Pioneer spirit

Is this Insta-worthy Ford Ranger Stormtrak the bee's knees? We report back after a six-month test

- Ray Leathern

FORD RANGER 2,0 BIT 4X4 10 AT STORMTRAK

6 months 11 862 km 9,50 L/100 km

+ Powerful, torquey, comfortable and tech laden - Sit was more economical

Believe it or not, there are more pickup trucks sold in the world every year than the most plentiful passenger car. The Ford F-Series for example, retailed exclusively in North America, sold 726 004 units in 2021 in a COVID-19-impacted year. Nearly three-quarters of a million pickup trucks! That works out to something ridiculous like eight per hour ... every day of every week including weekends. Overall, there are more pickups in the world right now than there are South Africans or Australians or New Zealanders. You get the idea.

The same trend prevails here on home soil, of course. The Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger go toe to toe each month with the most prolific passenger car sold, the VW Polo. The two big dogs in the bakkie fight are at it tooth and nail to keep their market share all shored up. The Hilux is the bestseller but we believe the Ranger is the better all-round offering, as we awarded it our Top 12 Best Buy award in the double cab category for the 11th consecutive year. Don't think Ford South Africa has been resting on its laurels in light of this success, because it's been working overtime to keep Ranger sales ticking over steadily in a runout year with limited-edition efforts like this Stormtrak.