The Ranger Bakkie is an important model for the Ford marque and every month, manufacturers that sell bakkies are always on about who pushes out more units.
That’s why Ford is always trying to keep its Ranger fresh by introducing cosmetics to the model line-up.
Which brings us to the Ranger XL Sport Pack 4×4 that I recently sampled over a three day trip across three provinces.
Before I get into details about the trip, let’s clear the air in terms of what the Ford Ranger XL Sport Pack is all about.
The Sport Pack package was rolled out to the Ranger XL line-up as an option. It adds a gloss-black grille, black side steps, 17-inch “Panther” items in gloss-black and is shod with 265/65 R17 tyres.
There is a tubular sports bar over the load bay as well as a black rear bumper.
The interior is bolstered with an optional 8.0-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system that replaces the standard Sync 1 unit with a four-inch LCD.
The system allows Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality and two USB slots.
Dubbed the Travelogue, we were flown to Hoedspruit and the first day saw us driving to Blyde River. It is such a superb part of the world with beautiful green scenery.
After a boat cruise, it was time to head to our overnight stay at the Moholoholo Ya Mati Forest Camp.
The facility offers great accommodation and hospitality. Should you visit Hoedspruit, it is worth considering.
The second leg of the trip saw the Ford Ranger XL Sport Pack convoy navigating through the Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve, which loosely translates to ‘the place of water’. The reserve is made up of mountain wilderness, escarpments, mountain vegetation and wildlife.
We drove over the Orrie Baragwanath Pass and I must admit, the pass features some of the most challenging terrains I have ever driven on, yet the Ranger XL Sport Pack handled the tasks at hand with so much simplicity.
Thanks to its easy-to-engage 4×4 mode, as well as hill descent control, the Ranger XL Sport Pack behaved well.
After spending hours navigating through the pass, we finally reached the bottom of the mountain and we joined the tar road leading to the Aloe Bush Game Lodge in Marble Hall for our final overnight stay.
The third day saw us crossing the province to Gauteng and, before we knew it, we were back in the City of Gold.
The Ford Ranger Travelogue proved to us how much we have missed outdoor fun as well as getting intimate with what nature has to offer.
The Ranger XL Sport Pack might be the most affordable 4×4 in the Ranger line-up but it excels in what it does and it deserves some love.
