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Ford Ranger rules the roost – 2023 Motoring Newsmaker No 1
This bakkie offers something for everyone in terms of engine size and body style.
The Ford Ranger in Wildtrak X guise. Picture: Ford
It was a big year for the Ford Ranger.
The new version of the Ranger was introduced towards the end of 2022. In 2023 Ford made sure its locally-built bakkie stays in the news by introducing various new models and body styles.
The Blue Oval unleashed the beastly Raptor, officially launched the new single cab, introduced the first-ever Wildtrak SuperCab, added the Wildtrak X to the line-up and announced the Tremor and Platinum’s introduction to South Africa 2024.
Taking its busy year into account, it is no surprise that the Ford Ranger is The Citizen Motoring’s top newsmaker for the year.
Ford Ranger makes waves
Over the course of 2023, Road Test Editor Mark Jones tested every single engine derivative in the Ford Ranger line-up. The Raptor’s 292 kW/582 Nm 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine simply blew us away with a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 5.84 seconds, while the diesel mills also showed big improvements from before.
The 2.0-litre single turbo’s power outputs went down from 132 kW/420 Nm to 125 kW/405 Nm. But its 0-100 km/h time improved from 14.26 seconds to 11.74.
Packing a punch
The 2.0-litre biturbo Ford Ranger was detuned from 157 kW/500 Nm to 154 kW/500 Nm. Where it took 12.70 seconds to reach 100 km/h from s standstill before, it now only takes 10.41 seconds.
The 184 kW/600 Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel that did not feature on the previous generation performed as expected. It ran a best 0-100 km/h sprint time of 9.29 seconds.
The production sibling of the Ford Ranger, the VW Amarok, ran a best time of 9.13 seconds in PanAmericana guise. This is almost a second slower than the time set by previous generation 190 kW Amarok.
2023 Motoring Newsmakers
Facelift Isuzu D-Max unveiled – No 10
Mercedes-AMG GT63 breaks cover – No 9
New Mahindra Pik-Up emerges – No 8
New Prado makes grand entry – No 7
Suzuki Fronx to the fore – No 6
Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max – No 5
Toyota Fortuner ages like wine – No 4
Ford Ranger Raptor turns Golf GTI-killer – No 3
Renault Oroch bakkie unveiled – No 2
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