All New Ford Ranger 2012

All New Ford Ranger 2012

Ford has released details of the new Ranger.  There's three models - 4x2, 4x2 Hi-Rider and 4x4.  The Hi-Rider has the same clearance and angles as the 4X4.  There's three engines too:

3.2-litre Duratorq TDCi five-cylinder turbo-diesel with torque of 470 Nm and power of 147 kW
2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi four-cylinder turbo-diesel, torque 375 Nm power output of 110 kW
2.5-litre Ford Duratec four-cylinder petrol, 226 Nm torque,122kW of power.
The diesels get either a six-speed manual or six-speed auto engine.  Ford must be really disappointed the Nissan Navara 550 tops that with 7 speeds and even more power and torque, but in the real world that's not to say it'll be the better ute.

While the Ranger is all-new, the basic design isn't.   That's still part-time 4WD, live rear axle with leaf springs and independent coil at the front.  There are a few electronic aids:
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Roll-over Mitigation (ROM); Hill Launch Assist (HLA);  traction control; load adaptive control; and trailer sway control
Anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
The addition of trailer sway control is welcome.  The rest is now standard and just brings the Ranger up to speed.  Ford's words on safety:


"Driver and front passenger airbags will be standard equipment on all models. Front seat side airbags and curtain airbags will be standard equipment on all models except the XL single cab chassis, where it will be optionally available for vehicles fitted with front bucket seats"


Again, that's now par for the ute course. Here's the model specs:

XL - the basics
16-inch steel wheels
Bluetooth®1 with voice control
MP3 and iPod2 connectivity
4.2-inch multi-function dashboard-mounted colour screen
Cruise control with steering wheel-mounted buttons
Power front windows and exterior rear-vision mirrors
Remote keyless entry



XLT - take XL and add:

17-inch alloy wheels
Locking rear differential
Rain-sensing windscreen wipers
Dual-zone climate control
Electrochromatic rear-vision mirror
Rear parking sensors
Tray bedliner with integrated 12V socket (double cab only)
Polished rear roll bar
Towbar
Privacy glass
Cooled centre console





Wildtrak - take XLT and add:


18-inch alloy wheels
Satellite navigation with 5-inch multi-function dashboard-mounted colour display
Rear-view camera with display in interior rear-view mirror
Combined leather and fabric upholstery
Eight-way power front seats, heated
Unique sports bar and roof rails

You'd want to be swapping those 18s or 17s or 16s before you go offroad or try and buy tyres.  For the $4k difference between XLT and Wildtrak I'd take an XLT and add an aftermarket nav system plus rear reversing camera and pocket at least $2000.
However, offroaders will welcome the manually operated rear differential lock on XLT and Wildtrak models.  It doesn't say whether or not traction control still functions if the locker is in, and you can bet this isn't a question Ford PR would ever consider answering on a press release!   As usual, the "unique sports bar" is pointlessly typical ute bling.

Full specs have been released, and a quick scan reveals:
The 4X4 dualcabs weigh between 1909 and 2200kg depending on spec, payload between a healthy 1291kg and a not so great 1000kg.
Max braked towing is 3350kg for the 4X4 3.2 diesels in either auto or manual which I think is class-leading, but a shade behind the 3500kg of some larger wagons.