FORD RANGER THUNDER (2020) REVIEW - BLOWING AWAY THE CABIN FEVER
BLOWING AWAY THE CABIN FEVER
Let's face it, cabin fever is real, even more so with the unmitigated disaster that has been 2020. Everyone has had their movement restricted, unable to go out, move around or otherwise enjoy the great outdoors. The last 6 months have been less than enjoyable!
Since most of the restrictions have been lifted, Ford South Africa has taken it upon themselves to try to remedy this situation, doing their part to kickstart the travel and tourism sector by handing the keys to some of their most notable vehicles and sending out journalists and their families to go and explore the countryside
This was how I found myself behind the wheel of Ford SA's latest Ranger, with my family in tow, on an epic roadtrip to the far NorthWest province.
STYLING
It is no secret that South Africans love to modify their vehicles to fit their personal preference. Ford SA has been on a drive to caution owners against fitting non approved fittings and accessories and so decided to get in the game by offering a vehicle with the styling extras already installed.
The Thunder comes in a range of exclusive colours, ours was in Absolute Black, and with the red detailing and blacked out wheels struck a menacing stance on the road. The front grille is modelled after that of a Ford Mustang and when adding in the raised Thunder lettering everyone knows that this is a special edition worth having. The roller shutter tonneau cover is a welcome edition and ensured our luggage was always protected from the environment.
THE DRIVE
Our trip was mostly open highway for kilometres on end. This allowed the Ranger to stretch its legs and showed us just how comfortable it could be. There was an absence of the usual double cab bounce with the ride being silky smooth. The cabin is incredibly well insulated from the usual NVH (noise vibration, harshness) levels that accompany many double cabs.
PERFORMANCE
The most welcome asset that this vehicle has is the relative silence that this engine operates at, the normal clatter of diesel is missing.
The Ranger Thunder is powered by a 2.0 litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission delivering 157kW and 500Nm and is absolutely fantastic on the open road.
SPACE AND COMFORT
This by far the best part of using the Ranger for a family roadtrip. Space! With two bickering teens in the back seat, at the best of times, it is quite refreshing that they each get a half of the vehicle with plenty of legroom, space for arms and pillows and charging points for their mobiles. The Northwest is not a cool area even in early spring and the climate control was very welcome once the temps exceeded 30 degrees outside.
SAFETY
The Ranger Thunder is equipped like a luxury SUV, it excels with a host of safety systems fitted as standard. The Thunder is fitted with ABS (Anti Lock Braking), EBA (Electronic Braking Assistance), TSC (Traction and Stability Control), Hill-start and Hill-descent control. You also get Lane Departure Warning, BSM (Blind Spot Monitoring), a tyre pressure monitoring system, front and rear PDC (Park Distance Control), a rearview camera, 7 airbags and ISOfix in the back if you have little ones.
FUEL CONSUMPTION
Easily getting up to cruising speed and making use of the adaptive cruise control on the vast open sections of pencil-line straight roads, the Ranger Thunder quickly dipped below Fords claimed 8.0l /100km. At one point we were sitting at 7.5l before the traffic began to pick up.
Our short side trip into the bush, saw the numbers reverse just as quickly up to 8.5 and then 8.9l/100km. This indicates that the Ranger is well capable of being fuel frugal when not being pressed or harassed.
PRICE
The Ranger Thunder is not that much more expensive that the standard Wildtrak, coming in at R 787 900 and comes with a comprehensive 4 year / 120 000km warranty and a 6 year / 90 000km service plan.
VERDICT
It was quite a realisation that the last time we had taken a family trip it was also in a Ford and also encompassed a fairly long road trip. That trip was in the monstrous Raptor and just like that trip the vehicle was a near perfect companion and even after being on the road for an extended time we all felt relatively refreshed once arriving at our destination.
Whether you are planning on using the Ranger Thunder for work, daily commutes or just leisure you can't go wrong. Personally I would save the 30 thousand Rand and just go for the standard Wildtrak as i can do without all the accessories and beauty packs but if you must stand out from the crowd, your first stop should be the Thunder and not your local accessory store.