FORD RANGER DC 2,0 SIT XLT 4x4 10AT

Having replaced the Mazda-based Courier in our market in 2000, CAR’S first road test of the thennew Ranger double cab (unrelated to the model sold in the US) was delayed until February 2002. The test of the 2500TD XLT 4x4 concluded that, while the Ford certainly looked the part, it fell short of troubling the likes of the Mitsubishi Colt Rodeo and Isuzu KB in terms of refinement, ride quality and, in the case of the former, cost; the list price of the Ranger was R240 770.

Eighteen years later and, while Mitsubishi’s modern segment contender, the Triton, retains its maker’s value-for-money standing, the Ranger has evolved to become one of the bestselling vehicles in the South African market. Significantly, of the 720 Ranger units that leave Ford’s assembly plant in Pretoria daily, approximately 80% are destined for overseas markets.

Heading into the festive season, I appreciated the versatility of the double cab when packing for a day at the beach and on returning home with sand-covered costumes, towels and spades stowed in the loading bay. A caveat to this convenience is the need to head straight home, as opposed to risking lost property with a detour via an open parking area.

There’s nothing like a middecember last-minute trip to the shops to highlight the sheer size of a modern double-cab bakkie in relation to the average parking bay. Here, I was grateful for the XLT’S standard folding side mirrors and reversing camera.

Having achieved simultaneous tank-to-tank average fuel-consumption figures of below

9,0 L/100 km through December, anything other than a leisurely cruise brings this figure frustratingly close to (or over) 10.