The Ford Ranger is still the truck to beat

The Ford Ranger has been on the road for quite some time, but a recent media drive in Pampanga has one clear intention: To let people know that the Ranger is still very much the gold standard when it comes to utility pickups that are built for the tough jobs.

During the drive, motoring reporters were able to experience the Ford Ranger’s excellent performance, most especially its work-ready capability, comfort, and safety.

Even the base models of the Ford Ranger, the XLS and XLT, are a cut above the rest in its class.

At first glance, the Ford Ranger XLS and XLT variants excite with its rugged design, characterized by a utility-inspired look that reflects its hard-working personality.

More than its handsome exterior, however, among the many features of the Ford Ranger are its impressive kilogram-payload and towing capacities, which is ideal for those who frequently carry and move around heavy and bulky items, either for work or leisure.

The Ford Ranger XLS and XLT variants have a 1,120 kilogram-payload capacity. To demonstrate this, the convoy of Ford Rangers stopped by a hardware store once they arrived in Pampanga. The Ranger XLT variant was then loaded with 20 bags of cement, which totaled 800kg. With three individuals on board the vehicle, the truck was just about at full capacity.

While one could tell the Ranger was carrying a heavy load, the short drive to a nearby construction site showed the truck’s stability and reliability, not once giving an impression that it’s having a hard time. That’s not surprising, given that the Ranger was built for tasks like these.

Once the bags of cement were unloaded, the motoring reporters drove to a farm, where the Ranger’s payload capacity was tested once more. The Ranger was loaded with 10 sacks of palay (50kg each), 10 sacks of corn (10kg each), and eight sacks of uncooked rice (25 kg each). All in all, that’s a total of another 800kg.

Once the sacks of palay and corn were unloaded—and the Ranger passing the pay-load capacity test with flying colors, it was time to demonstrate its towing capacity. This time, the Ranger was subjected to towing a rice harvester, which weighs around 2,700kg or three tons. While that sounds heavy, that’s nothing compared to the Ranger’s towing capacity—3,500kg for the XLS 4×4 (and 2,500kg for the XLS 4×2).

The Ranger XLS and XLT variants owes its proven powertrain to Ford’s powerful and proven 2.2-liter TDCi engine. Coupled with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, it delivers an impressive 158hp and 385Nm of torque to suit performance demands.

And while it didn’t rain nor did the test drive brought the motoring reporters to a flooded area during the media drive, Ford executives said the Ranger XLS and XLT variants boast segment-leading 800-mm water wading capacity.

The Ford Ranger is both tough and smart, with the XLS and XLT variants equipped with driver assist technologies (DAT) that ensure a safe and comfortable drive whether on or off the road.

With 11 available Ford Ranger variants, the car manufacturer offers a wide array of variants in its pickup truck model, including the Ranger Raptor, Ranger Wildtrak, Ranger XLT and Ranger XLS, with every variant complementing a customer’s need, budget, and lifestyle.

On the way back to Manila to end the media drive, Ford officials said that they had made solid headways in their pickup truck business all throughout the year. To keep the momentum going, the company has further sweetened the deal with exclusive offers until the end of 2019.

The Ford Ranger 2.2L XLS 4×2 MT is now priced P943,000, bringing the base Ranger manual variant below the P1-million price mark. The Ford Ranger 2.2L XLT 4×2 AT and MT variants, on the other hand, now comes with a cash discount of P125,000.