From garden refuse and bicycles to building rubble, moving house or a night out, the XLT has proven remarkably versatile.
Image: Willem van de Putte
We’ve had our long-term Ford Ranger XLT double-cab bakkie for almost three months now, and things couldn’t be going better.
I haven’t had as many opportunities as I would have liked to drive it as a result of regular test cars in the driveway, but every time I do, it puts things into a bit of perspective.
Our market is cluttered with small hatchbacks, crossovers and SUVs, so that’s the bulk of what we get to test.
They’re all variations on the theme, but a bakkie, with an increasing number of them on offer, remains the backbone of the sales charts in South Africa.
Not everyone gets it, but once you’ve owned one, it’s easy to understand why they are so popular.
My partner has also been driving it to work regularly, and she continues to be impressed with its ease of maneuvering, raised driving position, smooth gearbox, and the fact that taxis tend to avoid altercations with it.
Whether it’s garden refuse, bicycles, building rubble, moving house or going for an evening out our XLT has been remarkably versatile.
It was again brought home when I needed to have four trailer wheels balanced.
My two trailers had been through some rough terrain over the last 18 months, and it’s always a good idea to have them in good condition.
Having to fold down the seats and heave them into an SUV I had on test seemed like a lot of work, so dropping down the load bay door and sliding them in solved that problem.
It was lovely weather, so later that evening the two of us hopped into the bakkie and went for an “al fresco” meal. See what I mean about being multi-purpose?
It's doubtful that fuel consumption will improve, but for a bakkie it's still impressive.
Image: Willem van de Putte
The two of us spent some time in the back on the way to a family gathering in Joburg on a blistering hot day with my partner’s son and girlfriend up front.
He’s not a short guy, and with me behind him, I had ample space and would have been comfortable on a long holiday drive while the rear air vents kept things cool.
At R767,000 before the updated Ranger is released, the XLT sits in the middle of the line-up and, for me at least, it’s the one to have.
It has everything you need and nothing that could be deemed superfluous.
For the entire time I’ve had it, the wireless Android Auto connects seamlessly every time, something that more expensive cars can’t always say.
You may recall that Ford is doing away with the 2.0-litre bi-turbo engine, replacing it with the 2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol engine and more diesel V6 variants, and will be launching their new line-up in May.
Our Ranger has Ford’s 2.0-litre single turbo diesel engine, which will still do duty going forward with a revised timing chain set-up, delivering 125kW and 405Nm of torque coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels in its default setting.
It’s worth noting that the six-speed auto ‘box has also been shelved in the new range.
It has Normal, Eco, Slippery, and Tow/Haul modes as well as a rear difflock and downhill crawl activated by buttons on the centre console. Moving between 2WD, 4H, and 4L is easily done by a rotary dial.
With a braked towing capacity of 3,500kg, a wading depth of 800mm and 237mm of ground clearance the Ranger is very capable on offroad tracks.
Image: Willem van de Putte
With a braked towing capacity of 3,500kg, a wading depth of 800mm, and 237mm of ground clearance, it’s still on the cards to hitch my off-road trailer and do some trail driving.
In terms of fuel consumption, Ford claims 7.5l/100km, but we’re averaging 9.1l/100km, which is probably the best we’ll get. It’s still pretty good, though, considering I’ve driven some 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol SUVs that are hitting 11l/100km and more.
It’s not the Ranger’s issue, but bakkies in general, when you use the loadbay for smaller, lighter items. It’s not always possible to tie things down, so they will be sliding around and inevitably end up at the front with you on your stomach under the tonneau cover, trying to retrieve them.
Perhaps there is merit in those bakkie hakkies.
So far, the Ford Ranger XLT has delivered everything that’s been asked of it with ease.
It’s comfortable, has enough power, and is solidly put together by the plant in Silverton, Pretoria.
With the Ranger leading double-cab purchases locally, I wouldn’t hesitate to have one as my daily driver.