LONG-TERM UPDATE 4 | Our Ford Ranger stretches its legs

Another year, another Ford long-term test car for us TimesLIVE Motoring scribes to play with. Once editor Brenwin Naidu and photographer Waldo Swiegers had clocked up initial miles in it, our macho Moondust Silver Ranger XLT SiT was handed over to yours truly in time for another epic long distance haul to the Western Cape.

After a quick valet and a rather expensive visit to the local fuelling station (taking an 80-litre diesel tank from fumes to full is an easy way to make your eyes water), I threw bags on the back seat (the absence of a tonneau cover renders the load bin pretty much useless) and pointed the Ford’s nose in the direction of Semigration Street, aka the N1 highway.

I reached the Johannesburg city limits at about 4.30am, which meant I l had well over two hours of predawn darkness to trundle through en route to my ritual caffeine stop at Seattle Coffee Bloemfontein.

Fortunately in mid-tier XLT guise the Ranger is endowed with a fine pair of LED headlamps and I quickly learnt they do an exceptional job of illuminating the far-stretching rural asphalt ahead. Automatic high beam assist is also fitted as standard, meaning you don’t have to constantly fiddle with the indicator stalk every time an oncoming vehicle gets within blinding range. It works quite well, to be honest. Maybe not as responsive as similar systems from rival brands, but good enough to set and generally forget.

Equipped with optional XLT Upgrade Pack 3 — the Blue Oval offers no less than six to choose from — our test unit further benefits from lane keep assist (with lane keeping and road departure warning). Around town it’s usually the first thing I turn off upon thumbing the engine to life each morning, but out on the open road where monotony and fatigue can sometimes together conspire with disastrous consequences, this is the kind of tech that can literally keep you and other road users alive and is worth keeping on at all times.

Other additional niceties forming part of our upgrade pack include a wireless charging pad, Ford’s built-in navigation software, leatherette seats as well as a row of spare accessory switches located behind the ceiling light, which I assume are for wiring up any additional powered accessories owners might like to install down the line (LED light bars, winches and so on).

While the latter would receive none of my attention as the day drove on, the rest of the Ranger’s cabin amenities most certainly did. Chief among these being the 10.1-inch portrait format touchscreen infotainment system, which is unquestionably a massive step up over the setup you got in the outgoing model. It’s high-resolution, easy to navigate and demonstrates hardly any lag.

Yes, there are times when Apple CarPlay suddenly becomes unavailable for no reason but I think this is down to my 100-year-old iPhone 6 rather than the Sync 4A operating system.

I also made much use of the digital instrument cluster, which can display data sets ranging from real-time trip information and instantaneous fuel consumption right through to what podcast is playing on the infotainment system.

I know I’m running short on column space here but before I move on to the mechanical bits, it’s worth mentioning a few more of this Ford’s interior assets, the quality of the seats for one. Regular readers will know I suffer from a bad lower back but sitting behind the Ranger’s small diameter steering wheel, it was happy to keep on truckin’ for several hours at a time without any stiffness.

The sound system is also impressively punchy while NVH levels have improved beyond the already car-like qualities offered in the previous model. Seriously, when cruising along at the speed limit there’s hardly any road or — more importantly — wind noise to speak of.

What about that engine? TimesLIVE Motoring’s last two big Ford long-termers — the Ranger Wildtrak and Ford Everest — both made use of the marque’s 2.0l bi-turbo diesel motor paired to a ten-speed automatic transmission.

This time our steed is fitted with the less complex single-turbo unit and, quite honestly, I feel it’s the one to go for. Despite being endowed with 29 fewer kilowatts and 95Nm less torque, there’s still enough muscle on tap to overtake long lines of dawdling trucks without fearing for your life.

Better fuel consumption is another plus, with the onboard computer registering a credible 7.1l/100km by the time I finished my 1,350km trek. Even now, after two weeks of trawling around Cape Town and its notorious traffic, the XLT is still pleasing my wallet with a steady 7.4l/100km. I also prefer the six-speed automatic gearbox, which is far less prone to hunting up and down the ratios than its hyperactive 10-speed sibling, a unit I’ve never really been able to warm to.

It’s nearly time to return to Jozi but before I do I will be booking KX57HMGP for its first (an early) 15,000km service at Motus Ford Cape Town. Watch this space for an update on that.

2023 Ford Ranger XLT 2.0 SiT automatic double-cab: Update 4

ODOMETER ON DELIVERY: 9,308km

CURRENT ODOMETER: 13,298km

AVERAGE CONSUMPTION: 7.4l/100km

PRAISES: Long-distance refinement, stellar fuel consumption, comfortable seats and a pleasing amount of tech

GRIPES: Apple CarPlay randomly disconnecting (but could be the age of my phone). Lack of a tonneau cover means I can’t carry anything in the load bin — back seats or bust.