Bakkies are a breed of their own: butch, big, breker-type things that in the old days, were generally the preserve of farmers. But times have changed, girlfriends. Today’s bakkies, and more specifically today’s diesel bakkies, are in a class of their own. Take the new Ford Ranger, for instance.
You check in to your cottage, wriggle into your jodhpurs and prepare your butt for some serious work in the saddle – three to four hours of riding and cantering across wild stretches of Rolling M Ranch’s farmlands, at times following the old wagon trails, at other times crossing the mighty Tugela River...
It’s heaven. You can even join the cattle round-ups, when they move something like 200 cattle across their land...
To get there, though, you need to veer off the (tar) Spioenkop road and then follow a winding, donga-strewn farm road for about 25km. And so it was that Ford’s new brute powered 3.0 TCDi 4x2 XLE double cab Ranger returned from a weekend so camouflaged by dust you could barely tell its colour.
The new Ranger is astonishing – loved the front grille! – with its refined ride, its cabin comfort, its consumption, its unexpected power (it cranks up to a hugely respectable speed to the point where my usual speed freak daughter suggested I slow down!) and its driver-friendly interior.
Incidentally, we found, quite by accident, the secret pull-out tray that slides from beneath the dash on the front passenger side . . . tres useful and extremely clever!
On the safety side, all XLT, XLE and "Safety Pack" derivatives are fitted standard with ABS-brakes and dual front airbags. On top of this, some XLT and all XLE derivatives now also features side airbags.
At just R278 900, it’s excellent value for money that’s also fun to drive. And it would be an outstanding workhorse in anyone’s book.
A great companion on a trip to the country
My mate and my daughter and I recently hived off to this stunning little getaway in Winterton near the battlefields. It’s a working ranch where they breed Appaloosas and another wonderfully colourful breed they call Paint horses.You check in to your cottage, wriggle into your jodhpurs and prepare your butt for some serious work in the saddle – three to four hours of riding and cantering across wild stretches of Rolling M Ranch’s farmlands, at times following the old wagon trails, at other times crossing the mighty Tugela River...
It’s heaven. You can even join the cattle round-ups, when they move something like 200 cattle across their land...
To get there, though, you need to veer off the (tar) Spioenkop road and then follow a winding, donga-strewn farm road for about 25km. And so it was that Ford’s new brute powered 3.0 TCDi 4x2 XLE double cab Ranger returned from a weekend so camouflaged by dust you could barely tell its colour.
  
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The smoothest ride of the weekend
But for those of us inside the bakkie, it was, quite honestly, the smoothest ride of the long weekend!The new Ranger is astonishing – loved the front grille! – with its refined ride, its cabin comfort, its consumption, its unexpected power (it cranks up to a hugely respectable speed to the point where my usual speed freak daughter suggested I slow down!) and its driver-friendly interior.
Interior of a normal sedan
Inside the double-cab it’s easy to imagine you’re in a normal sedan. All of the comforts of home, with leather seats, electric windows, CD player, and a terrifically efficient aircon (in complete contrast, we needed the heater the day we drove home, and it worked equally quickly and efficiently). And loved the chrome finishes in the interior, with that classy new look CD/radio console . . .Incidentally, we found, quite by accident, the secret pull-out tray that slides from beneath the dash on the front passenger side . . . tres useful and extremely clever!
On the safety side, all XLT, XLE and "Safety Pack" derivatives are fitted standard with ABS-brakes and dual front airbags. On top of this, some XLT and all XLE derivatives now also features side airbags.
Easy and quiet to drive
The manual gearbox is smooth and easy, and we all noted that even rumbling over the stoney/rocky/dirt surfaces, vibration and noise were practically non-existent. A huge plus was that no one broke a nail unhooking the tonneau cover at the back when we loaded and unloaded our goods and chattels.A Fun workhorse offering great value too!
The Ranger also proved its versatility, substituting for a ladder when my daughter managed to kick her little pink shoe on to the roof of our cottage (don’t ask!). A tall guest was able to balance himself on the bakkie’s rollbar and with the aid of a canoe paddle, sweep the errant shoe down to the ground.At just R278 900, it’s excellent value for money that’s also fun to drive. And it would be an outstanding workhorse in anyone’s book.
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