SHED: 2018 FORD RANGER
THE RANGER COMPLETES ITS LAP OF TASMANIA.
The Ranger scored several upgrades prior to its Tassie trip, and when I picked it up in Melbourne from Editor Matt Raudonikis it looked resplendent in its new 4X4 Australia wrap, applied just in time by the team at Fleeting Image.
As well as the gear already fitted to the Ranger, new stuff for the Tassie trip included a set of Goodyear MT/R tyres, four new Narva Ultima 180s, MSA 4X4 towing mirrors and upgraded 500kg constant-load Ironman 4x4 springs in the rear. These upgrades added to the Ranger’s existing arsenal of 4x4 touring gear which includes an aluminium AMVE canopy with a built-in water tank, Revolution Power lithium batteries, Redarc battery management system including a Redvision controller and 2000W inverter, a mycoolman 60L fridge, an MSA 4X4 drop slide and Rola roof racks with Narva work lights.
Having not driven the 4X4 Australia Ranger before, I knew that all this kit would take some getting used to, but the first thing I learnt about was an OE Ford feature: the vehicle’s perimeter alarm with motion sensor. The Spirit of Tasmania I had barely got underway when I heard a car alarm sounding from the bowels of the boat, and then the call came over the loudspeaker system: “Would the driver of Ford Ranger registration number 1NU-5TJ please head down to Deck 5 to turn off their alarm?”
I went below decks and one of the ship’s staff guided me through the Ranger’s menu system so I could quickly turn off the motion sensor. Over the next 30 minutes or so another half-dozen Ranger/bt-50 owners were called downstairs to perform the same task.
Once off the ship we had a highway run to Lonsdale before setting up camp in drizzling rain. As well as my swag, clothes bag and camp chair, the canopy was jampacked with photographer Ellen Dewar’s gear, along with some other stuff Matt had thrown in there for the trip including recovery equipment, a shovel, four Maxtrax, an (ancient) air-compressor, a power lead, a hose, a couple of other camp chairs and a few other bits and pieces. Sorting everything out would have to wait until morning.
The next day we had a bit of time up our sleeves so I pulled everything out of the Ranger and repacked it to easily find stuff when needed. I also tried to familiarise myself with the operation of the Redarc Redvision system and I downloaded the Redvision app so I could operate it via my phone. I also mated my phone’s mycoolman app to the 60L fridge so I could monitor and adjust cabinet temperature remotely as required. Sure, a lot of these things sound gimmicky, but once you’ve used them, you’d be amazed at how easy they can make life.
Once fed and packed, we soon found ourselves on winding country roads to Jacob’s Ladder. It continued to rain for much of the morning and the Goodyear MT/RS offered surprisingly good grip on wet bitumen, no doubt partially attributed to their asymmetric design with plenty of sipes on the outer tread area. I was also impressed by the Ranger’s laden ride quality, which felt firm enough to offer good control yet compliant and comfortable over bumps.
The Ranger’s five-cylinder engine has loads of bottom-end torque, and it works well with the slick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox. The clutch is light and progressive and there’s a gear for all occasions. On the highway I found myself using fifth gear more than sixth, as the latter is quite tall and doesn’t really lend itself to speeds below 100km/h, and fifth
is tall enough for most highway touring scenarios anyway. I probably shifted up and down through the ratios more than necessary in the first couple days due to the novelty of driving a manual Ranger – most of the Rangers I’ve driven in the past have been autos.
Despite the amount of gear onboard, the Ranger felt light and nimble thanks to its firm suspension, good steering feel and more than adequate performance. I ran 35psi in the tyres on the bitumen and dropped down to 28psi once we hit the dirt, which offered a more compliant ride. The MSA 4X4 towing mirrors proved their worth when driving in convoy, as extending them afforded an excellent view to the rear which was handy when marking turnoffs and the like, and then retracting the mirrors in tight off-road spots to prevent them whacking on tree branches.
Once into gnarly off-road tracks, the Ranger really started to shine. The combination of strong bottom-end torque, excellent low-range reduction, ample ground clearance, good wheel travel and the grippy MT/RS made light work of just about every type of terrain we threw it at. On muddy tracks I ran the MT/RS at around 22psi and then when we hit the beach I dropped them down to 16psi. The only time I had to go lower was on the run out to Sandy Cape Lighthouse in the Arthur Pieman Conservation area – the sand is super soft here in spots and after snatching our tucker truck out of a stuck predicament, I dropped the MT/RS down to 13psi to avoid any potential for embarrassment.
Living out of the Ranger became easier as the trip wore on; we started to figure out the best places to stow gear and photographer Ellen and videographer Mark became accustomed to powering and charging equipment using the Redvision system and the 2000W inverter. Having the Redarc Redvision on the wall behind the fridge isn’t ideal, as it can be a little hard to access, but this can be overcome when connected via the Bluetooth app. And being able to switch the work lights on and off from a smartphone is fantastic when you don’t want to get out of your swag. The multicoloured LED strip lights fitted to the canopy awnings were also great, as the yellow mode provided light without attracting insects.
There’s no doubt that dual-cab utes make for great 4x4 tourers, especially when set up right, and while there are a couple of minor things I’d change on the 4X4 Australia Ranger, I reckon it’s almost spot-on.
THE SAND IS SUPER SOFT IN SPOTS SO I DROPPED THE MT/RS TO 13PSI TO AVOID ANY EMBARRASSMENT