The ‘Lone Ranger’ rides far and wild, still

It has been 70 years since the early 1940s, but for this “lone Ranger,” it sure still feels like it. In an industry dominated by the Japanese, there’s that darn Yankee stubbornly holding the fort.

We’re talking about Ford’s Ranger pick-up series, and though it has figured consistently in fifth place since 2008 as far as pick-up sales go in this country (according to figures of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines), it has held its head high—being the only American brand toughing it out with the likes of Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Isuzu in the pick-up category. And being the grizzled veteran of the pack (the Ranger was first introduced in the Philippines in 1999), the Ranger has become Ford Motor Company Philippines’ third’s strongest nameplate behind its best-selling subcompact Fiesta and SUV Everest.

The official word is that by early 2012, a reinforcement would ship in: that of an all-new Ranger its makers hope would push back enemy lines enough to claim for Ford a bigger chunk of the local pick-up territory.

For now, however, the lone Ranger is admirably holding its own, a fact that has made Inquirer Motoring take notice. The Ford Global dealership recently handed over a white Ranger Trekker Wildtrak this writer would get to know for the first time. Naturally, she chose to take it to where American military troops last made their exercises on Philippine soil—Ternate, Cavite, where the Philippine Marines consummated the Visiting Forces Agreement (that’s the Balikatan exercises to our Caviteños) with their US counterparts some months ago.

For security reasons, though, the writer and the Wildtrak didn’t enter the camp. The well-paved road along the mountainous Ternate area provided enough challenges for the power and drive of the Ranger Wildtrak to be revealed.

At 1758 kg, the 5-speed A/T 4×2 Ranger Wildtrak we tested is slightly heavier than the 2011 Strada GLX V 4×2 (at 1720kg) and the Navara 4×2 6-speed M/T (1710kg). But with a variable geometry turbo charger similar to the Strada’s, the Ranger is in no danger of being left behind.

The Ranger’s exterior design could rival that of the Strada, and based on our short drives with the three pick-ups, the Ranger Wildtrak felt more “solid” and better “put together.”

On paper, the Wildtrak 2.5-liter diesel, 4-cylinder, 16 valve, DOHC, direct injection common rail turbo with intercooler churns out a max power of 143ps at 3,500rpm, and max torque of 330Nm at 1,800rpm, compared to the Navara’s 2.5-liter engine that generates 144ps at 4,000rpm and torque of 356Nm at 2,000rpm, and the Strada 4×2 VGT engine which generates 178ps at 4,000rpm, and max torque of 350Nm at 1,800-3,500rpm.

Space concerns, in numbers

The Ranger, surprisingly, offers more cargo space than the Navara and the Strada. The Ranger actually has longer cargo length (1530mm versus Navara’s 1480mm and Strada’s 1325mm) and cargo height (465 mm versus Navara’s 455mm and Strada’s 405mm).

The Ranger’s pickup box volume is bigger at 1,266 liters compared to the Navara’s 1006 liters and Strada’s 789 liters.

In terms of cargo width, however, the Ranger fares less at 1456mm, with the Navara having 1494mm and Strada 1470 mm.

Both Ranger and Strada have a wheelbase of 3000mm, while the Navara’s measures 3200mm.

The firefighter prefers a Ranger

There are up to 30 Ranger owners that are members of Ford Club Philippines. One of them, Ravien “Rav” Bracero, a video editor, photographer and volunteer firefighter, knows firsthand the value of his Ranger.

While still in college, his parents gave him a 2001 Ford Ranger XLT 4×2, the better for him to face the floods that frequently occurred between his place near Araneta Avenue and his school University of Sto. Tomas along España in Manila. “I wasn’t disappointed by the Ranger, it never broke down during the floods.” And he was also wise enough to avoid going into floods higher than his tires, he added.

After six years, Rav’s parents decided to sell his Ranger to his aunt in Cebu. His replacement car? The 2007 Ranger TDCi he said he was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek of at the Batangas Racing Circuit. So, after getting the 2007 Ranger Trekker 4×2 TDCi, Rav immediately set about to upgrade it to “Ran MkII,” complete with the HID headlights, yellow fog lamps, a killer audio system set up to a DVD head unit, and a blue racing stripe for the exterior.

When tropical storm “Ondoy” struck in 2009, Rav’s Ranger was among the unlucky ones that fell victim to the monstrous floods. Still, a pleasant surprise revealed itself. “I was happy that Ford designed the Ranger’s ECU (computer box) to be waterproof. My Ranger was running again after five days with a monoblock chair as a driver seat. We restored the Ranger and our other (Ford) vehicles with our own sweat.”

Now, Rav’s Ranger, all 4 years old and battle-scarred, is still up and running. He even uses it to respond to fire emergencies.

But has he considered other pick-ups? “The Strada’s cabin space is okay, but the cargo area is sacrificed. Navara looks good, but it is lower compared to the Ranger, and I prefer my pick-up to be higher because I live in a flood-prone area. The Mazda BT-50 4×2 version has a single airbag only. And then too many people are already using the Toyota Hilux,” Rav explains.

Aside from Rav, other members of the FCP and long-term owners of the Ranger love its generous safety features, maneuverability, responsive engine, spacious cargo hold and ride height.

Rav and other Ranger owners offer their own suggestions for the Ranger to improve, and ultimately for sales to pick up. These are: the inclusion of a more sophisticated in-car entertainment system; cheaper parts from the Casa; and bigger wheels, or better stock tires that would better manage wet roads.

Now if the old Ranger can get through floods with relative ease, a problem as simple as a wet road shouldn’t be so hard for the new Ranger to solve, would it?