Ranger brawny and brainy

INNOVATIVE: ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEM ALLOWS REAL-TIME ADAPTIVE SHIFT-SCHEDULING LONGTERM

Tough tasks made easy with driver assist systems.

Can you believe it? This is already the fourth update of our time with Ford’s Ranger Wildtrak. This week it is just a brief update around the technology used to get you up and over stuff without really thinking about it.

The timing is perfect, as our next update will be on Wednesday October 30 and this will be after our Motoring Editor, Jaco van der Merwe, returns from a much-needed family break in Mozambique.

Our Ranger Wildtrak is able to turn potential troublesome obstacles into more of an exciting activity. Unless of course you run into one too many Tipo Tintos on the beach, then only lots of water and a handful of painkillers can help you here.

So, bring your water hazard, steep sandy incline, rocky terrain or soft beach sand, our 4x4 equipped Ranger is ready with 800mm water-wading capability, Electronic Locking Rear Differential, rotary switchable 2-High, 4-High and 4-Low settings and driver-assist features, which makes tough tasks look easy.

And the new 10-speed automatic gearbox is not just about numbers and fancy marketing speak, there are a few rather clever things happening under the covers so to speak.

An all-new electronic control system features real-time adaptive shift-scheduling, engineered to help select the correct gear at the right time, including skipshift and direct downshift capabilities. As a result, the transmission adapts quickly to changing conditions, enabling the optimal gear to be selected in order to deliver maximum performance, fuel-efficiency or refinement.

One of the innovative features included in the high-tech transmission is Progressive Range Select (PRS), which gives you the ability to lock out gears from the automatic shifting range. This provides greater control when driving in slippery conditions, when towing or climbing steep gradients, for example.

With the transmission in Drive, pressing the ‘‘-’’ button on the new gearshift lever activates PRS. All available gears are shown on the instrument cluster, with the current gear indicated. Pressing the ‘‘‘-’’ button again locks out gears, beginning with the highest gear. Only the available gears are then displayed and the transmission automatically shifts between these ratios.

Pressing the ‘‘+’’ button unlocks gears to allow the transmission to shift to higher ratios and the transmission shifts automatically within the gear range the driver selects. In other words, perfect for the boss’ trip.

See you guys at the end of next month.