Ultimate ranger Wildtrak ready

THE new Ranger Wildtrak, the ultimate model in the Ford Ranger line- up, made its global debut recently with a new array of smart technologies.

The variant is getting the latest 3.2- litre Duratorq turbo- diesel, allowing the 4X4 pickup truck to dish out 197bhp and 470Nm of torque and provide a towing capability of up to 3,500kg.

The five- cylinder diesel engine is mated to a six- speed automatic transmission.

Its smart features include Sync 2 connectivity, lane keeping aid, adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert, driver impairment monitor as well as front and rear parking sensors.

Projector headlamps that flank the trapezoidal front grille and fog lamps at the bottom edges of the bumper, as Ford puts it, give the Wildtrak a sports focused and purposeful aggressive looks.

It rolls on 18- inch alloy wheels and colours of either Pride Orange or Cool White.

Inside, orange has been used to accent the car- like interior, which comes equipped with a dual- TFT instrument cluster, an eight- inch touchscreen and air conditioning registers.

For safety, the Wildtrak comes with both lane keeping alert and lane keeping aid as well as adaptive cruise control, adjustable speed limiter, forward alert, front and rear park assist and a rear- view camera.

Other equipment include electronic stability control with rollover mitigation and trailer sway control, driver impairment monitor, hill launch assist, hill descent control, adaptive load control and emergency brake assistance.

The Wildtrak also comes with an electronically controlled transfer case, that allows drivers to change from 4X2 to 4X4 high or 4X4 low on- the- fly.

“For customers looking for a truck that shares their appetite for adventure, the new Wildtrak is the complete package.

“It is the toughest, smartest, boldest Wildtrak we’ve ever made, and it’s ready to take on the world,” said Ford Asia Pacific product development vice president Trevor Worthington.