The Ford Ranger Wildtrak and why bakkies rule in South Africa

I recently had a Porsche 911 Carrera on test and I absolutely loved it but as much as I enjoyed driving it, our roads and fellow road users make it difficult to get the full experience.

So when I climbed back into our long-term Ford Ranger Wildtrak Supercab, it got me thinking why bakkies are South Africa’s favourite vehicle.

Every month’s sales figures reflect a slew of bakkies that have found new owners, with the Toyota Hilux constantly leading the pack, the Ford Ranger not far behind, followed by Isuzu.

Throw Nissan, Peugeot, Mitsubishi and GWM into the mix and you get my point.

Interestingly, Ford leads the double cab sales figures.

Driving dynamics

Long gone are the days of bakkies being uncomfortable transport and having to wrestle the steering wheel to keep it planted. 

In fact, the Wildtrack’s driving dynamics are a lot more car-like than a ladder frame load carrier would suggest and currently boasts the best ride quality out of all the double cabs in the market.

Apart from how comfortable it is to drive, they’re a handy tool for carting things around and I suspect there are  a number of sportscar owners who have a bakkie in the driveway as well.

Whether it’s garden refuse, small home renovations or in my case, moving my son’s belongings to his new room at the university residence. 

They save on appliance call-out fees as well when we were charged R250 for someone to inspect a faulty tumble-dryer. 

Loading it into the back to take it to them meant the money was spent on a more worthy cause for the evening’s braai.

All you need

Our Ranger Wildtrak Supercab has all the bells and whistles you could ever want and if I was a business owner, I could claim the VAT back as well. If the minister of finance had had his way in February, that would have been 17%.

Its one drawback though is that it only has seating for two people but if you’re going to be buying one, you already know that and it will be part of your purchasing decision.

Apart from one occasion for a family gathering, my partner and I have not needed the extra room.

As with the Wildtrak double cab, our Supercab has Ford’s tried and tested 2.0-litre Bi-turbo diesel engine that’s good for 154kW and 500Nm of torque.

It’s mated to their 10-speed automatic transmission with six driving modes set via a rotary dial on the centre console. 

Fuel efficient

For the past month, I’ve been focusing solely with fuel consumption in mind, not driving like Miss Daisy mind you, but staying to the speed limits, pulling away gently with soft throttle inputs and it’s managed to get down to 9.1l/100km. That’s about 800km on a tank if I keep it up.

Not bad for a bakkie with a curb weight of 2,285kg and big 18-inch alloys fitted with Good Year Wrangler All Terrains.

Quality control

Owners can also take comfort in the fact that every Ranger manufactured at the Silverton plant in Pretoria goes through a comprehensive six-point checklist before leaving the factory.

It starts with the dark room with head and taillights, the instrument cluster, a Sync4 screen and all interior lighting are tested for brightness and alignment.

There’s literally a hands-on inspection as well where inspectors run their hands across every surface, tracing the contours for any imperfections, while also checking panel alignment while every button, switch, and control is pressed, poked, clicked and pulled.

The last time I saw that was at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, a grizzled Italian with white gloves ran his hand over the cars.  

A systems check does a comprehensive diagnostic check to ensure the electrical components are connected correctly.

Ford’s mobile artificial intelligence vision system (MAIVS) uses advanced algorithms to scan the exterior of the vehicle for any flaws, like missing or crooked badges.

The Leak Test simulates a five-minute monsoonal downpour. High-pressure water jets blast the vehicle from every angle. All the lights and seals are inspected for water tightness and the doors opened while rubber seals are checked for any signs of water ingress.The water used is collected, treated and reused for subsequent tests.

Finally there’s the squeak and rattle test.

The Rangers drive over uneven cobblestones and angled irons to simulate a variety of real-world driving surfaces to ensure there are no unwanted noises, and that the suspension and steering operates exactly as it should. 

I’ve done a lot of gravel driving in it and so far there have been no issues with our Ford Ranger Wildtrak Supercab, so clearly it works.