East-coast debut for Ford's hardcore Ranger

Latest addition to Ford's Ranger line-up, the 4x4 XL Plus, shows up at recent media event

Ford has lifted the wraps off its latest arrival in the Ranger line-up, the 4x4 XL Plus, at an off-road drive day at Werribee, on Melbourne's western outskirts.

Developed for the mining industry and government fleets, the new Ranger variant made its Australian debut at WA's Mining & Engineering Expo in Perth earlier this month.

The pre-production vehicle on display at the Melbourne 4x4 Training & Proving Grounds was fitted with Ford's optional steel bull bar and an aftermarket light bar.

Unlike other locally-delivered Ranger variants that are built in Thailand, production of the Ranger 4x4 XL Plus begins this month at Ford's Silverton facility in Pretoria, South Africa. The toned-down Ranger is due to arrive in local showrooms from the end of June and will bring the total number of variants within the Ranger family to 26.

Powered by Ford's 3.2-litre, five-cylinder turbo-diesel, the 4x4 XL Plus has been honed for maximum utility in remote locations, and comes with 17-inch steel wheels with Continental all-terrain tyres, heavy-duty canvas seat covers, a second 80Ah deep-cycle battery with isolator, an expanded wiring harness and switch bezel, daytime running lights, running boards (Double Cabs only), 4x4 shields, mud flaps, a tow bar, and moulded black bumpers.

The new model will only be available with an automatic transmission. According to Michael Risby, who works in Product Marketing for the Ranger family, the automatic is the best fit for the fleets at which the new model is primarily aimed.

"That decision was made based on the feedback we got from our mining partners and the large fleets we deal with," he said.

"OH&S requirements are mandating automatic transmissions more often, and from a fleet ownership perspective there's less chance of breaking things, like clutches, when you have drivers who aren't respecting the vehicle as perhaps they should. The auto mitigates that risk. Also, there are simply fewer people driving manuals these days."

Ford's Brand Communications Manager, Neil McDonald, says fleets will also be attracted to the new model's five-star ANCAP safety rating.

"Instrumental to our 2014 update of the Ranger family was the standardisation of airbags across the range," he says. "This gives the entire range a five-star ANCAP rating, which is critical to fleets' OH&S requirements."

McDonald says the 4x4 XL Plus will also appeal to the rural sector.

"There are a lot of farmers who will be interested in a heavier-duty vehicle for application, rather than just having a vehicle with all the bells and whistles," he says.

The 4x4 XL Plus will be available in the following formats:

* Single Cab/Chassis, $46,280

* Double Cab/Chassis, $51,760

* Double Cab Pick-up, $52,760

Ford's Ranger family has gained significant momentum in 2014, with year-to-date sales to the end of April of 1855 Ranger 4x2 models (up 26.8 per cent on the corresponding 2013 period) and 6057 Ranger 4x4 models (up 18.9 per cent). The total of 7912 units sees Ranger claw its way to second in the sales charts behind Toyota's HiLux, the market leader with 11,571 sales to the end of April. And the 4x4 XL Plus stands to take further sales away from the long-standing segment leader.

McDonald said Ranger's previous availability issues had been put to rest.

"Basically Ranger availability is all on stream now," he said.

"From the start of this year we've seen better delivery times from the factory in Thailand. If there's a specific colour or combination you're after there may be a little bit of a wait, but otherwise there should be no issues."

While Ford was obviously keen to promote Ranger's progress and its recently launched 'Proceed with Purpose' marketing campaign – the latter a push to showcase the Ranger as the vehicle for Aussie workers who "get things done" – it remained tight-lipped when it came to related future developments, namely Ranger's looming seven-seat SUV spin-off, Everest, and Ranger's 2015 facelift.

"We'll probably have more to share [on Everest] later this year," said McDonald.

Ford Australia has indicated Everest, which made its global concept debut in Sydney in August 2013, will be reaching our shores in 2015.

Regarding the next Ranger revision, McDonald took a similar stance.

"No, we have nothing more to share at this stage," he said.

Next year will see the 4x2 and 4x4 ute segment undergo a major shakeup, with updates for Toyota's HiLux, Nissan's Navara, Mitsubishi's Triton, and Ford's Ranger all weighing in to reinvigorate what is one of Australia's most important automotive markets.

East-coast debut for Ford's hardcore Ranger

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