Basically, Ranger is fun to drive

By Australia, out of Thailand and ideal for New Zealand conditions. That is the new Ford Ranger ute, as ROB MAETZIG discovered when he took one to the Coromandel Peninsula.

Sometimes it's good to drive the bare-bones version of any new vehicle range. Let's look at Ford's huge selection of Ranger utes as an example of that theory.

There are a total of 20 models in that range.

Right up at the top there's the Wildtrak, which is the flash "hero" ute with all sorts of bells and whistles, including 18-inch alloys and a unique roller shutter over the wellside deck on the outside, and full leather upholstery and silver accents on the inside.

And down at the bottom of the range, there are the XL models, with steel wheels and – horror of horrors – windows you have to wind up and down yourself.

I can't remember the last time I drove any new vehicle with wind-up windows, but that's what you get with the XL Ranger.

Not only that, but whereas all the other Rangers have the aerodynamic smoothness of having their load tie hooks in the inside of their wellside trays, the XL has the hooks and rope rails on the outside.

Talk about agricultural!

But, as I quickly came to appreciate recently when I took a four-wheel-drive double-cab version into the Coromandel Peninsula for a summer camping holiday, it's also very practical.

I loved the opportunity to be able to chuck all the camping gear into the wellside tray, throw a tarpaulin over the top of it all and easily secure everything in place with tie-down strops attached to those exterior rope rails, and then head off to a camping site on the eastern coastline of that sunny peninsula.

And you know, even though the XL Ranger does have the modern-day comfort of airconditioning, it wasn't long before I preferred instead to turn it off, and use my right hand to wind down my side window so I could relish the warm weather as we drove through the North Island countryside.

You do that sort of thing in utes, you see. Drive with your left hand on the steering wheel and your right elbow resting on the open window. Beaut. The only thing missing was a cigarette. Pity I don't smoke.

Something else I enjoyed during the trip was when we called into a service station somewhere in Waikato to refuel the ute, and there on the forecourt was a carload of young women who were – ahem – rodeo types.

One of them, who had a heavily tattooed left leg, looked at the Ranger and said, "Love the truck!"

"And I love the tats!", I replied, then got out of there before rodeo girl could decide whether to kiss me or hit me.

But back to business. I suppose it has to be said that the Ranger XL we had for road testing is about as bare bones as you can get in a modern-day ute, but even then it offers an eminently comfortable and powerful drive that I would be happy to experience any time.

It might have the wind-up windows, which is very utilitarian, and the ride when the ute is empty is typically bouncy hard, but standard specification still includes manual airconditioning, a single-disc CD stereo, reclining cloth-covered front bucket seats and central locking.

The interior is spacious both in the front and rear seats, and there is a good amount of minor storage, including a central console that is divided into two units. The console's top bit can contain items such as sunglasses and mobile phones, while the bottom area is big enough to contain larger objects, including up to 10 CD cases. An interesting feature is a sliding tray that extends the width of the passenger's side of the dashboard, supports 10 kilograms, and can be used as a work surface.

Out the back, there's that wellside tray that is 1530mm long, 1459mm wide and 465mm deep, which is sufficient for a variety of uses. In the case of our journey into the Coromandel, those uses ranged from ferrying fellow campers' bicycles to less hilly spots, so they could go for a ride before getting too tired, to carting sets of golf clubs, to even heading off on a beer-buying journey to a supermarket.

Powering the ute is a 3.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine that offers maximum power of 115 kilowatts, with the torque of 380 newton metres available from just 1800rpm.

That amount of torque is actually 10 per cent more than the Toyota Hilux's 3.0-litre diesel engine, and it translates to a flexible sort of performance that tempts you into being too damned lazy to change down a gear when climbing a hill.

The Ranger is also very capable off the road. The approach and departure angles are 34 degrees and 33 degrees, respectively, and manual versions are fitted with a Borg Warner transfer case that allows the driver to get into four-wheel-drive while the ute is on the move.

You have to stop to move into low range of course, and the low-range gearing reduction for the manual is 2.48 to 1, which gives the ute the capability to take on some really tough obstacles.

Incidentally, the Ranger's fuel tank, transfer case, engine and transmission are all protected by strong steel plating.

I like double-cab utes, particularly the four-wheel-drive ones, not only because their use is so flexible, but because, frankly, they are fun to drive.

And the base models such as the XL? Well, consider this: the top Wildtrak retails for $59,490 with manual transmission, while the equivalent XL carries a $50,490 price tag.

That's quite a bit of difference in return for manual windows, and tie-down hooks and rails on the outside of the wellside tray. I know which one I'd have.

Oh, and why is the Ranger ute by Australia and out of Thailand? That's because the ute was designed by a Ford design team in Melbourne and is built in Rayong in Thailand.

It is sold in about 130 countries.

- © Fairfax NZ News