Test drive Ford Ranger 1992 - 2010 compartment

Universal pickup

It is difficult to come up with a more suitable place for the presentation of the updated Ford Ranger than Karelia. This car was created for driving on bad roads, and there are more than enough of them in this subject of the Russian Federation. For example, the A129 highway of the A129 highway, along which a test drive route was held, a hundred kilometers from St. Petersburg turns into a real primer.
After this mark, the asphalt on our way was found only in large settlements. But here on the roads there are many UAZs and pickups of foreign production. We even had the impression that in these places to ride Japanese and American on -board SUVs are very fashionable.
Especially after in one village we saw a brightly painted woman while driving a newly washed red Chinese pickup. Choosing this car, she clearly withstanding a certain style.
Farewell to America
By the way, the Ford Ranger, sold in the European and Asian markets, should not be confused with the same North American model - its own Ford Development, which is produced for the American continent and South Africa.
The new ranger can also be called stylish. Limiting a small cosmetic upgrade (only a radiator grille, hood, head optics and bumper have changed), the designers still managed to radically change the ratio of utilitarianism in the appearance of the pickupa. As a result, the car began to look more dynamic and modern, in the spirit of its closest Asian competitors, Mazda BT-50 and Mitsubishi L200.
Although, to be honest, I liked Ranger in a dorestyled performance. Thanks to a large rectangular radiator grille with two thick chrome crosses, it looked very American. And for a pickup, even a decorative connection with the country that gave the world a cult of mini-loaders is worth a lot.
Well, God be with her, with North America. The main thing is that the inhabitants of the Karelian villages, even despite the metropolitan numbers that do not like in the Russian regions, escorted us with approving views. So in Russia the new Ranger will most likely take root. Although at first he, of course, will have to be hard.

Representatives of Ford argue that during the Ranger restyling, they combed a corporate kinetic design. However, in fact, the pickup has become even more like its Asian competitors - Mazda BT -50 and Mitsubishi L200.
Time is money
The fact is that until the dealers ended with the stocks of cars in 2008, the domestic market actually lives at last year's prices with some adjustment for the dollar rate that had grown as a result of the devaluation of the ruble. In this situation, all new models that appear in our country are obviously much more expensive than the old ones. Indeed, in their cost, customs duties increased in January are also laid down.
In addition, for pickups, this increase in price turned out to be more significantly than for cars. The on -board SUVs in our country belong to trucks, and according to the new nomenclature, their customs clearance went up five times - from five to twenty -five percent of the cost of the car. For comparison, customs duties for cars increased only 1.4 times - from 25 to 35 percent.
As a result, prices for a new ranger are now starting from 978 thousand rubles, but with such a cost in the domestic market there is nothing to catch the novelty yet. For example, now Ranger but the previous generation in the basic configuration can be bought for 774 thousand rubles. And Mitsubishi Motors dealers still have last year’s L200 679 thousand rubles.
Interior
       
During the restyling, the interior of Ford Ranger remained unchanged. The only difference between the new ranger and the old is the red backlight. At the predecessor, the wells on the tidy glowed green.
 
A serious advantage of the ranger over competitors is the presence of not only double, but also one and a half cab. With this layout of the body, the rear seats can be folded, and use this place as a full -fledged trunk. But in this case, the pickupa becomes exclusively double.
 
Depending on the type of cabin, the ranger can have a different body length. So, in a pickup with a five -seater interior, the size of a cargo platform is 1530 millimeters, and for a car with a half -of -the -term cabin - 1753 millimeters.
 
However, the reserves in the warehouses of the Ford competitors are not endless, and sooner or later (most likely, before the end of this year) they will also begin to import pickups to Russia on new customs duties. Then it will become clear how competitive the prices of the new ranger are.
Classic recipe
Naturally, when last year's pickups end and prices are leveled, this market segment will noticeably sink pickups no longer will be available to an alternative to crossovers or ordinary SUVs. On the other hand, cars such as Ford Ranger have always attracted and attract their customers not only at the price, but also with a strong frame structure, a painful engine (most often diesel), an indestructible suspension and a practical body.
It is this classic combination that lovers of off -road and outdoor activities value in nature. And among the owners of the rangers, the majority according to Ford data, in Russia, about 85 percent of pickups are bought by private individuals.

So far, only a five -stage gearbox supplied to the Russian market Ford Ranger. For the second generation, it was finalized by increasing the gear rates of the first two steps so that the ranger was more easily moved. Especially under load.
The new Ranger will not deceive his buyer except for design in the car little, and, therefore, he still remains the right, old-school SUV. Such, on which it is not scary to go along the crosscreen October roads deep into the Karelian forest. Which we did by driving on the way to the SUV travelers prepared by the test organizers.
Due to the simple (and therefore reliable) complete drive with a rigidly connected front-line and lowering, as well as the 143-horsepower diesel Duratorq, which goes to a maximum torque of 330 Newton meters already at 1800 revolutions per minute, the pickup can crawl along the mud rut almost by almost by idle, avoiding unnecessary wheel slipping.
But with the geometric cross -country ability of a car, problems can arise, especially on standard tires. After all, 205 millimeters of the road clearance is not so much for serious off -road: for example, in a deep rut we often hunched over the protection of the crankcase and the rear axle differential cover on the ground.
Universal Soldier
On a flat road, the ranger also behaves predictably, and it doesn’t matter whether the primer or the recently laid asphalt of the St. Petersburg CCAD. The rolls within the rational limits, the buildup on bumps - for a long -flowing off -road suspension, is minimal.

Leaving the Ford Ranger interior unchanged, the Fords missed the opportunity to at least slightly improve the ergonomics of the cabin. It's a pity. The front chairs are not enough vertical adjustment, the flight column does not regulate the departure, and behind the gearbox lever when the fifth gear is turned on, you have to stretch.
True, it shakes on the bumps. Moreover, microcoletania with an amplitude of one or two millimeters is especially irritated, which literally shake the soul at high speed. But such is the payback for the carrying capacity, which is provided by the rear spring suspension - the pickup can take more than a ton of cargo on board.
By the way, during the test, especially on a wet primer, I wanted a ballast weighing 300-500 kilograms in the back. Without it, the test ranger at the first opportunity begins revenge on the tail. Moreover, the pickup does not have an electronic assistant for this case - the stabilization system is not put even on Ranger top configurations.
Who is new?
In the dry rest with a ranger, everything seems to be clear. Even after restyling, the pickupian retained its main trump cards, a simple design, high cross -country ability and acceptable handling on city roads. Designers only wrapped all this good in more attractive packaging.
Alternative
Prices for Ssangyong Action Sports start at 590 thousand rubles. For this money, the buyer receives a naked car with a five -speed mechanics, a two -liter diesel engine with a capacity of 141 horsepower: without air conditioning, audio systems and ABS.
Mitsubishi L200 in the basic configuration of Invite SEICHS can be bought for 679 thousand rubles. Such a car will be equipped with a 136-horsepower 2.5-liter diesel, mechanics and all-wheel drive Easy Select. Prices for a complete set with a machine gun and an advanced handout of Super-Elect starts from 867 thousand rubles.
 
Even naked Nissan Navara in the XE configuration costs noticeably more than a ranger - 1 million 121 thousand rubles. But it is also driven by a 2.5-liter diesel engine, and the torque transmits a manual gearbox to the wheels. The base includes audio training and ABS.
Prices for a new car rose significantly, but this happened for objective reasons. In general, nothing special, but with such a proposal, you can’t make a revolution in the segment.

In addition to the 2.5-liter diesel, Ford Ranger also has a three-liter Duratorq TDCI, which develops a peak power of 154 horsepower and a torque of 380 nm. This engine is not supplied to Russia due to high customs duties and transport tax.
However, in Ford they prepare an unpleasant surprise to competitors in 2010 in the Russian market may appear a ranger with a gun. At least in the company they are already calculating options for delivering a pickupa to our market with a five -speed automatic gearbox. The one that is now installed on Ford Explorer.
In the event that Fords are decided on this step, then at least one of the main competitors of Ranger Mazda BT -50, a serious blow will be delivered: the Japanese have not yet promised Russian customers an automatic machine. And if Ford at this moment can also reduce the price of their pickup, then potential buyers of the Mitsubishi L200 can also be selected, who are seduced by the automatic gearbox.
It turns out that the updated ranger now has intrigue, and rainbow prospects, and the danger of failure. Not a car, but a real adventurer.
Technical characteristics Ford Ranger Double Cab
Length, mm 5175
Width, mm 1805
Height, mm 1795
Wheel base, mm 3000
Equipped mass, kg 1775
Engine volume, cm3 2499
Power, horsepower/O-Min 143/3500
Torque, NM/O-Min 330/1800
Acceleration time from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour, from 12.5
Maximum speed, there is no data
Fuel consumption in a combined cycle, l/100 km 8.9
Unification

Ford Ranger and Mazda BT -50 are twins. They are even produced at the same factory in Thailand. True, the Japanese pickup was introduced to the public a year earlier than an American - in 2006.
Artem Bethev

Source: auto.lenta.ru