About the Ford Ranger
Lloyd purchased this Ford Ranger new for $62,000 (including all on-road costs). Lloyd would buy this car again because: “This car was purchased from Rebel Ford in South Australia, for $62,000 including all on-road costs back in 2017. Would I buy this car again, hell yes, but it’s a harder choice when you look at the price of these things on the second-hand market today as it’s insane at the moment.”
How reliable has your car been? Tell us about any issues.
Having this ute for over five years, it’s been a great experience with no major issues. The Ranger’s exterior has had no paint fade or plastics going dull.
Interior-wise it is still in great condition with only the usual driver’s seat plastic breaking.
What do you think of the ownership experience with your car?
I have had the Ranger from new to 160,000km and it’s been a dream to have, it’s a vehicle that can go anywhere and can carry/tow anything.
Yes it may not be a driver’s car and won’t win you any drag races, but its a great car all the same.
How has the purchase and aftercare experience been with your car?
The purchase experience was simple and straightforward, as Rangers were plentiful at the time of purchase.
Every time the Ranger went back for a service it was always taken to the dealer who always offered a new loan car. All servicing was down within a day and there were never any issues with the dealer.
Important to note that parts for the ranger are easy to get as well, I experienced this first hand as I hit a kangaroo which did extensive plastic damage to the front of the vehicle.
Are you happy with the price and features of your car?
Yes, 100 per cent, while the Rangers were starting to get expensive at the time, I managed to pick up the wildtrak before the covid crazy tax was put on everything and before utes became the ultimate vehicles to have. Back in 2017, the Ranger was well spec’d, even today, it still holds its own when compared to today’s generation of utes.
What do you think of the performance and economy of your car?
Whether you are towing or empty the Ranger’s straight-line speed leaves much to be desired, it’s no 0-to-100 demon…
Honestly, it’s expected when the ute is shaped like a brick, but where it becomes a problem is overtaking. If you want to overtake a vehicle, you need to know that this requires more than stamping on the loud pedal and off you go, it needs to be planned out.
You need to ask yourself, how long is the overtaking road, is it hilly, what’s the wind’s direction and then when ready give yourself a nice run-up to get the move done.
Overall the driveline is smooth and the six-speed auto, for the most part, will shift to the right gear when needed.
Fuel wise the Ranger averages around 9.6L per 100km with a mix of city and country driving. When towing you are looking at around 10L per 100km.
What do you think of the technology in your car?
Back in 2017, the Ranger PXII offered both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which is a godsend as both platforms allow you to quickly and seamlessly connect to your media, the standard Ford Sync 2 system while pretty good for a factory infotainment system, does not compare to either one of these platforms.
At the time of release, the Ranger received a five-star safety rating with the Wildtrak getting some amazing tech at the time like autonomous braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, and a ton of airbags all around.
Oh and as a bonus, the Rangers rear-view camera is in a brilliant position, you can literally reverse the ute up to the trailer and have the tow ball in the perfect position… you have no idea how satisfying this is.
What do you think of the ride comfort and handling of your car?
Ok, while Ford Ranger and dynamics should never be spoken about in the same sentence unless you are calling it dynamically challenged, it can be fun to drive.
It’s a big beast with a lot of front-end weight and nothing in the rear.
It’s instantly noticeable when you take it on a country drive, the Ranger will struggle around corners, by either understeering through them or breaking into oversteer in the blink of an eye… in the dry if pushed it can be a challenge, but once you have learnt its shortcomings and how to get around them it can be quite fun to tame this huge beast.
Something really important to keep in mind is if you are either pushing the Ranger or you have misjudged a corner and there is a bump mid-corner you could be in all sorts of trouble, with the back side of the ute bouncing violently into oversteer, which can make it a brown pants type of moment if you were not ready for it.
When towing the Ranger is in its element, with the 3.2L happily towing whatever loads you want with such minimal fuss you will keep looking back just to double-check that everything is still there. When the tub is fully loaded, the Ranger sits nicely on the road, with predictable road manners making it more composed and happy to navigate around any road/surface you wish to put it on.
Lastly off-road… in short it’s a beast when switching over to its various 4×4 modes the Ranger is happy to play in the mud or on the beach with minimal effort or drama in doing so.
Do you have any additional comments about your car?
If you are night driving in the country on regular occasions, please for the love of god buy some better lights.
The Ranger’s low beams are as good as a set of candles strapped to the front of the ute and the high beams could just pass as low beams… they are shocking.