on air now
Roch-Lè Bloem
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KayCee Rossouw
I spent 2 days behind the wheel of the new Ranger Wildtrak X on all terrains. Long periods on huge stretches of gravel and tarred roads in Upington, near the Namibian border. These roads are relatively quiet and invites one to put pedal to the metal at speeds in excess of 140kmph. It’s just you at one with the bakkie. And the Wildtrak X delivers a smooth and steady ride. It has a unique long-travel suspension with Bilstein dampers, advanced off-road driver assistance systems and a bold new style. The new Trail Turn Assist makes its debut on Wildtrak X, able to reduce the turning circle by up to 25 percent when making a tight turn off-road.
Go further off-road
Engineered to go further off-road without compromise, Ford’s new Ranger Wildtrak X is built to help owners tackle daily adventures and weekend escapes with a host of new trail-ready technologies and equipment.
Packed with capability and designed to help customers press on where others would be forced to turn back, the Wildtrak X is the latest member of the Ranger family.
“The Ranger Wildtrak range has been immensely popular in South Africa for more than a decade due to its trend-setting style, peerless status, innovative suite of driver assistance technologies and exceptional performance,” says Doreen Mashinini, General Manager for Marketing at Ford South Africa. “With the Wildtrak X we’re giving this prized nameplate a more muscular character and even greater off-road capability, enabling our customers to push the boundaries of an active, outdoor lifestyle.”
Expanding off-road horizons
Based on the hugely popular Ranger Wildtrak, the new Wildtrak X provides a perfect step towards more extreme adventure without compromising on the outstanding level of luxury and safety that are hallmarks of this high-spec model. It has a 30mm wider stance to provide an even more stable footprint off-road, while ground clearance has risen by 26mm, helping owners to negotiate more challenging terrain with confidence.
To achieve this boost in both track width and ground clearance, Ford engineers fitted new-design 17-inch alloys wrapped in 265/70 R17 General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres with bold white lettering that emphasizes the vehicle’s sporty character. To ensure that the Wildtrak X has the capability to take you to far-flung destinations well off the beaten track, it is equipped with specially tuned Bilstein Position-Sensitive Dampers that provide sure-footed performance in all types of terrain.
I love the Flexi rack
The Ranger Wildtrak X also introduces Ford’s innovative new Flexible Rack System, which is available as an option. Hidden in plain sight, it consists of two main components: a sliding load rack that can be locked into five positions along the length of the load bed, and folding roof racks that store inside the roof rails when not in use. The system can be operated by one person and doesn’t require any tools to set up or stow.
Drive it
The Wildtrak X features seven driving modes that cover every day and?off-road driving (Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud/Ruts, Sand and Rock Crawl), and comes equipped with a comprehensive suite of driver assistance and safety systems. These include Active Park Assist, Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert and Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go and Lane Centering, Lane Departure Warning and a 360-degree camera as standard.
New design features includes:
Interior
Wildtrak X is fitted with new accented leather seats with Miko® suede trim and Wildtrak X embroidered into the seat backs, upper glovebox and all-weather floormats. Terra suede adorns the glovebox, instrument cluster hood and door trim while Cyber Orange contrast stitching is used on the seats, steering wheel, gear shifter, doors, and the upper glovebox.
Making it ideally suited to adventurous families, the Wildtrak has a 10-speaker B&O premium sound system along with USB-A and USB-C connectivity and charging ports,
2.0L Bi-Turbo Diesel engine
The Wildtrak X is powered by Ford’s powerful yet efficient 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo diesel engine that produces 154kW of power and 500Nm of torque. It is matched to the smooth-shifting and responsive 10-speed automatic transmission.
Pricing (includes VAT):
Ranger Wildtrak X 2.0L BiT 4x4 10AT R1 013 000
Included as standard is Ford Protect comprising a four-year/120 000km warranty, four-year/unlimited distance Roadside Assistance and five-year/unlimited distance corrosion warranty.
