having played second fiddle to the Hilux in terms of overall sales last year with 32 811 units moved versus 36 422, the Ranger, despite now being older than its Japanese rival is set for an interesting few months with a rumoured facelift coming later this year, followed by the debut of the much awaited Ranger Raptor next year.
Looks inspired by Raptor
Prior to the latter’s arrival though, and inspired by the iconic F-150 Raptor, the hugely popular trend of buyers fitting what has commonly become known as Raptor styling kits to their Rangers regardless of it being single, super or double cab models powered by the 2.2-litre or 3.2-litre TDCi engines, eventually resulted in Ford making the aesthetically enhanced FX4 available in South Africa last year.
Initially limited to Australia, the FX4 offers the halfway point between the XLT and Wildtrak in the Ranger line-up, using the former as a base and adding exterior paraphernalia such as a black grille, roll bar, side steps, door handles, mirrors, roof rails, fog light bezel, side steps and decals on the bonnet and tailgate, black 17-inch alloy wheels, bin-liner, FX4 badges and a choice of four colours, which in the case of our tester, was the striking Moondust Silver hue.
While nowhere near as eye-catching or indeed completely over-the-top as some of the Raptor creations, the FX4 does give the Ranger a more muscular and dare I say it, sporty look in the form of those roll bars and black wheels, although we would suggest the Panther Black paint option for the full blacked-out effect.
Interior more function than form
Sadly, the FX4’s interior has been kept unchanged and despite it mirroring that of the XLT, it does feel well put together with solid, robust feeling plastics, satin silver inlays at the base of the steering wheel and on the gear lever and faux aluminium detailing around the air vents.
What continues to look out of place though is the almost slab-like black plastic facia housing the heat and ventilation switches as well as the CD receiver, especially with the eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system now incorporating SYNC 3 perched above it.
Part of the upgrades applied to the Ranger and Everest ranges last year, the new system now offers satellite navigation as standard, in addition to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Tracks4Africa and mapping for 20 countries in Africa, and rates as one of the easiest to navigate through despite some of the icons appearing a bit dated. There's also dual USB ports and the always easy-to-use voice command system.
While it loses out on some of the Wildtrak’s safety tech, equipment levels in the FX4 are still high and includes the 4.2-inch TFT instrument cluster, rear parking sensors with reverse camera, six-speaker sound system with Bluetooth, dual-zone climate control, auto on/off headlamps, electric windows all around, cruise control, ABS with EBD, hill descent control, traction control and seven airbags.
Powertrain still impressive
Soon to be replaced by the Raptor’s 2.0-litre twin-turbodiesel engine as the most powerful engine option, the stalwart 3.2-litre Duratorq TDCi five-cylinder mill, while not the quietest on the market, still rates as an impressive piece of kit in the way it delivers its 147kW/470Nm.
With its distinctive five-pot growl, the unit pulls strong from low down and despite the first gear slipping sensation associated with the otherwise slick-shifting six-speed automatic gearbox, the entire drivetrain felt more up-to-date than the similar setup used in the Mazda BT-50 driven last year. Of course, this can be reactivated by slotting the gear lever into Sport mode and changing gear manually, which made each shift a bit more responsive.
Although the FX4, a badge denoting off-road focused versions of the F-150 and US-spec Ranger remained in two-wheel drive mode throughout its weeklong stay, the ride felt comfortable and despite the power station up front, fuel consumption came to a best of 10.1-litres/100 km.
Conclusion
The crunch factor of the Ranger FX4 though is its price. At R616 900 for the 3.2 TDCi double cab 4x4 auto tested here, it commands a price tag hike of R15 000 over the equivalent XLT. Combine this with the fact that the Wildtrak retails for R624 900 but comes with more standard equipment, and you would really want to have the FX4’s aesthetics additions in spite of it not offering any extra kit when compared to the XLT.
