LONG-TERM UPDATE 2 | Why our Ford Ranger XLT is the ultimate urban warrior

Last month the Ford Ranger outpaced its rival from Toyota as the best selling new vehicle in South Africa.

While Toyota has held the title of unbroken sales supremacy for more years than one could count, the Japanese firm must probably realise in those rare occasions of defeat that victory is not always guaranteed.

Whether Ford can repeat the sales triumph successively and continuously remains to be seen.

One thing is certain though: this latest Ranger is a true game-changer for the breed, particularly in the double-cab arena, where it elevates expectations of what is usually demanded from a pickup.

Last month we took delivery of our Moondust Silver example, in 2.0 SiT 4x4 automatic XLT grade. This middle-tier version is just below the Wildtrak. Making our tester even more desirable is the fitment of an options package from the Ford extras list.

For R43,248, you get quite a bit: navigation, leatherette upholstery, wireless charging and rear air conditioning ducts, spare accessory switches mounted overhead, automatic high beams, lane-keep assist with departure warning and forward collision alert. On the outside, the package adds a plastic fuel tank guard, steel underbody protection and LED tail lamps.

It seems to be Ford season at the Arena automotive publishing machine, with fellow publication Business Day Motor News running an Everest Platinum in their long-term garage.

Group motoring editor Denis Droppa took the V6 sport-utility vehicle on a journey to KwaZulu-Natal, an appropriate way to inaugurate such a mile munching family machine.

Our Ranger still has a long-distance jaunt or two in its future, but for now, it has been serving dutifully in the demands of urban commuting.

With the crumbling state of our roads in Johannesburg, one realises the benefit of having a high-riding vehicle.

Driving a bakkie, potholes are not as big a concern as they would be in a B-segment hatchback.

There are other benefits too. Like the other day I was stuck in gridlock at a fast food drive-through. Load-shedding kicked in, all systems went offline, but the person at the front of the queue had been lucky enough to pay before things switched off. Instead of moving along and waiting for the order elsewhere, the Polo driver decided to keep everyone else waiting.

No problem for me in the Ranger. I swung full lock, climbed gently over the kerb, went home and cooked dinner on my trusty compact gas cylinder.

Hopping into the Ford from a low-slung saloon felt like quite a revelation. Especially as the inclement weather raged. The sizeable, tall Ranger imbues the person at its wheel with a sense of near invincibility.

I have also had a chance to dwell on how tidy a pairing the 2.0 SiT motor and six-speed automatic is.

It is the smartest pick, because in the real world you hardly miss the twin-turbocharging and extra four gears of the 2.0 BiT version, which uses a 10-speed.

Its 125kW and 405Nm feels strong in any environment, whether trundling up a hill in Northcliff or steadying on at 120km/h on the M1. It would be nice to see consumption figures drop below 10l/100km though.

In our introductory piece, we mentioned a rattle from the B-pillar interior trim and a squeaky left side mirror. These minor niggles will likely be seen to when we get our XLT to its first service.

2023 Ford Ranger XLT 2.0 SiT automatic double-cab: Update 2

Odometer on delivery: 9,308km

Odometer now: 9,750km

Average consumption: 10.5l/100km

Praises: Pothole-surmounting confidence

Gripes: Not much, for now, aside from those trim niggles

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