DRIVEN: Ford’s armoured Ranger ready to take a bullet for you

A few years ago, while driving on the N12 past the Kingsway off-ramp in Daveyton, I almost got hijacked. Thanks to my defensive driving skills, I managed to get out of the daring situation alive and not become one of the statistics.  

Every day in the news, I hear about hijackings and smash-and-grab incidents which is very worrying because it leaves one questioning their safety and that of their loved ones. 

According to the 2019/2020 SA crime statistics from the SAPS, over 18 000 hijackings occurred annually. 

Drivers can be equipped with the necessary defensive driving techniques to keep them safe at all times, but have you looked beyond that?  

Ford South Africa recently invited me to experience its Ranger bakkie as it conquers one of its newest and toughest tests of being an armoured vehicle. 

Ford South Africa partnered with SVI Engineering to armour the Ranger bakkie. 

Available across all Ranger models, powertrains and variants, SVI Engineering offers two levels of protection: B4 and B6. 

Starting off with the B4, this level of protection offers bullet-resistance from handguns up to a 44 Magnum. Perfect to save you from hijacking and it takes around eight weeks to build. 

This type of protection comes courtesy of 18-21 mm armoured glass, in combination with Kevlar sheets for the body. If you aren’t familiar with armoured vehicles, it’ll be difficult to notice the added protection. 

Obviously with the added cladding of protection there’s a 280 kg increase in weight on the double cab and, while I did not test the similarities between the unarmoured and armoured vehicles, SVI says there is a slight impact on its acceleration, fuel economy and efficiency.  

Designed specifically for the valuables-in-transit as well as VIP protection, the B6 can protect occupants from shots fired from an R1 assault rifle and AK47. The level of protection consists of 38 mm armoured glass as well as special armoured plates. 

Due to the additional 650kg of armour, the Ranger’s suspension is upgraded accordingly. 

If you opt for the B6 armour protection, you can choose between the discreet appearance or the non-discreet option called Stopgun V2.0. The discreet option takes 12 weeks to build, while the Stopgun security option can be installed in only two weeks.

The B4 and B6 armour protection covers the glazing surrounding the occupants, A-, B- and C-pillars, doors, firewall, the rear of the cabin, as well as the front fenders to protect the engine components and firewall, battery and ABS unit. 

Other additional Ford-approved armouring options for the Ranger include roof armouring, floor armouring, bullbar and ballistic grill, run-flat ring system for the tyres and public announcement system. 

I got behind the wheel of the Ford Ranger Single Cab 4×2 fitted with the cost-effective non-discreet option and it’s indeed a job well-done by SVI. I was honestly surprised by how safe I felt in there. The extra weight gain can be felt by a margin when driving though.  

The Ford Ranger XLT 4×4 fitted with the discreet level of protection gets my vote. As mentioned earlier, you’d hardly notice the armoured windows and other protection cladding if you are not familiar with armoured vehicles. 

After driving, I visited the production plant and there I got to see how a car is stripped to its shell and what a surprising sight it was. As part of the demonstration, I shot at one of the demo windows that had already been shot at. After a number of shots, there was no penetration at all. 

For peace of mind, the armoured protection of the Ford Ranger is manufacturer-approved. 

The all-new Ford Rangers come standard with Ford Protect, comprising a four-year/120 000km comprehensive warranty, three-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance and five-year/unlimited km corrosion warranty. 

A six-year/90 000km service plan is included which covers six services. The recommended service interval is 15 000km or annually, whichever occurs first.

In addition, customers receive a one year/50 000km warranty on the armouring components from SVI Engineering.