Orange crush

The new Ford Ranger hasn't just moved the goalposts for bakkies, it’s smashed them into a different universe

Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, but if you are any other bakkie maker in SA right now, you should be panicking, because the Blue S Oval means business... like never before.

As part of its research for this new, second-generation T6 Ranger, Ford fielded over 5 000 customer interviews and under-took 625 000 km of off-roading testing. In South Africa alone, the company has spent nearly R16 billion in upgrades to its Silverton plant where the Ranger is built, one of five global sites. Another R600 million went to its Struandale engine factory in the Eastern Cape, birthplace of the range's 2,0-litre, single- and bi-turbo diesel power plants and, of course, the range-topping Wildtrak's new 184 kW/600 N.m 3,0-litre V6.

The result is a bakkie line-up that ranges from workhorse to flagship through its inclusion of digital features to detailed design functionality and redefines the way the segment should now be perceived. For example, even the base model in the 24-strong range comes equipped with a digital instrumentation cluster and 10,1-inch touchscreen fitted with Ford's latest Sync 4A infotainment system. It has also provided under-bonnet space for a spare battery, a set of pre-wired switches for auxiliary add-ons, and in the Wildtrak, a 400 W inverter with AC sockets in the load box.

Unquestionably, the C-clamp LED headlights fitted to the entire range and the Wild trak's twin pair of recovery hooks make for an assertive countenance. The latter was boosted by Ford shifting the front wheels forward and outward by 50 mm (ditto the extended length of the wheelbase), which adds to an acute approach angle of 23 degrees over the previous 21. For the departure angle, that number has grown from 28,5 to 30 degrees.