The automotive world’s worst-kept secret is no longer a rumour; the Next-Gen Ranger arrived in New Zealand, just in time to wow the crowds at the May 12 to 15 Hutchwilco Boat Show.
Ranger’s three advance models – an XLT, a Wildtrak and the Ranger Sport – were all left-hand drive models and couldn’t be driven by anyone other than Ford staff.
This is not unusual in the automotive industry and typically, pre-production models are destroyed as supply opens for the chosen market. In a very generous gesture, Ford will donate the utes to a technical institute rather than destroy them outright.
Ford New Zealand must have found a few Ford leaf clovers to have the Next-Gen Rangers arrive in time for the show, it being ideal event for the star ute’s public debut, with recreational fishing folk and ute-fond tradies falling into the Hutchwilco Boat Show’s catchment pool.
As Ford NZ’s managing director Simon Rutherford commented, “The majority of our customers choose the Ranger due to its towing capabilities; for the trailer at the worksite as well taking the boat to the beach.
“Its position as the number one new vehicle in New Zealand for more than seven years now comes down to its overall capability that matches the Kiwi lifestyle.”
And it would seem the ‘Kiwi lifestyle’ was something Ford’s international engineers had to study up on, since the Next-Gen Ranger is so much closer to what we Kiwis wanted to see, even over the outgoing models (now all pretty much gone in one of the best-managed runouts ever, BTW).
The Next-Gen Ranger is equipped with new towing technology from Ford in the form of a Tow/Haul mode, which Americans would expect to find on their much larger pickups.
Tow/Haul mode optimises the gear shift timing to maintain power when you’re climbing up a hill or deliver the right amount of engine braking when you’re travelling down a hill.
Next-Gen Ranger continues with a maximum braked towing capacity of 3,500kg with a 350kg tow ball download limit.
The next-gen Ranger also features an integrated electric trailer brake controller, trailer connection checklist and trailer light check, all designed to simplify the process of hooking up a trailer.
Once the trailer is connected, Ranger’s BLIS driver assistance technology can be programmed by the driver to accommodate the size of their trailer for added coverage of their blind spots.
As part of the SYNC infotainment system, Next-Gen Ranger adopts the selectable drive modes previously available to the outgoing Raptor.
Now, all Next-Gen Ranger models will offer Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery for on-road, and Mud/Ruts and Sand for use off-road. The Next-Gen Raptor adds Sport, Rock Crawl and Baja modes.
Each mode has its specific gearshift and throttle response, traction, stability, and ABS controls and whatever else the Next-Gen Ranger thinks it might need.
For the times when the Next-Gen Ranger really has to prove its abilities, the SYNC3 screen can display all that’s needed in off-road mode, that is: driveline and diff lock settings, steering angle, vehicle pitch and roll angles, as well as a front camera view with predictive overlay guidelines.
The Next-Gen XLT and Wildtrak displayed at the show were the most eye-catching, in Ford Blue and Ford Gold paint as well as being on the Ford display stand at the front gate.
Based on comments overheard at the show, the hero of the Next-Gen Ranger range is the new kid on the block, the Next-Gen Ranger Sport with its new V6 turbo-diesel engine with 184 kW of power at 3,250 rpm and 600Nm of torque from 1,750-2,250 rpm.
For the first time, the Ranger Raptor will feature a petrol engine – also a 3.0L V6, but this one a twin-turbo EcoBoost engine, with 292kW and 583Nm.
Transmissions include a 10-speed auto available on both V6 engines, as well as the 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo, with the current six-speed automatic transmission behind the 2.0L single-turbo.
New Zealand Next-Gen Ranger Pricing Recommended Retail Price* (RRP) is below.
