Established since 1976
Established since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
THE latest Ford Ranger toes the current trend of going smaller in engine displacement without compromising on power and overall performance in general. A more efficient engine turbocharging system has made it possible and for a two-tonne pick-up, you can’t lose out on the power.
Not only will the vehicle feel under-powered, the need to use the accelerator harder to get going, especially with a full load, will lead to poor fuel consumption. The engine is also made to work under higher pressure and that accelerates wear and tear as well. The need to balance power output for a given task is not taken lightly, and with technological advancements, it can be done with smaller displacement engines.
The general perception is that smaller engines tend to be more frugal on fuel and is the main reason why some carmakers prefer to develop such engines. With the new Ranger, it now has a 2.2-litre diesel with variable geometry turbocharger while the previous model had a 2.5-litre turbo unit. The higher output of the new engine clearly stamps its mark of superiority over the old: 110kW (150PS) at 3700rpm and 375Nm at 2500rpm against 104kW (141PS) at 3500rpm and 330Nm at 1800rpm.
However, you need to look at the torque curve to see a better picture. Near peak torque develops very early from 1500rpm and plateaus till about 2750rpm before dropping fairly sharply as the power curve takes over with the engine approaching peak output. The six-speed transmission (both manual and automatic) is geared to tap this power characteristics to provide improved performance and fuel economy.
Ford says the new engine is capable of returning as low as 12.3km/l based on tests under controlled conditions. Realistically, the 2.2-litre turbodiesel should give a better fuel mileage over the old, while being cleaner running with lower emissions discharged.
With the Ford Ranger drive in Chiangrai late last year still fresh in our mind, we had another go on Malaysian roads with the 2.2 XLT automatic. This version comes with a high level of standard equipment and features: auto rain sensing wipers, auto headlights (automatic model only), cruise control, voice control for audio system and mobile communication, leather steering wheel with cruise and audio controls, to name a few. You wouldn’t have expected such things in a pick-up before, but times are a-changing.
While moseying in urban traffic with this Ranger, we noted something that didn’t dawn on us earlier in northern Thailand. We need to work the accelerator harder to get moving, which defied the higher torque that is peaking earlier. It was not quite the same with the older Ranger, with which we could get moving with slight prompts on the accelerator pedal.
Perhaps this has to do with the gearing ratio of the six-speed automatic (against the five-speed one of the old), or it could be the new Ranger having gained weight of about 140kg or so. The output gain might have been evened out a little, although we suspect it has more to do with the gearing than the weight gain.
Once the new Ranger 2.2 is up and running, there is no shortage of pace as the variable geometry turbo opens up to get more horses up and running. As we had discovered during our Thai drive, it could achieve 160km/h pretty quickly and pushing it beyond that threshold shouldn’t be a sweat.
We continue to marvel at the lack of road roar intrusion: this is achieved with the use of thicker bushings at the suspension mounting points to absorb the vibration, noise and harshness picked up from the road surfaces. Wind noise is also reduced with the improved body aerodynamics, and highway travel can be pleasantly enjoyed.
The ride is pretty good too, given its rear leafspring suspension while the front has double wishbones. But a series of bad patches would still show up the harder ride expected of the rear, so it would be prudent to take them at sober speeds rather than quick ones, especially when you have passengers on board or the rear bay loaded up.
Off road, there is Hill Descent Control, Electronic Locking Rear Differential, and a host of assist functions to help make the drive predictable and enjoyable. The improved Ranger has obviously been recognised in Thailand where it is produced as orders since its launch earlier in the year had soared past 25,000 units. That is one of the reason why those who are interested in the 3.2 Wildtrak model have some waiting to do.
The Ranger 2.2 XLT automatic is priced at RM93,218.80 on the road without insurance and the manual version goes for RM87,374.80. The 3.2 Wildtrak holds flagship status at RM113,669.05.
