THE RANGER REVOLUTION

 From the last drive of the Ranger Stormtrak to the first drive of the Next-Gen Ranger

This is an unfamiliar feeling. Driving a current model to the launch of its replacement isn’t something that I’ve done before, despite many years of doing this job. The timing never works out, the overlap never presents itself. And to be fair, the only reason it’s happening now is because this isn’t the official launch of next-gen Ranger – that’s expected later this year. Instead, it’s an exclusive opportunity to sample some of the first locally-assembled Tooling Trial units on home soil, while nearly replicating the final market specification.  My first thought on the way there is that while some models desperately show signs that a replacement can’t be far away, this current Ranger – Stormtrak to be precise – still feels outstandingly fresh. It’s more than capable of matching newer rivals for technology, style, standard specification, economy and comfort. In fact, there’s not an area - besides outright performance where some of the bigger-engined trucks beat it - that the Ranger isn’t top of its class, or a close second.  Special edition models like the Stormtrak have helped evolve the package with standard features like the electronic roller shutter and load bin divider. The roller shutter isn’t

without its flaws, however; on a gravel road it’s guilty of covering your luggage in dust and it chops the vertical loading capacity without offering an inch of compromise.

The Stormtrak plays a level hand, supporting its workhorse roots and accepts new lifestyle and fashionable traits. Flagship derivatives like this have provided something of a watershed moment for trucks in general and introduced terms like ‘car-like handling’ and ‘all-rounder’ to a previously one-dimensional segment.