Test drive Ford Ranger 1992 - 2010 compartment

Look and raise it

Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi L200 Strong frame structure, turbodiesel, unreasonable rear bridge, springs, all -wheel drive, high clearance attributes of a serious SUV. Plus a cargo platform and a five -seater cabin Double Cab. They are real hard workers, not without, however, some comfort that attracts. Cars for farmers? Cargo SUVs for urban extremes? Image kara for the DJs? Chopped forms without gay cockery and other auto-barco. The Real Light Trucks. Serious, confident in the man's own abilities.
The homeland of pickups America. In English, Puck-up means to raise, choose. Here in the States, they are leisure with fanaticism and raise them and selected. In the States, their patrimony, the place of nesting. By the number of sales of pickups with America, it cannot ... not only the whole African continent, but also the whole world. Is it a joke, last year, for example, the same Ford Ford Ford Ford sold in America more than 1 million pieces! Cheap, iron, reliable, comfortable, traditional. Russia has not yet been financially expensive to pickups, but the increasing interest in them in our country is quite justified by this universal symbiosis of a car and a truck perfectly established itself in the city and on a rather complex off -road. With the advent of pickups in our sky, the time of great practitioners has come, those who managed to earn enough money, so as not to interrupt from Niva to the UAZ with a trailer, those who realized that rinsing an expensive jeep in the mud on the entrances to the cottage under construction is more expensive. Although, in relation to interest in pickups throughout Russia, we probably got excited. Rather, in megacities and in their environs closer to service centers. On the periphery, even if they know and dream of pickupa, the lack of full -fledged service and finance, as well as the sedimentary quality of diesel fuel, seriously inhibits the expansion of the range of their distribution. And in the future ... Most likely, everything in the same cities and surroundings, as well as for oil workers and gas workers, will soon be abused as many.
At first, the upcoming comparison of the two pickups seemed to us ungrateful due to their almost identical design. Well, pickups and pickups what to compare them? The only difference in horsepower is six more in L200. But, having looked at them more closely, and also, having tasted them in practice, it turned out that there is something to talk about.
It would seem that the dynamics whether it is worth remembering the dynamics when it comes to trucks. But what about? Of course, you should know how it all goes. And we admit, we got a lot of pleasure. Firstly, because they abstracted from generally accepted banalities of the type of acceleration, secondly, because any diesel itself is lucky, and thirdly, the sensations turned out to be funny. And largely due to a different gear ratio in boxes. The gear of the first gear of Ford turned out to be the diameter larger than the same gear on L200. Ranger frankly did not want to go in the first gear, moaned, pretended to be a tractor, pretending to lean all his weight on the plow. After the first serious pressing on the accelerator pedal, he tried to cudder to throw the tachometer shooter into the red zone. But on the other hand, with the inclusion of the second gear, Ranger quit his nonsense and joyfully jumped forward, accelerating powerfully on the fifth as much as 150 km/h. It would be possible to squeeze it yet, but the public road did not allow. Manipulations with transmissions and a motor in the range from two to four thousand revolutions did not cause any problems, moreover, Ranger not only did not fall out of the stream, but also allowed to go assertively, quickly and aggressively, sprinkling with headlights with headlights. Mitsubishi, unlike Ford, did not play the theater of one tractor during acceleration, willingly, smoothly and powerfully accelerated alternately in each gear, but after 140 km/h he was noticeably sad and a set of speeds of up to 150 km/h produced very sluggishly, without without enthusiasm. But this does not mean at all that some parallel participants in the movement had to adjust it. In the general stream, he kept quite confidently, and even frightened his impressive rampant on the hood of some kind of quiet-rose that gleeped in the left lane. And still think about it! We are talking about workhorses, about trucks with a body that are capable of in an unloaded state to form a decent competition for passenger participants.
Outside the road, they are still more SUVs than cars. It's funny, but they are even more jeeps than jeeps themselves. By the properties and nature of the movement, according to the most off -road ideology, they are closer to old Defender are reliable, serious, without special excesses, on large, identical, by the way, wheels. And on disks and rubber. They continue to crawl even where a serious SUV risk frankly sitting on the belly. Frame, diesel, springs and powerful protection from below. Everyone got 20 km of a rather complex forest, in a spring blurry road, and both drove it at least in one direction, but with a load of about 300 a kilogram. They behaved at least reliably, but differently. It is unlikely that the plastic Kung Ford played a large role in this, how much he could weigh, but it was Ford on the off -road that seemed softer. The amplitude of Ford fluctuations, a vertical swing on a wavy blurry rut, as it moves forward, constantly increased, and if I did not release the accelerator in time, then some of the waves necessarily ended with a tangible blow to the engine protection against the ground. After a couple of such unpleasant experiments, the hunting went faster, I cut the second program, and Ford and I, slowly, arrived, the rest of the route arrived without any problems. I had to turn on the lowering once, and then for insurance, just in case, when the appearance of a huge, flooded mud of a puddle frankly scared me. But the jeepers say correctly: they are afraid of their eyes, do their hands. It turned out everything was not so scary, we would easily drive this place and just on all -wheel drive. Mitsubishi L200 has fallen more tests thanks to completely disgusting weather. Remember these vile May cold? So before we moved from the asphalt to the L200 to the treasured road, snow fell in those places. You can understand my feelings ahead of 10 km of an absolutely deserted forest road along the reserve, the rut is filled with water and looks like a brilliant fat skating rink, the streams of melt water are in some places overplay the whole road, and we have only summer rubber and a complete absence of a channel tool, oh. Which we did not think in Moscow frivolously. In short, if you have nowhere to look for help. Believe I have never used the lowered! Firstly, the experience of traveling along this highway on Ford has already affected, and secondly, L200 simply flew on this bold coating as on wings. Of course, he was goat and shook the insides on those very road waves, the untied cargo was rattled and rolled up, the rear wheels periodically slipped from the ruts to the sidelines, but he, sorry, per, as a tank, powerfully, dashingly, confidently and quickly In some relatively even places, I even switched to the third gear. Cool! Just a delight!
Ergonomics we are not entitled to bypass ergonomics. Yes, perhaps, we will also expand the topic somewhat observations on the external and internal structure. Pikaps with single cabins in Russia unambiguously do not take root not practically. Because the second row of seats by most consumers is also used as an indoor trunk, which is absent by their nature in pickups. As for the landing and accommodation of passengers, it seemed to us that in Ford behind a little more space than in Mitsubishi. In Ford, for example, I calmly sat behind myself. In the L200, too, due to their relatively small dimensions in height, but there I was already in the end. 10 more centimeters, and I would securely buried my head in the ceiling. However, in L200 it is much more convenient to sit behind the wheel, and if not for the thin rim of the steering wheel, then everything would be just perfectly two levels of adjustment of the chair, all the devices were clearly visible, it is convenient to reach everything. Ranger offers the driver, in our opinion, is not enough a high workplace, that is, if the chair itself is made convenient, then he clearly does not have enough adjustment in the height of the pillow. Optionally, Ranger is richer not just condo, but climate control, two airbags, heated electric mirrors, electric glass and surrounding plastic look more expensive. In L200, gray plastic, air conditioning, electric stroke with the same mirrors and that's it. We got a relatively simple version without pillows. At almost the same prices, Ford with kung and pillows looks cooler.
In general, now about the inconvenience and shortcomings, as well as about the amenities and daughters adjusted for the working purpose of pickups. The reserve for both individuals is attached equally under the body. The process of its release is complicated and can turn in an off-road into a torture, because in order to remove it, you need to get an incredible length of the piece of iron from behind the back of the rear seat, stick it into a special fodder hole and rotate until the reserve on a special fastener drops out under the body. The lesson is dirty, unpleasant and dreary. But it seems that we are too addicted in this matter who will offer the place better? To remove, and place it, and so that it does not interfere. The rear window of the cockpit of Ford, even if there is a kung, is protected by a grate. Correctly and prudently, and suddenly the load comes across heavy and God forbid, it will shift in the process of off -road movement to glass. There is such an option for Mitsubishi, but we got a car without it. Further, the bodies of our two pickups are treated only with paint, there is no protective composition at all. A booth is mounted directly on the Ford Council on top of the paint, which, although fixed quite firmly, but still, over time, in places of contact, the paintwork will shine to the metal. In L200, everything is the same, only without kung. And the sides are not protected by anything that they will have to load, say, boards or some other sharply angle luggage right through the sides and the heart douses with blood onto metal paint. Let's get back to the cabin. It is clear that no one was going to present high requirements for the quality of decoration in dirty boots and in wet clothes, everything is clear. Our pickups in Thailand are collected and not without shortcomings. In Ford, after 100 km/h, a stream of air is made into the casing of the driver's door through some small scrap hole. And the higher the speed, the more annoying the noise became. At first we sinned on the mirror, then on the seals, but all the wrong. As a result, it was not possible to calculate the source of noise. And in L200 in the fifth gear, the box lever began to ring loudly. You touch it with your hand calm down, let go again begins to ring. Now glorious words about the daughters. Living in Russia, it is difficult to sing praise diesels. The dynamics are not the same, the fuel is not that the repair of a fault of the fuel pump of high pressure costs half the Lada. But, guys, at 500 km of run I poured diesel fuel in every car exactly the same as I pour 95th gasoline into the Nissan Almera gas with a 1.4-liter engine for the same kilometers of mileage! Super! And this is taking into account the fact that the pickups did not go empty and gave out stable 120130 km/h of cruising speed on the highway. Then it is quite tolerant to drive a five of them, it is quite comfortable to get inside, regardless of the size of the rear doors, you can transport anything, as well as anyone, a dog, a cat and other animals, if a car with a booth. In general, in our opinion, a pickup with a booth is preferably a pickup with a gross body. With the kung is calmer, a targeted coating and a target of the load. So about the shortcomings, so we frankly got to the bottom.
HOW DO THEY LOOK
Nikita Rozanov
 
Outside: to look for harmony in their appearance is as pointless as trying to score a nail ... with a bottle. The body of this couple is created for another. The classic pick-up was created exclusively for work, and its style at all times was determined by the function and in the last turn artistic parameters. Hence some mechanism of the appearance, straightforwardness and simplicity of decoration. But look at their faces. All the efforts of the stylists are reflected here. As a result, recognition and expressiveness is achieved, which means that it is difficult to confuse this pair. Both have characteristic and branded radiator cladding, thanks to which everyone resembles its own: a Japanese donor of the Pajero Sport body details, and the American is a modern ideal of corporate beauty Ford SUV Terrible Excursion. The lateral appearance is not for aesthetes. A cargo platform with a folding rear side joins with an elongated cabin like a Cab without undertaking and through an impressive gap. It is also noticeable and the main advantage of cars is the ability to install a hard roof. From this operation, the silhouette becomes integral, but the image loses originality and originality. Due to the two-tone color, the Ford looks more elegant, and because of the plastic expanders of the wheeled arches are more sporty and athletic than Mitsubishi, which in comparison with it is just an honest truck.
 
Inside: here both cars are not even trying to hide their true utilitarian destiny. The panels of the devices are ascetic in Social-style and their style and design can be reminded of only the 80s. The rudders are radically four-spiti and in this regard are deprived of any embellishment and jewelry. The upholstery of the doors are made simply in a severe-stable style, which is especially unusual to observe in an American, albeit a fifth light car.
Summary: if you are fraught with a tight on-board tadpoles-UAZ and you are looking for a replacement for him, then, having bought one of these pickups, you will fall into the top ten and at the same time there will be many new features in your image. And perhaps you will completely change the lifestyle.
Text Nikolay Ushanov photo Alexander Nozdrin
 

 

Source: Cars