It’s interesting really, isn’t it? Often is the case, car nuts like ourselves shake our heads at the way manufacturers market certain products to customers plainly because we feel we know absolutely everything there is to know about cars. More often than not, we’re straight-up wrong and the corporate beings at be hit the nail in the head and sell thousands.
If we had things our way, every car would come with either a flat-plane crank V8, turbo 6-cylinder, or 9000rpm flat-six. Unfortunately, this makes absolutely no sense, costs too much and often translates to poor sales. In the rare circumstance that a manufacturer decides to listen to what the ‘community’ actually asks for they’re left with some version of an Ariel Atom V8 that no one with half a brain would ever think of getting behind the wheel of for the simple fact, it wants to kill you. The smart side of our brain knows it’s all about balance, but how do we find this balance and find the result in a product that sells? Let the 2022 Ford Ranger explain.
Customer-Centred Design
When we attended the Sydney unveiling of the Ranger in the latter half of 2021 the brand kept banging on about ‘Customer-centred Design’ which is traditionally automotive speak for “we stuck a wing and tune on your hatchback for driver engagement,” but that couldn’t be farther from the truth when it comes to New Ranger. In the schpiel they had video interviews with owners from around the world who spoke about their relationship with the Ranger, it was powerful. And true.
“Our intent was not to simply create a good truck. We wanted to deliver an exceptional one that people would want to own – one that customers around the world could trust to tackle anything,” said Gary Boes, Enterprise Product Line Management director, Global Trucks.
While the introduction of a V6 engine is surely welcomed into the range, it’s all ‘the other stuff’ that really convinced us this vehicle is going to be a sure-fire winner. Let’s check them out.
New Ford Ranger Features We Love
The cargo box has been completely redesigned to offer extra levels of versatility. Everyone’s heard about ‘the step’ that’s been integrated into the load box to make climbing easier (no more tire climbing) – can you imagine how much easier this will make cleaning a canopy? On the inside of the box, there are zoned lighting, which you can control inside the vehicle or via the FordPass app on your smartphone. Everything from headlights, puddle lamps, number plate lamps and box lighting can be set to illuminate a 360-degree area around the ute, or in specific areas. Perfect for setting up camp in the dark.
A new tailgate design can be raised and lowered with one hand, and you can also use it as a workbench if you need to get a job done quickly. Two clamp pockets are hidden into the design, as well as a built-in ruler.
Inside the cargo box itself, the drop in bed liner includes functional divider locators so that owners can create their own compartments to store gear that they might otherwise have to carry in the cabin. It’s also much easier to clean with wider mouldings. Rooftop platform mounts allow for the easy fitment of roof accessories, like racks and tents. Next-gen Ranger’s roof load limits are up to 350kg (static) and 85kg (dynamic).
Interior & Accessories
On the inside, tradies will appreciate the increased storage space with a new centre console design and dedicated storage compartments. Auxillary switches in the roof console can control external components like driving lights and diff-locks. In the rear, under-seat storage has created more room in the bins underneath the rear seats allowing for the ‘over-filling’ of the bins while still allowing the seats to be dropped in place. It also folds flat.
If you’re an offroad addict like ourselves you’ll be more than familiar with the three letters ARB, and the new Ford Ranger can be personalised with up to 600 factory-backed accessories. There’s nothing worse than factory bullbars and you always end up going aftermarket with this stuff anyway, so Ford went straight to the source, hooray.
We’ll keep banging on about this vehicle until it releases. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy that the brand has truly thought about its customers and we’re stoked! We can’t wait to jump behind the wheel and share our thoughts when the 2022 Ranger hits market, however, if you can’t get enough of this ute check out our in-depth “10 Things You Need to Know” by clicking the link down below.
2022 Ford Ranger Unveiled: 10 Things to Know
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