners likely also improving the approach angle in the process.
The business suite
“the tablet-like centre infotainment display ranges from 10.1 to 12” depending on the model”
If I’m honest, the Ranger's interior has been getting a bit long in the tooth no matter the speciality model adornments on the dashboard. The new interior, though, strikes a fantastic balance between modern minimalism and hardwearing materials whether it's for work or play.
Most notably is the tablet-like centre infotainment display that ranges from 10.1 to 12” depending on the model and is powered by Ford’s new SYNC 4A operating system. The physical buttons are kept to a minimum with only the hazard lights operation and some climate control buttons neatly placed and three rotary dials for regulating volume, air-con speed, and heat.
The tablet screen works in unison with the digital instrument cluster that displays essential driving information.
There are also new air vents making their debut with the inset design mimicking the double-C-clamp design found on the rear lights.
While the pre-production prototype models on display showed the single-cab workhorse and SuperCab XLT derivatives, we won't comment on the rear legroom at this stage.
About the engines…
“Ford suggests it will produce 184 kW and 600 Nm of torque”
If you didn’t know, you may have picked up the hint earlier that there is a new flagship engine for the Ford Ranger. Following the success of the V6 turbodiesel in the Ranger’s current rival and future cousin, the VW Amarok, Ford too has decided to go this route with the addition of a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel oil burner. Early reports from Ford suggest it will produce 184 kW and 600 Nm of torque and will be available in both the Ranger and Everest models. How about a translation? That’s enough torque to easily tow a boat, caravan or, we’d wager, a John Deere 7 Series of some persuasion.
Ford will continue its 2.0-litre turbodiesel offerings now producing 110 kW / 350 Nm and 125 kW / 405 Nm while the current flagship 2.0-litre bi-turbodiesel producing 157 kW and 500 Nm will also remain in service.
While exact spec levels and equipment are unclear at this stage, we'll bring you the nits and grits closer to the official launch of the bakkies. For now, though, if you want to see the upcoming Ranger and Everest models for yourself, get on down to the NAMPO show that ends on Friday and remember comfortable walking shoes.
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