ENTRY LEVEL

A QUICK OUTBACK SPIN IN THE FORD RANGER XL GIVES US A FEEL FOR THE BASE-SPEC UTE

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

WHILE WE’VE now driven plenty of new Ford Rangers since the launch a year ago, most of them have been higher specification Sport, Wildtrak and XLT variants. So when we spotted the steel wheel-clad Ranger XL in the hotel carpark while we were in Alice Springs for the Finke Desert Race, we jumped at the chance for a drive.

The XL is the entry level ride into the 4x4 Ranger range and it’s available with the choice of the single- or bi-turbo versions of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine. Thankfully, this rig was fitted with the 500Nm bi-turbo mill so we had half a chance of keeping up with the Raptors that formed the rest of our convoy – no, not really, but we tried.

The Ranger XL is available in double-, single- and super-cab bodies, and also as a cab-chassis. Obviously this one is the double-cab and it was fitted with the 10-speed automatic transmission. Even in entry-level models, you can’t buy an RA Ranger with a manual gearbox.

In this trim our Ranger XL was priced at $53,680 plus ORC, and it was fitted with a few extras that added to the price including prestige paint ($700), heavy-duty suspension ($500), spray-in bedliner ($900) and the towing pack ($1700), so you can see the price of entry in to a double-cab 4x4 Ranger isn’t cheap. In this case, you’re looking at upwards of $62K drive away with the bi-turbo engine.

That said, and despite its poverty-pack look with those steel wheels, the Ranger XL doesn’t feel like a stripped-out cheapie.

While the XL misses out on the multiple drive modes and some of the features of the higher-spec models, it still comes standard with the 10-inch A/V screen, adaptive cruise control, standard air-conditioning, and a reversing camera and rear parking sensors.