Pretoria - When the new Ford Ranger was revealed late last year the carmaker confirmed what we’d all been hoping for - that there would be a V6 diesel version.
However Ford left us guessing exactly how powerful the new bakkie’s engines would be, but now all that information has been released in a preview event held at the local factory in Silverton, Gauteng.
According to Ford the new 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel will produce 184kW and 600Nm in both the Ranger and Everest applications.
As previously mentioned Ford is also ditching the current 2.2-litre and 3.2-litre diesel engines, and to plug the gap left by the previous entry-level engine Ford is offering its 2.0-litre single-turbo diesel in two output levels: 110kW and 350Nm, as well as 125kW and 450Nm.
Bridging the gap between these and the new V6, the 2.0 twin-turbo carries over with 155kW and 500Nm.
As for gearboxes, the single-turbo Rangers will be offered with five- and six-speed manuals as well as a six-speed automatic, while the twin-turbo 2.0 and new 3.0 V6 get the familiar 10-speed autobox.
Ford Ranger and Everest program manager Pritika Maharaj said the company did a lot of application calibration and validation work in both the US and Australia to make sure that the new V6 would meet the needs of Ranger and Everest customers.
“The 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel delivers. When you drive a Ranger with the V6 turbodiesel, it feels like a much bigger truck. And it feels strong in the sense that it's got plenty of power and torque, which is exactly what our customers told us they wanted,” Maharaj said.
Ford has also released more information about the new Ranger’s off-roading ability.
The vehicle’s approach and departure angles have both been increased, the former from 28.5 to 30 degrees and the latter from 21 to 23 degrees.
Ford is also offering two four-wheel drive systems in the next-gen Ranger. The lower-spec version is a traditional part-time system with a two-speed electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer case (with 2H, 4H and 4L modes), while the more upmarket versions will get an on-demand 4WD system which has a new 4A (automatic) mode for high-speed driving.
The new Ford Ranger will, depending on the model, also offer up to six driving modes, previously the preserve of the Raptor model.
IOL Motoring