FORD RANGER THUNDER 2,0 BIT 4X4 10 AT

There are few things more exciting than the realisation of something you’ve been planning for a long time. After the festive break, it was time to go away for two nights to the Tankwa Karoo National Park. While in possession of the Ranger, I want to use it for the exact purposes it was built for.

We left Somerset West in the morning and made our way over Dutoitskloof Pass, through the Slanghoek Valley and along Mitchell’s Pass. Sadly, the iconic Tolhuis had to close permanently. So, as we entered Ceres, we stopped at Homegrown for a snack and good coffee before making our way along the longest gravel road in South Africa without a fuel station or dorpie: the R355 to Calvinia. As one must, we visited the Tankwa Padstal before arriving at our accommodation in the park.

It was a memorable trip for several reasons. The Ranger sailed over the smooth gravel roads and at times I was driving with ease at 100 km/h. The Ranger’s suspension absorbed all the minor bumps and the plush cabin kept exterior noise at bay. Secondly, the Thunder’s Continental Crosscontacts (a roadbiased tyre) did an excellent job, considering they have now done a few thousand kilometres on gravel. It was interesting to see how the tyres were around 1,9 to 2,0 bar before leaving in the mornings but quickly climbed past 2,3 bar as we drove in the 40-degree Celsius heat of the day.

With two adults onboard and a total mileage of 690 km – of which 300 km was on gravel – the Ranger’s consumption was less than 10 L/100 km during the trip. Since taking delivery of the bakkie, the average sits at 10,01 L/100 km, tantalisingly on the cusp of single digits. Stay tuned for one last big road trip before we have to say goodbye.