Ford Ranger Raptor
SA4x4|July 2019

The master blaster…

Angus Boswell
Ford Ranger Raptor

What a blast! If you are a fan of spirited off-road driving, there is much to like about Ford’s just-released Ranger Raptor.

The Raptor has been elevated to a performance class of its own by the Aussie engineers who did the development work, and it’s the closest we are likely to get to the iconic Stateside F150 Raptor.

I can’t think of any other locally-available production four-wheel-drive vehicle that offers this kind of poise and balance at the price. For a load-carrying bakkie, rated slightly lower than a standard Ranger, to carry 607kg and tow 2500kg, its ride quality and ability to soak up both the big hits and stuttering corrugations is hard to believe.

Launched to the media at Goera Pan outside Upington, where the Dakar racing off-roaders do some of their shake-down testing, we put it through its paces on both churned-up red sand-dune routes and on hard-packed, rutted gravel, where a few humps had the Raptor delivering plenty of air. Our adrenaline-infused efforts on the so-called ‘rally’ route were put into perspective by a few hot laps as passenger with Lance Woolridge, a Class T champion in the SA Cross Country Series, whose left-foot braking and vastly superior off-roading skills shaved quite a few minutes off our paltry efforts. That he did repeated hot laps in a number of the Raptors, in blazing hot conditions, speaks volumes for the durability of the vehicle.

Bu hikaye SA4x4 dergisinin July 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye SA4x4 dergisinin July 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

SA4X4 DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
SA4x4

Uganda The Pearl Of Africa

This trip, the very last in the series of stories from Dan Grec’s two-year Africa round trip, details a scary mishap and some extraordinary wildlife encounters

time-read
10+ dak  |
March 2020
Chewy, But Edible
SA4x4

Chewy, But Edible

Take another look at those garden pests

time-read
4 dak  |
March 2020
Auto Perfection?
SA4x4

Auto Perfection?

Adding a six-speed auto to Mahindra’s workhorse ups the game for this value proposition

time-read
3 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Defenders On Tour

The second 2019 Defender Trophy event kicked off in Limpopo and was unique in that participants camped in three different countries…

time-read
9 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Rad Rig The Dream Catcher

Motorhome world’s one-of-a-kind luxury globetrotter

time-read
4 dak  |
March 2020
The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader
SA4x4

The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader

A very important distinction needs to be made between the offroader and the overland traveller; often the two are thought to be the same.

time-read
5 dak  |
March 2020
Steelmate TP-S9
SA4x4

Steelmate TP-S9

Solar powered TPMS (External sensor)

time-read
3 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Light on the dark side

VW AMAROK DARK LABEL

time-read
4 dak  |
March 2020
Monkey business!
SA4x4

Monkey business!

Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are the most widespread of the African monkeys; occurring from the Ethiopian Rift Valley, highlands east of the Rift, and southern Somalia, through the eastern lowlands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia (east of the Luangwa Valley), Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and all nine provinces in South Africa.

time-read
3 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

GREAT ZOOKS

There are a few mishaps as a bunch of Jimnys tackle one of Lesotho’s premier off-road challenges, Baboon’s Pass

time-read
10 dak  |
March 2020